What is a minimal Ubuntu LTS? I just see the download for the Desktop OS. Is that really needed? What about Ubuntu Server or Ubuntu Core? I want it as lean as possible, like ROCK.
- something shown on the HDMI (chromecast UI?)
More feature requests: being able to use the HDMI on the NUC to drive the Displays feature would be great. Some sub-feature-requests on that:
- Ability to output 4k (makes a difference on large displays!)
- It would be very cool to be able to make use of CEC for turning on/off the TV when there is/isnât something to display (or input-switching the TV), but I donât think itâs doable on the stock NUC hardware
Also, youâve probably thought of this, but it would be good to be able to boot into a âvanilla modeâ that doesnât have any extensions enabled, for rapid troubleshooting and for setting up a firm boundary for support (as in âif it works properly in vanilla mode, the problem lies inside some extension, and thatâs not Roon Supportâs problemâ).
unfortunately ubuntu can not get anywhere that lean
here is the most minimal installer: Alternative downloads | Ubuntu â they now call it the ânetwork installerâ.
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it is!
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000023500/intel-nuc/intel-nuc-kits.html
I would like to see username/password on shared folder. For those of us with a Roon core in a corporate environment, no restriction on access of shared folders is a challenge.
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It looks like theyâve changed the download pages. Hereâs the URL for Ubuntu Server 20.04 LTS minimal install: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/focal/main/installer-amd64/current/legacy-images/netboot/mini.iso. I posted a guide to install in another thread.
LTS = Long-term support
Thanks for the link @danny. Thereâs so much to learn, and itâs very time consuming. Maybe I just use ROCK 1.x as long as possible and then decide what to use next. 
Obviously the best solution is a switch. But it isnât always practical and it would add a degree of flexibility to Roon OS that I think would be appreciated by a good number of potential users.
Also check just how many Roon Ready devices allow you to manually assign IPâs. I have two and neither do! Apps and web admin pages wonât work with manual IPâs. However I do appreciate that it isnât an essential feature, just nice to have for some.
Another vote for being able to install and run extensions. HDMI output for a screen would be great.
Otherwise I remain really well satisfied by the system as is!
Thanks
A more fanless NUC friendly version would be great. Maybe with the ability to monitor some statistics as well like others have mentioned.
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I think we need to add value to the Nucleus product. If ROCK benefits too then great! DHCP means second ports can be added without private IPâs that isolate streamers from admin and internet access. It simply makes the product complete, or at least as complete as pretty much every other OS capable of running Roon. If you look back to my earliest postings on this subject you will see I have always pitched this as a way of making Roon OS powered machines (and in particular the Nucleus) a more versatile proposition.
Example: Someone with a decent streamer that happens to be Roon Ready buys a Nucleus. They have a single feed to the streamer. Rather than put additional switch in the room they plonk the Nucleus down and with a USB dongle they put the original link into the Nucleus and run another short cable to their streamer. DHCP takes care of the rest. I actually think it could become a preferred way to employ the Nucleus. Now, I know you can potentially put a core anywhere but the Nucleus is pretty and rack ready. People want to put it on show!
I just refer to this as updating Roon OS â both ROCK and Nucleus get the benefits.
The only place this deviates is where licensing disallows us from giving it away without losing money (thus the stuff about codecs and control systems).
Nucleusâs biggest draw is âturn-keyâ.
I think it would be a better argument if the Nucleus had 2 ethernet ports. Adding extra hardware moves you away from turn key.
I vote for SMB3 support.
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From your experiences and analysis what is the priority causing less load or otherwise enable best sound quality. Is it CPU load, RAM availability, ⌠?
Software requires âmemoryâ. Itâs a core premise of how all software works. That memory usually is provided by RAM. If RAM is unavailable, software will have its request for memory fail. At that point, the software can decide if it can get by without this memory request or it canât (more likely) and itâll have unexpected behavior, most likely crashing.
There are tricks you can use to get more RAM available. For example, for software programs that arent âactiveâ, you can store their memory on to a hard drive temporarily and then that RAM is freed up for other software to use. When the software that has its memory sitting on hard drive awakens to do work, the memory can be loaded back into RAM from the disk and the software will not be any wiser. This mechanism is called âswapâ, and can create quite a bit of slowness and activity on the drive, which is very slow compared to RAM.
There are other tricks too, but thatâs the most popular. Some operating systems do not have or are configured to not have âswapâ. For example, Roon OS has no swap, so the only option is for the software to deal with a failed memory request, or to crash.
Adding RAM to a system with âswapâ will make it perform better if you are âswappingâ. Otherwise it does nothing.
Adding RAM to a system without âswapâ will only make it perform better if software is built to deal with failed memory requests, which it rarely is. Otherwise, it just prevents crashes. RAM availability on systems without âswapâ shouldnât affect your âsystem loadâ.
As for CPU load, this is always the biggest contributor to âloadâ on your system. What this means to your sound quality is debatable (positions ranging from âit makes no differenceâ to âit makes all the differenceâ to âit makes a ton of difference but your analog stages should not be affected if they are shielded properlyâ). Note that some say load doesnât matter at all, and a faster CPU can have less load, but generate more noise because it runs faster. Some say the slower CPU will have to work harder/longer to do the same load, so itâll generate noise for longer.
We are straying really far from Roon OS 2 however, so letâs get back on topic. Does any of this impact your wishlist?
Roon OS already does a lot to make sure it has the best SQ â for example, all access to audio devices already is as direct as possible, without middlemen like the OS mixer or plugins, and the load on the system is kept to a minimum by not running anything not absolutely essential, which prevents the signals from cutting out due to not being able to keep up.
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Thanks for the insight about the approach of Roon OS! Interesting to see how you handle this from a very solid / straight core up to several layers. I guess a feature would be nice to enable that Roon OS can provide the most lightweight usage on demand (depending on the various usage scenarios like indexing, searching / browsing libraries, listening etc)
But maybe you already have that addressed to some extent.
What about the support of multiple SSDs for the local music storage (and easier management of the hard rive through the ROCK interface)?
Intel NUCs only have space for 1 storage drive, but, you can add a number of external drives. I think some have used a usb hub to add more.
the main reason of lacking sound quality is that Rock force as to use NUC as hardware⌠so, please, make new os for better hardware (in what setup???in every setup with nuc âŚ, the NUC will be the wosrt part in chain⌠for example im using NUC with farad lps , 2 âaudiophileâ switches with ocxo and farad lps connected with optical , shunyata sigma ethernet cable, emm ns1 + emm da2 ⌠the worst part of my digital chain is still NUC⌠so, im pretty sure, if i will be able to run Rock on proper hardware instead of NUC, the sound must be betterâŚ