I play music from a headless MacMini connected to my hifi system. This MacMini is running Roon.
I currently control it from a MacBook Pro and in the future hope to be able to control it from iPad, iPhone, etc.
It really makes no sense to have a fully interactive Roon running on my headless MacMini. It’s a waste of resources and CPU (which should be as calm as possible).
Request: wouldn’t it be possible to have a trimmed down Roon instance which could be ran in the background without GUI? Very much like Plex does for example. Wouldn’t it potentially improve Roon’s SQ?
we are in the process of creating headless versions of everything – including Linux, with docker images and probably a QPKG for QNAP. Hoping to have the start of this out by end of June.
If you minimize the Roon window on windows, or close it on Mac, we will actually stop rendering the UI. Although memory usage and hardware requirements don’t change, no CPU or GPU cycles will be spent on GUI.
Yah, we will do a docker image for the Synology… the problem with the Synology is that they usually underspec their boxes, so they can function as a NAS, but not much more.
A headless Roon install with a few thousands albums in your library will still want 1-2gb of RAM at minimum.
Can you give me an example of a situation in which you’d want to run Roon directly on a NAS? Since a Roon instance will always be needed next to a device connected to a DAC anyway (and it doesn’t make much sense to directly connect a NAS to a DAC).
@nununo – if you have networked DACs, like Meridian endpoints or Airplay, or the numerous manufacturers we are about to launch RoonSpeakers with over the next few months.
? I can think of many examples of endpoints - with an in-built DAC - which connect to a normal / home network using RJ45, for which as NAS set-up is ideal.
I will be connecting a Meridian 861v8 (which has an ID41 card acting as an endpoint) straight to a switch in my home network. I want to control Roon with a tablet (or tablets, or phone), from anywhere in my apartment, at my convenience.
My NAS is elsewhere in the apartment, also connected to the switch.
I have 5 Squeezeboxes connected to my network, as well as many other devices connected to switches or my router.
Personally, and conversely, I can’t see the point of running Roon on a PC or Mac : why would you want to run Roon while sitting in front of a PC / Mac, or having one on your lap, potentially with cable connections or unreliable WiFi ?
[quote=“danny, post:4, topic:1390”]
we are in the process of creating headless versions of everything – including Linux
[/quote]@danny, that’s great news. Quite a few people I know have said they’d love to get on board but would only do so if there is a headless Linux build they could run as their Core. I’ll pass on the news it’s coming and its around the corner.
Agree with your configuration, I don’t sit in front of the Windows desktop.
The only question is whether the Roon core should run on a PC somewhere (wired) or on the NAS.
I prefer to use my NAS as a NAS and not as a compute server.
PCs are cheap, Roon core is not demanding – I ran Roon successfully on a $179 HP machine.
Personally, and conversely, I can’t see the point of running Roon on a PC or Mac : why would you want to run Roon while sitting in front of a PC / Mac, or having one on your lap, potentially with cable connections or unreliable WiFi ?
I have Roon running on a headless MacMini connected to an USB DAC and connected to a NAS via ethernet cable. I currently control it wirelessly through a MacBook Pro running Roon just because Roon is still not available for iOS. So, the MacMini used for audio has a reliable cable connection. The second Mac running Roon… I hope to soon replace it by an iPad or iPhone.
If I’m not mistaken, the Pro range varied the CPU according to the model. From the 2-bay Intel Atom single core up to a 6-bay Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz with 1GB RAM (you could add more RAM up to 4GB).
I’m also a Netgear ReadyNas user with 2 of their devices, one form the same generation as the Pro, and another one from their current “collection”
Hello Danny,
I’m also very interested in running Roon “Core” , headless , on my quite powerfull ReadyNas Pro 6 (“Debian” like OS RAIDiator-x86 ) wich is on H/24 in a closet.
NAS Specs are:
1 x Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz
Dual-Core
RAM Installed 4 GB
I’m currently using it to host Plex Media Server. HD video transcoding on the fly is OK so i presume it will be OK for Roon audio management. Anyway performance issue may perhaps impact database management if Roon is very demanding ?
Let me know.
i’m waiting for this to suscribe to a “lifetime membership”.
Can you clarify more your plans on Linux headless?
Is it feasible, for example, for you to open source your RoonSpeaker implementation, such that others can package up the code for different distributions, so that you don’t have to do it all yourselves?
It’d be really awesome, in whatever case, to be able, on whatever linux distribution, to just do the equivalent of “apt-get roonspeakers” and have it all work.
Wanted to give a loud shout out, and share my excitement on both the news that you are making an headless version (yea!) and that you are working on a Linux version!
Great, great decisions. You come through with those features, and I’ll be ditching my LogitechMediaServer and subscribe for life. But not until then.
