Mapping smb on networked media server

New Roon user. I’m having unable to connect to a networked mac mini, which hosts the bulk of my music on a separate drive. I added a watched folder using smb path, but I get an error message: “The network path is already in use on your system”. Unfortunately none of the music is appearing in Roon.

The music sitting on my laptop, which is where Roon core is installed, mapped fine. That music amounts to a bit more than 2k tracks, the other drive has roughly 25k tracks…

Suggestions appreciated!

Hi Greg,

would you post a screenshot of your current Roon->Settings->Storage tab? This might help us to help you.

Cheers
NOA

Maybe this helps:

Thanks for the response. I don’t think the thread below addresses my issue but here is a screenshot of my config… except i cannot see how to post an image. Man, i’m looking lamer than lame here.

AH, worked out the image upload:

Hi Greg,
can you check the following:

  • Is SMB sharing enabled on the machine’s sharing preferences?
    (system preferences -> Sharing -> File Sharing [enabled] -> Options -> Share files and folders using SMB
  • Can you connect from your laptop to the MacMini share by smb?
  • Have you tried using the IP address instead of the hostname in your smb:// line?
  • Can you check the sharing options of your HardDrive (select it in the Finder, press cmd + “i”) ? Take a look if the values in the “Sharing & Permissions” section seem ok.
  • Can you also provide a screenshot of the “About” window in Roon (Settings -> About)?

Hi Greg,

I’ll let @crieke to sort you out, but I thought I would jump in here and say that it looks as though you’re trying to set up an Organized Folder. Make sure you create a Watched Folder.

I’m not positive due to the limited screenshot, but a Watched Folder would be above the default Roon Organized folder you’re showing.

Cheers, Greg

Ok i was trying to set it up with Organized but tried Watched. It now appears to be connected but i didn’t get the added tracks dialog. This is what i see now

it also does not look right - the GYLPH drive is connected to the mini, not this laptop.

Back to Criek’s questions:

Yes SMB is enabled
I don’t know if/how to connect to MacMini via smb. I think, using the finder, it’s the old school looking pc icon. That was visible now is not. So perhaps no, is the answer.
IP: I did use IP that’s how i got the connection shown in the screen grab. What i don’t know is if there is more to the address than the path show in prefs "Other users can access shared folders on this computer, and administrators all volumes, at “afp://10.0.1.4” or “smb://10.0.1.4”. That’s it? or there’s a longer path?
Sharing and permissions seems ok, i can’t figure out how to get a screen grab from the shared screen on mini to here to share.
Here’s the Roon “About” screenshot

thanks so much for the help

You can connect to the MacMini over SMB by pressing cmd + k in the finder (Or click in the menubar “Go” -> “Connect to Server”)

Make sure you disconnect all shares from the MacMini before continuing.

Enter your MacMini’s IP address like this: (as you already mentioned)
smb://10.0.1.4
press “Connect” and enter the credentials (the same that you used to setup the share as a storage in Roon).
It would be helpful if you can make a screenshot of the share selection window that should appear in the next step.

Just out of curiosity and not related to your issue:
Have you thought about setting up your MacMini as the Roon Core/Server?

One addition to my previous post:

Is your laptop a Mac, too?

According to your screenshot, it looks like the network volume was setup like a local folder. Can you confirm you entered the smb path in the “Network path” input field?

ok. I just tried to replicate your setup here with 2 Macs.

Here are my steps:

Sharing setup (for the MacMini):
Make sure to include the “GLYPH-2 TB” volume in the “Shared folder” as shown in the picture:

Also tick your username in the options panel:

On your Laptop (Core) enter the connection credentials for a watched folder like this (replace the IP address with your MacMini’s IP address and the respective credentials):

And it should connect to you MacMini:

Thanks again for all the detail. I think the issue may have been that i had both AFP and SMB enabled under file sharing on the mini. However, when i uncheck the AFP option i’m unable to mount the drive…

So back to an earlier question of yours: why not instal Roon Core on the mini? That is what i intended actually. However the mini is too old to host Roon Core- i’m running 10.6 on a circa 2006 machine. I’d intended to replace it with a circa 2011 model, the last with an optical drive, which according to what i’ve read here on the board should be fine. I just keep missing out on the eBay auctions… so i thought i’d get things rolling with what i have.

FWIW I had none of these issues running Sonos or JRiver. I opted for a new PS Audio JR + Roon in part for what I thought would be a simpler implementation and wanting to do digital ‘right’ (my focused listening being with vinyl heretofore).

Anyway thanks for the help, but I really don’t want to get into having to do all this again with a new mini so I should probably stop here and get back on that plan.

sorry for the long post

That should not be an issue.

This could explain why Roon is not able to connect to it as Roon uses smb.
You also tried to connect to the macmini by selecting “Connect to server” in the Finder’s menubar and manually entering:
smb://xx.xx.xx.xx (IP of your macmini)
?

It’s your choice. But your temporary setup (MacMini just as a file server) should work, too. And we should be able to figure out the reason why it currently does not. :wink:

Well it is frustrating to leave a problem unsolved. So i tried again with the IP address.

I connected! Note this time i’m connected to a folder within the GLYPH drive. But as you can see in the screenshot, still no joy

Same message that the ‘network path is already in use’.

You can’t connect to a specific folder unless explicitly you put that folder into the macOS shared folder list (System preferences -> Sharing -> File Sharing).

If you are still motivated to look into this:

  • Have you checked this mentioned shared folder list in the system preferences?

  • Have you checked your firewall settings on your Laptop and (!) macmini?.

Just a thought:

As the message is that the network drive is already in use in your system - is it by any chance possible that one of your already connected watched folders is somehow mounted already to the folder that you try, so physically the same folder/subfolder?

I remember reading somewhere in a different thread (not sure which one it was) that this message does not necessarily mean that the drive is already mounted. I am trying to find it again…