I am looking to see if it is possible to connect my MacBook Pro directly to my ReadyNAS Ultra 6 which would allow me to transfer TB's of files quickly rather than going through the network.
I would have a larger drive station connected directly to my Mac so basically transferring from NAS to large external Hard Drive via my MacBook Pro.
I am looking to see if it is possible to connect my MacBook Pro directly to my ReadyNAS Ultra 6 which would allow me to transfer TB's of files quickly rather than going through the network.
The only way to connect to the Ultra is using ethernet. It is possible to set up a direct connection to the MacBook using one of the two ethernet ports on the MacBook. But it won't be any faster, so IMO not worth the trouble.
What speeds are you seeing for large file transfers? I don't own this model, but I think large-file transfer speeds should be in the 60-70 MB/s range.
Many thanks for coming back to me. Unfortunately if I was getting even half that I would be over the moon.
Currently getting around 5mb/s as the network is a busy network with everyone of the family on the network, hence why I was hoping to take the NAS off the network and have it directly connected to the MBP and transfer to the larger disk.
Many thanks for coming back to me. Unfortunately if I was getting even half that I would be over the moon.
Currently getting around 5mb/s as the network is a busy network with everyone of the family on the network, hence why I was hoping to take the NAS off the network and have it directly connected to the MBP and transfer to the larger disk.
Can you explain your network setup?
Is the Macbook connected using wifi or ethernet?
Is the only device that uses the NAS the MacBook? Other PCs, phones/tablets (perhaps using DLNA)?
I have my 4 netgear NAS's in a room at the end of the garden connected to a tp-link gigabit 16-port switch. I access the NAS either on my Mac mini (M2) via ethernet in my office in the house which is connected to another 16 port gigabit switch or I use my MBP laptop using wifi to connect.
I use either or to connect to the NAS's I also have some video, music files on the NAS's to which family would connect using devices to watch these all the time. So there would be traffic on the network as I also have HomeKit running throughout the house with HomePods in every room and apple tv's etc etc (Just giving you a small picture of the usage and setup.) Everything is automated including the security cameras and other sensors.
Overall there are 2 x 16 port gigabit switches, 3 x 8-port gigabit switches, 2 x 5-port gigabit switches, 6 hubs and the router and using 1gb fibre broadband. Mostly Cat5 cable but there are now some cat6 cabling slowly installing.
Hope this helps. I have also found articles about 'rclone' which may be something I could use to transfer and believe it can be installed on the readynas but unsure where it gets installed.
I have my 4 netgear NAS's in a room at the end of the garden connected to a tp-link gigabit 16-port switch. I access the NAS either on my Mac mini (M2) via ethernet in my office in the house which is connected to another 16 port gigabit switch or I use my MBP laptop using wifi to connect.
Overall there are 2 x 16 port gigabit switches, 3 x 8-port gigabit switches, 2 x 5-port gigabit switches, 6 hubs and the router and using 1gb fibre broadband. Mostly Cat5 cable but there are now some cat6 cabling slowly installing.
Let's start with the ethernet.
Most modern gigabit switches are non-blocking. That means that the switching backplane inside the switch is sized so it can deliver 1 gpbs full duplex on every port simultaneously.
That suggests that the likely bottlenecks are the cat5 cables and the "hubs".
Pure cat-5 cable is rated at 100 mbps ("fast ethernet" and not gigabit. A short patch cable might be able to carry 1 gigabit - it depends on how the cable is constructed. Cat-5e can carry gigabit. So my first suggestion is to double-check the cat-5 cables, and see which ones are actually Cat-5e. Expedite replacing the pure cat-5 cables, particularly ones the run in between switches, and on the path between the ReadyNAS systems and the Macbook.
Can you give more detail on the "hubs" - manufacturer/model, and why you need them? Ethernet hubs will certainly degrade your network performance, so if that is what they are you should remove them (replacing them with switches if you need the ports). If they are creating a wifi mesh network, then of course that is a different story.
In your case the connection between the switches is also gigabit, so the total bandwidth between your switches is limited to 1 gigabit in each direction. That limitation doesn't explain your slow network speeds. But you might get somewhat better performance if you were able to reduce the number of switches. Just something to consider for the future (after you deal with the cat5 and perhaps the hubs).
Overall there are 2 x 16 port gigabit switches, 3 x 8-port gigabit switches, 2 x 5-port gigabit switches, 6 hubs and the router and using 1gb fibre broadband. Mostly Cat5 cable but there are now some cat6 cabling slowly installing.
Hope this helps. I have also found articles about 'rclone' which may be something I could use to transfer and believe it can be installed on the readynas but unsure where it gets installed.
I don't see how rclone would help your situation. One reason is that I believe MacBooks already have rsync installed, so you could just use that.
But the bigger reason is that neither will give you significantly faster transfer speeds.
Is this a "one time" deal or will you need to do this on a recurring basis?
If the destination is the USB drive, why not connect it to the NAS USB Port and run a backup job (or several) right to the USB? Even if it's only a 2.0 port, it won't incur any network traffic, won't tie up your Macbook and keep a log. Yes, it may take a while but it's another alternative.
Is this a "one time" deal or will you need to do this on a recurring basis?
If the destination is the USB drive, why not connect it to the NAS USB Port and run a backup job (or several) right to the USB?
Another option (whether one-time or recurring) is to move the NAS to the MacBook location, and connect the NAS and the MacBook to the home network with a gigabit switch. The traffic between the NAS and the MacBook will only go through the switch, so it would avoid whatever congestion points are on the home network.
But if @niallryan is seeing 5 mbps large file transfer speeds on his ethernet, then there is something wrong with the ethernet fabric that really should be fixed.
5 mpbs on wifi might just be a range issue, in which case deploying a mesh (or traditional APs) would be needed.
Hi there and no problem in joining in. This would be a one off as I am transferring all data from all 4 x ReadyNAS's to a single Disk Station which has 3 x 24tb hdd's (I may have falling short on the explanation - apologies).
Agreed on the bigger picture that I definitely need to check all cabling afaik there is a mixture of Cat5 and Cat6e all over the house. Also the NAS's are all stored in the games room at the end of the garden which is approx. 20 - 30 meters away from the house. I do have an outdoor cable (Cat 6e) running from the router in the house to the 16 port switch in the games room. There is also an outdoor cable running under ground from the games room to the house (this was the original cabling when the games room was being built) and I believe this is Cat5/5e - so I shall investigate to ensure that that cable is not connected to anything on the network otherwise that would be a conflict straight off.
A lot of the cables are cat 5e which are running form switches to hubs and devices where necessary.
The hubs are actual 3rd party hubs for HomeKit eg, a hub for the central heating, 2 hubs for the security cameras, 2 hubs for the hue lighting, a hub for all my lights and sockets (Lightwaverf) - all necessary I'm afraid.
The only hiccup I do have is that the wifi in the games room is not part of the wifi mesh. The games room wifi runs from an Apple AirPort Express which is wired to the switch in the games room. I do plan on getting another Deco to replace that at some stage.
I appreciate all the help being received all round.
There is also an outdoor cable running under ground from the games room to the house (this was the original cabling when the games room was being built) and I believe this is Cat5/5e - so I shall investigate to ensure that that cable is not connected to anything on the network otherwise that would be a conflict straight off.
Cat 5e should be ok, but cat 5 would not be, especially given the distance. You said 400-900 mbs when running speedtest over the mesh.
What speedtest results are you seeing when you connect the Macbook with ethernet (turning it's wifi off)?
Also, is the Deco mesh using ethernet for the backhaul? Or is the Deco using wifi for the backhaul?
Cat 5e should be ok, but cat 5 would not be, especially given the distance.
I have to make that this is not in play as it would create a conflict as I have a cat 6e cable running from the house along the wall to the games room connected to the switch and there is a cat 5e cable going from the switch in the family room (as I call it) where my Mac mini is to the switch up in the attic. I know it ay sound complicated the way I have it mapped out but it was to get cabling around the house and ports available in some rooms in the house as the kids/young adults have Macs for college along with my office which has iMacs and so on.
What speedtest results are you seeing when you connect the Macbook with ethernet (turning it's wifi off)?
I did a speediest just there on the Mac mini in the family room as that is connected to a switch and getting between 900mb and 1.2gb
Also, is the Deco mesh using ethernet for the backhaul? Or is the Deco using wifi for the backhaul?
The Deco's are as follows : Main Deco is on ground floor connected to router by ethernet.
Deco 2 is on 1st floor (Office side) connected to Main Deco by wifi and Deco 3 is also on 1st floor on other side connected to main deco by wifi. The Third floor (attic converted) does get wifi at a reasonable speed of around 500mb/s
What speedtest results are you seeing when you connect the Macbook with ethernet (turning it's wifi off)?
I did a speediest just there on the Mac mini in the family room as that is connected to a switch and getting between 900mb and 1.2gb
These results all tell us that your network is not "too busy". One way to isolate the problem is to try running speedtests over ethernet at various locations. That should make it possible to find the ethernet link that is failing (which seems the most likely cause).
It has to be on the path between the MacBook Pro and the NAS. Running speedtest on that MacBook using ethernet would let us see if the problem is also on the path between that MacBook and your router.
Measuring the transfer speed between the Mac Mini and the NAS might also be useful in isolating the problem.
Cat 5e should be ok, but cat 5 would not be, especially given the distance.
I have to make that this is not in play as it would create a conflict as I have a cat 6e cable running from the house along the wall to the games room connected to the switch and there is a cat 5e cable going from the switch in the family room (as I call it) where my Mac mini is to the switch up in the attic.
You do need to avoid any loops. There should only be one path that goes between any two switches (including indirect paths through other switches).
Are any of your switches "smart" or "managed" switches? If one or more have web interfaces, that could also help figure out what is going on.
Just to follow up - your network is pretty complicated, and I am having trouble visualizing the ethernet topology.
It'd be helpful if you could sketch out a rough diagram, showing just the router and switches. Show how those switches are interconnected, the total port count on the switch, and how many ports are free. Also show what room they are in.
Also, I'd like to review some basic principles (I apologize in advance if these are too basic)...
The ideal ethernet architecture for you would be to have one central switch that has enough ports to directly connect to every ethernet client you have. This switch would be directly connected to one of your router LAN ports. With this architecture, every pair of devices on your network can communicate at wire speed with no congestion. That is because the backplane of the switch has enough capacity to carry that much traffic. For instance, a 16 port gigabit switch will normally have a 32 gpbs backplane, so it can handle 1 gigabit per second in each direction on all ports simultaneously.
So over time you should aim to migrate your network set up to something reasonably close to this ideal.
There usually are some rooms where there are simply too many client devices for a single central switch to be practical. In those rooms you deploy satellite switches so you can get enough client connections. Those satellites connect directly to the central switch, and not to other satellites.
The bandwidth between a satellite and the main switch is then shared by all the clients connected to the satellite. The clients can connect to any device connected to the same satellite with no congestion, but there can be congestion when those clients are connecting to other local network devices. So ideally these clients wouldn't all be in use simultaneously (or wouldn't need the full gigabit). Note that 4K streaming uses 25 mbps or less - so streaming devices don't require as much bandwidth as many people think.
The central switch + room satellites design creates a "hub and spoke" topology. Servers (including the NAS) should be connected directly to the central switch. If you are buying new switches, then a central switch with some multigig ports would be good. Then the link to multigig satellites would be 2-10 gig, which would reduce the chance of congestion to/from the satellites. Note the multigig links do need to be cat-6.
I'd need the topology diagram of your current setup to see how closely it matches the hub and spoke diagram architecture. One thing I am thinking is that since you have two cables going to the game room, it might be possible to use one of those cables to connect the NAS directly to your router (or a switch connected to your router). That of course assumes the unused cable is cat 5e.
