Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)
ROCK version 1.0 build 183.
Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)
Vodafone Station Router - Connected on Ethernet.
Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)
Description Of Issue
I’m not able to connect from a brand new iMac running Catalina 10.15.3 to my ROCK core. The two devices are both connected via Ethernet. The most curious thing is that the iMac sees the Samba share the Core exports.
BTW, the same Core is seen without problems by the Roon app on my iPhone.
Thanks for posting a screenshot of that page, it looks normal to me.
Next, we should verify the firewall settings on your iMac. Can you please use these instructions from Apple to ensure you have both Roon and RAATServer added as exceptions to the MacOS firewall?
Do you have any other Antivirus or Firewall software on this iMac? If so I would suggest adding exceptions for Roon/RAATServer there as well or temporarily disabling the firewall. In the past we have seen Bullguard, Little Snitch, McAFee, Kaspersky need similar exceptions.
Hi Noris,
I think I figured out what the problem is, but I’ve not a feasible solution so far: namely, the software component that apparently prevents the iMac from seeing the Core is the Endpoint Security VPN client.
If this software is installed (mind you: just installed, not necessarily running), there’s no way for the iMac to see the Core; as soon as the software is removed everything runs just fine.
Do you have any idea for the reason of this behavior? And - most important - is there a workaround that does not force me to choose between Roon (which I greatly enjoy) and the VPN client, that I need when working from home?
Thanks for looking into this further. VPNs are known to cause issues with Roon, and for Roon to operate properly the Core + Remote must be on the same subnet.
Is there any change in behavior if you try to disable the VPN when not in use and reboot the Core machine? Or remove/re-plug in the Ethernet cable?
Hi Noris,
Apparently it seems that the sole software installation suffices to prevent the Mac from reaching the core. I’ve tried to reboot both the core and the Mac, unplug the network cable on both machines with no success. FYI, until last week I was using this very same setup on an older Mac running El Capitan without any issues.
Is there any difference if you use WiFi? Is there any way you can specify an exception for Roon or to exclude the VPN from one of the types of networks (WiFi/Ethernet)? If the answer to this is no - unfortunately you may need to keep using the old Mac Remote.
No difference. As I said, the only way to keep the Mac connecting to the Core is uninstalling the Endpoint VPN client. It’s very infortunate, I guess I have to found a workaround.
You may want to reach out to your work’s IT department to see if they have any further thoughts on why this behavior occurs with the VPN installed (and not running) and if it’s at all possible to add further exceptions for the VPN.
Hi @noris, just to let you know I’ve solved the issue: I uninstalled the latest version of the Endpoint client software (E82.00) and installed the previous one (E80.89). The Roon client works like a charm and I’m able to smoothly connect to the work’s VPN.
Maybe this can be of some help for other fellows that are in my situation (Mac OS X 10.15 Catalina & Checkpoint VPN client).
