Very slow to copy tracks to internal storage

1

Hi,

I wonder if someone could help. Why is it so slow to copy tracks to Roon internal storage? The network cannot be the issue since I am copying tracks to a flash drive, inserting that drive in the Roon server and then copying from the flash drive to internal storage.
To copy from an internal drive in my PC to the flash drive takes seconds. From the flash drive to internal storage takes up to 20 minutes
Any thoughts?

Many thanks for your help

2

This is needless and makes the transfer slow. You should copy the files directly over the network. See also:

3

Hi Blackjack,

Thanks for the response. Here are the timings for a trial I just carried out
14 tracks (just over 13 Mb)
SSD in PC to USB external drive - about 3 seconds
SSD in PC to SSD in Roon over network 9 minutes

Many thanks for your help

4

Hi Blackjack

Here is the third measurement
SSD on PC to SSD in Roon internal storage over network - about 10 minutes

Thanks

5

Your network speed seems to be very slow (~225 Kbit/s for ~13 MB in ~10 Min.). Even an old USB 1.0 does this in ~1 Min. Do you send the data over the internet? Do you use EoP adapters? Is your WiFi so bad?

6

Hi Blackrock,

Firstly, thank you very much for responding. It is very kind of you to help me with this issue

As I mentioned before, I can take the network out of the loop by inserting the flash drive to the Roon server.

Here is that test
30 tracks in 2 folders (about 940 MB)
Copy time from SSD in PC to USB flash drive - 14 seconds
Copy from USB flash drive to internal storage in Roon server (USB drive attached to server) - cancelled after 30 minutes since it kept having issues with certain tracks
SSD on PC to internal storage over wireless network - about 30 minutes

My wifi is a new Google Nest wifi connected to the router via Ethernet. The router is connected to the server by Ethernet (no switch)

Many thanks

7

What is your Roon Core server exactly?

If it’s a Nucleus(+) or ROCK machine then no. The data from the external drive connected to the core flows over your network to the control PC and back to the core’s internal disk.

This also doesn’t sound like you’re able to take the network out of the loop.

If it’s a self setup machine running a full-featured supported (for Roon Server) OS like Windows, MacOS or Linux where you can login an perform this action then yes. In this case keep using this direct copy method.

Good if this is your Roon Core.

~5 Mbit/s for ~940 MB in ~30 Min. looks like a great improvement compared to the figures you provided before, but still far away from any decent network throughput. I don’t know the Google Nest WiFi product(s). You can’t copy files faster over the network than your network throughput allows you too. You may have to ask someone you know and who has some networking/WiFi knowledge to have a look at your network or ask (pay) a professional to fix up things for you. Good luck.

8

Hi Blackrock,

The roon server is running on a dedicated fanless server.

Google Nest is Mesh wifi so no issues there.

Are you saying that, even with a USB drive connected directly to a USB port on the server, the files are copied over the network? Which software dictates this please? The server is running Windows 10

Many thanks

9

No. Please read:

If this is what gives you the troubles?

If yes then check your fan-less server:

  • is he probably overheating?
  • can you copy files between folders on the internal storage at much higher speed or is it the same slow trouble some experience? --> probably failing disk; bad/damaged interconnect (check cable and connectors)
  • do you use a USB Hub in-between your external disk and the Roon Core? Is he powered? --> if not, maybe not enough power for the disk to operate stable
  • there are sometimes incompatibilities between USB Host controllers and USB devices. --> do a internet research

Anyway if it’s your network or fan-less server, you have to find and resolve the source of your problems.

10
11

Hi Wizardofoz,

I could not agree more. There is little point in blaming local infrastructure such as the network when there is such a fundamental flaw in the software.

Thanks for the response. I will stop wasting time trying to identify the problem since the issue is to do with the Roon program itself

Best wishes

12

You wrote that your Roon core is running on Windows 10. Nothing in the post of wizardofoz is related to Windows 10 or the Roon software as a such, it’s just about devices using Roon OS (Nucleus(+) and ROCK).

The Roon software is just software running on your OS (Windows 10) like any other software as your web browser, office suite, etc. For copying files you don’t even have to have Roon running on your Core – copying files is handled by the OS.

13

Hi Blackjack,

Thank you for clarifying this. Your response is very helpful, as always.

My investigations have shown
I had a track on pause on the Roon server. I went back to the album listing
I had another program running on my laptop. I think it slowed things down
I used to copy the folder name and the tracks at the same time. I now create a new folder using File Explorer and just copy the tracks,

All these sped things up considerably - probably X3 compared to before. Still snail slow compared to going PC to USB flash drive. Something in the Roon software is crippling the transfer speed of USB flash drive to Roon internal storage. Left to Win 10 that is a process that takes seconds

Many thanks

14

As I wrote, you don’t need the Roon Server running to copy files. If you disable the Roon Server software, put the flash drive into a USB port of your server and use file explorer to copy the files to the internal disk of the server, does the speed match the speed of the PC where you have written the files to flash drive?

15

I’m also having some weirdness with my new Google Nest WiFi - it’s very fast for surfing etc - but it sets up a parallel subnet & doesn’t seem to play well with my wired network attached to my router.

This may help…or may be a red herrring. Always best to connect with a wired LAN where possible.

16

Hi Blackrock,

How do I stop the Roon server from the app please?

Many thanks

17

Hi Roland,

Google Nest is a mesh system and very fast. I do not have problems with any other applications running on my PC which needan internet connection.

I think Blackrick has the solution - stop the Roon server, copy tracks and restart the server

Many thanks for your response

1 Like
18

You can’t. Login on your Windows 10 server, you have to do this anyway for the file copy, and stop/start it there.

This is actually just a troubleshooting step.

19

Hi Blacktock,

Apologies for the delay in responding. I was preoccupied with other matters and only got around to lookind into this today.

I discovered that the ROCK server is not a Windlows server but an Intel NUC. All I can see in File Explorer is the folder Data which gives me access to Internal Storage.

Any ideas please?