Simply Nuc NUC11TNFi7 Full
16GB DDR4 RAM
256GB NVMe PCIe Gen 4 M.2 SSD, Pre-Installed
2TB 3.5in Seagate HD
20TB WD Elements USB 3 external HD
14TB WD Elements USB 3 external HD (Backup)
Networking Gear & Setup Details
Virgin Media Hub 3 (Arris)
Ethernet connection to NUC
Connected Audio Devices
None yet. Will be a pair of Sonos Fives.
Number of Tracks in Library
Description of Issue
Prior to implementation I have been reading the documentation about installing and using Roon ROCK with my fanless SimplyNUC device based on recommended NUC 11 for large databases.
I have a very large CD collection and a subscription to Qobuz.
It will take me a long time to rip all my CDs.
I propose to start by putting the rip data on the 2TB Spindrive I have installed in my fanless Simply NUC.
My question is (not having used Roon just yet): As the internal 2TB gets full can I just plug in my 20TB WD Elements drive by USB to the SimplyNuc so that my Roon database will simply automatically extend onto the USB drive, or must I transfer the content of the 2TB internal spin drive to my 20TB external USB WD Elements Drive to create a “new” database and thereafter forego data storage use of the 2TB internal spin HD?
Would it be better to just start using the 20TB external USB HD for my Roon audio data db from the start? If so, why?
Also, and probably hypothetically, if my 20TB USB drive starts to get full, can I add another external USB hard drive to extend the same database using either a second USB port on the NUC or by daisychaining the second USB drive with the first, or by connecting both external USB HDs to the simplyNUC using a powered USB 3 hub?
I would like to start out without making any flawed set-up decisions which might have negative repercussions in the future.
Lastly, in the nightmare scenario that Roon Labs has to cease trading will my Roon database of ripped CD data become inaccessible or useless, or will I still be able to access the ripped flac data using the metadata I will tag at the time of the flac creation. Do the folders of ripped CDs have decipherable names (in English in my case) for such identification or are they encoded in a Roon specific way that will make a non-Roon reconstruction very difficult or practically impossible? This is important to me because I need to know if I need to budget for, and to keep a permanent and separate archive of every CD rip I submit into my prospective Roon database in case of such a disaster recovery scenario.
Roon’s database is an entirely different thing than your collection of local music files. You have no choice regarding location of Roon’s database…it must be located on the boot drive for Roon Core.
You can store your music files in one big folder or multiple locations. Roon makes no changes to your music files, so if you decide to switch to Audirvana or something else down the road, your music files will still be there. Just keep in mind that any “edits” you make in the Roon UI are only stored in Roon’s proprietary database. There’s no way to “sync” these edits to your music files. The edits happen in a “metadata layer” that Roon presents. As a result, these edits will be lost when you switch to a different solution.
My solution is to minimize my “edits” in Roon. I will combine duplicate albums and, in rare cases, select an alternate image for cover art. Besides that, I am happy with the metadata that I have embedded in my music files, and I’m confident that they will translate well to any other music library solution.
Thank you, I’m sorry I misused the terminology. I think I too will prefer, in the long run, to rely on the metadata I embed in the flac files upon their creation rather than to create edits inside Roon that regrettably may one day prove transient. Yet I look forward to using the organisational power of Roon to help me keep track of, and to control, what has become difficult to manage with my collection of physical media.
Regards,
David
Embarking on a new Roon installation is an exciting journey. Shoot me a PM if you’d like my take on how best to get started. Things generally work very well, but I’d be happy to help you navigate around some of the common first-timer pitfalls.
Is not an officially supported hardware. ROCK was designed to be run on the specified Intel NUC hardware. If you want to use that PC in a supported environment, then you might install Linux or Windows.
You have to set each USB drive up as a separate watched location. However, Roon will display the contents of all storage locations together.
Yes, you can add drives up to the limit of the PC USB connections.
I wouldn’t use a hub
Imho, You should rip your CDs on a PC with dbPoweramp and then copy the rip over to the RoonServer. That way your rips will be human readable and you will have a copy on another machine, in case.
