Server connection lost when Remote disconnects [Resolved B306]

I think this is a new problem. I’m running latest Roon on ROCK, controlling from Remote running on a late 2015 MacBook Pro.

The ROCK is hard-wired to the network via a switch, which also feeds my Ethernet-enabled DAC. Sometimes I also hard-wire the remote, since it’s my main work computer and I often need to download or upload large files efficiently, and my wireless modem is in a different room, beyond some thick, heavy walls. Wireless is turned off on the server.

Much to my annoyance, this MacBook Pro was the first generation to abandon Ethernet ports. To connect to Ethernet, you use a Thunderbolt --> Ethernet adapter. And the Thunderbolt connection isn’t secure. When I have the adapter in and set the computer down on my ottoman, the adapter shifts a bit and the Ethernet connection is lost.

Lately I’ve noticed that often when I set my laptop down, the server disappears–not only from my Remote (the MacBook Pro) but also from my son’s MacBook Pro, which is also running remote. In order to make it show up again, I have to restart the ROCK; usually I do it via the IP interface in a browser.

This morning I picked up my laptop to take with me on a trip, removing the Ethernet connection. Later, I got a text message from my son asking why Roon wasn’t showing up. I suggested he restart the NUC. He did it and Roon reappeared.

To sum up: Breaking a hard-wire connection between remote and server causes the server to go offline. I did not notice this until the last month or so. Over the last couple of weeks, though, it has happened often.

There is no reason that breaking a hard-wired connection from a remote should cause the server to go offline.

Thanks,
Jim

Thank you for the report @Jim_Austin, the feedback and insight are both appreciated!

I agree that severing a LAN connection to a Roon remote should not be affecting the server at all but out of curiosity, during your troubleshooting have you tried testing with another ethernet adaptor? Additionally, what is the experiencing like if your son’s MBP is making use of a hardwired connection and it is removed from the unit? Does your Mac exhibit the same behavior?

-Eric

Eric, thanks for the response.

If you mean the Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter I plug in to my computer, I only have one of those. It works reliably, except the Thunderbolt connection seems not to be all that secure. Tilt it a bit and it disconnects.

He’s sitting here next to me. First, I tried again: Turned off my wireless, plugged in the adapter, played some music in Roon, then pulled the plug. After a few seconds, the music stopped, and my son (who was connecting wirelessly) lost his connection to the server.

So then we tried it the other way: After restarting the ROCK, he connected (same wire, same adapter), played some music, turned off his wireless, then pulled the Ethernet plug. The music is still playing and I’m still connected. Weird.

So it happens consistently with my computer but not with his. Although his is newer–bought about a year ago–it’s the same model of MacBook Pro, I think running the same version of OS X. He too is running Roon Server 1.4 build 300. (Same version of Roon is on the ROCK.)

Thanks,

Jim

Oo, a thought. A while ago I set up a Share on my laptop so that I can play files directly from my computer and don’t have to transfer them to the ROCK-connected SSD. I’m currently getting a “Drive Is Not Available” message–I probably was before–but the existence of that link could be causing the problem when my computer disconnects.

Hi @Jim_Austin ---- Thank you for touching base with me and taking the time to answer my questions, both are very appreciated!

Moving forward, before we go about gathering timestamps and enabling diagnostics on your account could you please provide the following:

  • A screenshot from your’s and your son’s MBP remotes showing the “settings” screen.

  • You mentioned the following in your post (see below). Just to confirm your Son is running Roon remote and not RoonSever on the his computer, correct?

“He too is running Roon Server 1.4 build 300. (Same version of Roon is on the ROCK.)”

-Eric

You want General Settings? Here’s mine:

Here’s his:

Is that really what you want?

Yes, I did mean that he is running Roon Remote.

Thanks,
Jim

Thanks for the follow up @Jim_Austin and my apologies for the delay.

Yes, this is exactly what I was looking for :+1: When you had mentioned that your son’s computer was hosting RoonServer I wanted to make sure that a) your devices were connected to ROCK (which they are) and B) that there was not an “additional” core active in your setup. I appreciate the clarification!

Continuing forward, being as this is not reproducible with your Son’s computer I have to think that there is something going on with your remote device that is triggering a different response from the system. Jim, when you go about disconnecting the ethernet adaptor are you just pulling it from the computer and going on your way? I am curious, if you go into system preferences and “kill the connection” before unplugging the adaptor does your son’s computer still drop communication with the server?

Additionally, is your MBP mounted to the same switch referenced in your previous post? Have you tried bypassing the switch, temporarily of course, and mounting ROCK and your MBP directly to the router to see if you experience the behavior when the thunderbolt connection is removed?

-Eric

Yes, actually, as I might have written previously, I first noticed this when I would set my laptop down on a soft leather ottoman; apparently the computer settles in, pushing the adapter up slightly, enough to kill the connection. A few seconds later the music stops.

Just tried it: The music stops when I terminate the connection in Preferences. (I did this by changing the Ethernet setting from “DCHP” to “Off”.

Yes. I have a single switch hard-wired to the router, the server, and the Bridge II in my PS Audio DirectStream DAC–and, when this happens, hard-wired to my MacBook Pro–all connected together and then to a single hard-wired router connection.

Not sure if I’ve said this: When I’m connected wirelessly and I break the connection, the music continues as it should.

I just did this–I simply hard-wired my MacBook Pro into the router (everything else the same), started some music, and pulled the plug–and was surprised by the outcome: Same thing, sort of. Music stopped. However, I did not need to restart the NUC. When the connection was reestablished (wirelessly), the Roon server was there waiting.

Jim

@Jim_Austin ----- Thank you for the feedback, very appreciated!

Continuing forward, I am going to be enabling diagnostics on your account so we can have a closer look into this behavior you are experiencing to see if anything jumps out us in the log traces. What this action will do is the next time Roon is active on your core machine and the mentioned remotes (i.e your’s and your son’s MBPs) a diagnostics report containing a set of Roon logs will automatically be generated/uploaded to our servers.

I will confirm once the report has been received so you know we have it.

-Eric

Eric, thanks. I should have just given you something to look at. Starting at about 8:02pm, I

  • Restarted RoonRemote on my MacBook Pro (connected via wireless)
  • Played a song
  • Turned off wireless on my MacBook Pro (connection lost but music continues).
  • Plugged the adapter into the Ethernet port, reestablishing the connection. Roon reappears on the MacBook Pro
  • Played another song.
  • Pulled the plug; connection with Server is lost, music stops a few seconds later.
  • Plugged the cable back in. Preferences/Network indicates that Ethernet connection was reestablished, but connection to RoonServer is NOT.
  • Restarted RoonServer via IP. Connection to Roon was reestablished.

Hope this helps.

Jim

Thanks for the timestamp @Jim_Austin, very appreciated!

It looks like the diagnostics report has reached our servers so I am going to be updating your ticket with this latest feedback and then passing over to our techs for evaluation. Once our team has completed their analysis I will be sure to share their thoughts/findings with you in a timely manor.

-Eric

Hi @Jim_Austin ----- Thank you again for the continued feedback and more importantly, thank you for your patience while our team has been looking into this behavior you’ve reported to us.

Continuing forward, our tech team has asked if you could please perform the following test and then share the results with us. See below.

  • Disable the mentioned “network storage” location in Roon temporarily.

    From your previous:

    “Oo, a thought. A while ago I set up a Share on my laptop so that I can play files directly from my computer and don’t have to transfer them to the ROCK-connected SSD. I’m currently getting a “Drive Is Not Available” message–I probably was before–but the existence of that link could be causing the problem when my computer disconnects.”

  • Perform the same step(s) with cable detachment and verify if the server crashes.

-Eric

I regret to inform you that this test complicates things further.

I disabled this connection, played a track, turned off wireless then pulled the Ethernet plug, the music stopped playing after three seconds. That’s the usual behavior. But when I reconnected the cable, the remote (MacBook Pro) reconnected with the server, although it took a minute or so. (The music was still paused at the same place, 3 seconds after I pulled the plug. Previously I’d need to restart Roon (or restart the NUC) before I could reconnect.

For time-stamp purposes, I did this all after 3:50pm eastern time–perhaps 3:54pm.

Jim

Thanks for sharing the results of the proposed test @Jim_Austin and providing the time frame in which is was conducted.

I am going to re-enable diagnostics on your account so our team can see what “occurred” during the suggested troubleshooting exercise. Once the report comes in I will be sure to confirm that we have it and then swiftly attach it to your ticket for our tech team to review.

-Eric

Update: @Jim_Austin , confirming that the latest diagnostics report has been received (3/6).

Eric,

I’m confused by this. You wrote that you were going to re-enable diagnostics after I ran the test–but then indicated that the diagnostics report was received. I have not crashed the server since this latest message from you. Was diagnostics still on perhaps? Should I crash again to create a new report?

Hi @Jim_Austin ---- Thank you for touching base with me and my apologies for any confusion. Please allow me to elaborate.

In regard to your question, no, diagnostics are not on. When we enable this feature on a user’s account, think of it as request that is sent to your core machine and less of an “on/off button.” After the request has been made it is fulfilled the next time the application is active on the core machine. If the machine happens to be active at the time the request is made, the report will ping our servers at that time.

" What this action will do is the next time Roon is active on your core machine and the mentioned remotes (i.e your’s and your son’s MBPs) a diagnostics report containing a set of Roon logs will automatically be generated/uploaded to our servers.

We do not receive “live” diagnostics from your core machine when this feature is enabled which is why I ask our users to reproduce the issue first so we have those time frames captured in the logs. If I were to enable diagnostics BEFORE the issue is reproduced there is a chance that the report will make it to us before the problem was been logged. No need to reproduce a crash again as we already received the report from the previous test and I am still waiting on feedback from our team.

-Eric

Hi @Jim_Austin ------ Thank you for your patience here and my apologies for the delayed response. I wanted to touch base with you to see what the experience has been like for you since the last build was released (i.e build306), are you still experiencing the same behavior when the ethernet connection is removed from your MBP remote?

Looking forward to your feedback!
-Eric

Not something that happens every day, since usually I’m wireless–so I tested it when I got your email. I did the usual thing: connected the Ethernet cable, turned off wireless, started up some music, pulled the cord. I lost my remote connection to the server of course–but otherwise nothing happened. The music kept playing. Turned wireless back on, server connection was reestablished. I paused the music, then restarted it. No issues.

Seems like it’s fixed. Thanks.

jca

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