T3 to Mac transfer EXTREMELY slow after 19.3 upgrade

[jonpanoff]

Hi all,
Having big issues with the new 19.3 firmware. I select “goto server” in Mac finder. From there I connect as guest. So far so good. I get 2 options of log or movie (previous firmware used to be root and movie). I select movie then wait.. and wait.. and wait. 2 hours later still spinning wheel in finder. Go to sleep and in the morning it is showing contents. From there everything is so sluggish it is unusable.
The weird thing is that I get instant connection via Windows 7 running in a virtual machine in Parallels. I get issues though. Sometimes my Mac will just freeze or restart so something serious is wrong there.
Tried with my MBP and same issues so it isn’t my Mac causing the problem.
What am I doing wrong and is there any setting to fix it?

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Is it faster access with FTP? You'll need to set a password for the 'root' user account by going to MENU>>Setup>>Network>>Password.
Press TEXT to bring up the virtual keyboard to make the entry of the password a bit easier than the numbered buttons method.

[jonpanoff]

Thanks for that.
I created a password for the root directory using your instructions
Now when I connect via ftp using the Static IP address I set up for the T3 I get the options of guest or registered user
In the guest user option I tried the default BeyonwizT3 and the root password I just created and it gets rejected
I then went into mount manager >>user management and setup a username and used the same root password but still no luck connecting. Do I just use the guest option? Bit confused why you need to set a password for ftp. Is it to secure outside access but is not needed on the LAN?

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I was referring to trying FTP access to the T3 in place of Samba access because your Mac doesn't appear to like the Samba setup in the 19.3-series firmware.
You should be able to use an FTP client program such as FileZilla to access the T3.
Regardless, just try this simple FTP access from a web browser -
ftp://beyonwizt3/media/hdd/movie/ (use 'root' for the username)

[prl]

I created a password for the root directory using your instructions

That's the username "root". In this context "root" is "administrator". The "root directory" is a place in a U*ix system's file system: specifically, the top of the directory tree.

In the guest user option I tried the default BeyonwizT3 and the root password I just created and it gets rejected
I then went into mount manager >>user management and setup a username and used the same root password but still no luck connecting. Do I just use the guest option? Bit confused why you need to set a password for ftp. Is it to secure outside access but is not needed on the LAN?

When you connect with FTP, you want to connect as user "root" and give the password you entered on the PVR as the password.

The Menu>Setup>Network>Mount manager>User screen manages user names and passwords that are used when the PVR tries to connect to Windows shares on other devices (e.g. computers and NASes). Changing thing here won't change your ability to connect to the PVR from your computer using FTP. But changing things there has the potential to mess up any network mounts from your computer or NAS to the Beyonwiz.

[jonpanoff]

Ah brilliant. That seemed to work. Just so others in the forum can have simple instructions for ftp access when smb is troublesome

On T3 go to MENU>>Setup>>Network>>Password (Set root password)
Hit TEXT button on remote to access virtual keyboard and enter New password
Save using Green button
On mac open finder window
Go>>Connect To server
Enter ftp://<IP address of T3>/
Hit connect
Under Registered User use
Name: root
Password: <password just created>
To access recordings go to hdd>>movie

[prl]

Go>>Connect To server
Enter ftp://<IP address of T3>/

With many routers (it depends on how they manage DNS), you can use http://network_name_of_pvr/ instead of using the IP address. For a T3, the default network name is beyonwizt3.

You can also go direct to the movie directory with: http://network_name_of_pvr/hdd/movie (or use the IP address instead of the name).

[jonpanoff]

the ftp connection through mac finder is nice and quick to establish and populate and all seemed to be going well but when I tried to move files from the finder window to my USB editing hard drive I get the dreaded mac spinning colour wheel and I also get a popup saying "server connections interrupted" with the options ignore or disconnect all. The "preparing to copy" dialog box has come up now but the whole process is very slow. Once a connection is established it seems to transfer nicely. Any suggestions to eliminate the sluggishness? Shall I stop the smb service on the T3? Maybe that is causing the issue?

[Grumpy_Geoff]

Any suggestions to eliminate the sluggishness? Shall I stop the smb service on the T3? Maybe that is causing the issue?

Did you try the FTP access from a web browser like I suggested? It's pretty simple - just click on the link I provided. Then click on one of your recordings to download it and see the transfer rate.
If fine, download FileZilla - https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=osx

[prl]

the ftp connection through mac finder is nice and quick to establish and populate and all seemed to be going well but when I tried to move files from the finder window to my USB editing hard drive I get the dreaded mac spinning colour wheel and I also get a popup saying "server connections interrupted" with the options ignore or disconnect all.

IIRC, the last time I tried to connect an FTP share in MacOS (a fair time ago), I had nothing but grief, though I can't remember the specifics.

[jonpanoff]

yes I am finding this out. Looks like filezilla is the way to go. Just navigating my way around it as we speak. Managed to change the download location so all good. Just trying a few test downloads now. Is all looking good now. Thanks everyone for your expertise in this area.. Looks like finder is a no go for ftp transfers..

[jonpanoff]

Looks like I will have to live with the fact that filezilla only copies instead of moving files. The files will still be selected in the panel after transfers so I should just be able to delete after successfully transferring a batch. If I accidentally deselect them is going to be a pain to find them again as sometimes I will pick out a whole series of files scattered around the movies folder..

[Grumpy_Geoff]

If I accidentally deselect them is going to be a pain to find them again as sometimes I will pick out a whole series of files scattered around the movies folder..

Refer to the 'Successful Transfers' tab at the bottom (Transfer Queue) for a list of the files.

[Paul_oz53]

The network sluggishness is very similar to what I experienced on the T4 recently. In that case, the fix required that I reinstall 19.3 AND switch off the T4, after which it came good. Both steps were essential. Discussed in this thread.

This may be a furphy but since the effort required to try this is not huge, it's worth a try if only to eliminate the possibility that the problem is due to a rogue lockup of the silicon.

Probably left field and I have zero knowledge of the MAC OS but I also wonder if this is the MAC equivalent of the Windows SMB version 2.1 issues at play. Obviously, it is the PC accessing the T3 and not the reverse so changing the mount option field on the T3 is not likely to be a solution. But, I wonder if there is a MAC equivalent to the Windows 10 activating SMB 1.0 option.

[prl]

Apple replaced Samba with their own implementation of SMB a while ago. They may well struggle to keep up with the ever-changing target of Microsoft's implementation as much as the Samba authors do.

Today's trivium: Andrew Tridgell developed the first version of Samba while he was a postgrad at ANU.

[jonpanoff]

I like the ftp via FileZilla solution documented by the expert contributors. Is rock solid so far and fast. Ftp has been around forever so is no surprise it works well. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it . I heard that you can also fiddle around with the smb config file but not game to tackle that option.

[jonpanoff]

Thank you Grumpy_Geoff and prl for your input. Spent all night last night on it and was getting nowhere..

[prl]

No problem. Glad you found a usable solution.

[peteru]

Sounds like typical symptoms of having an IP conflict or some other misconfiguration on your LAN. If you are using static IP configuration, make sure you have configured everything correctly on every device and that you are not assigning a static IP address in a range that is managed by a DHCP server, such as your router or wireless access point.

[jonpanoff]

Good point. I use a program called Fing to interrogate my network but always assumed DHCP recognised static IP addresses and avoided them. Googled it. Looks like I was wrong (again). Networks are not my strong point. I tend to learn by my many mistakes and build on my knowledge that way..

[jonpanoff]

I tend to think it is an smb issue. Having no issues now I am using ftp via FileZilla. I will study my network map and change the static IPs now though as I don’t want any future conflicts..

[MrQuade]

I tend to think it is an smb issue. Having no issues now I am using ftp via FileZilla. I will study my network map and change the static IPs now though as I don’t want any future conflicts..

You can generally get your router to assign a fixed IP address via DHCP. This is a better option than simply setting a static IP address in the client device as this way your routers DNS server will be able to store and serve the names of those devices.

Most routers are capable of this, though some cheap, or isp-supplied routers may lack this feature.

[prl]

Good point. I use a program called Fing to interrogate my network but always assumed DHCP recognised static IP addresses and avoided them.

If your router supports it (and some don't), IMO the easiest way to manage "static" addresses is to allow everything to use DHCP to set up its networking, and then on the router, tell it to make the leases (the mappings from Ethernet MAC address to IP address) permanent.

That way you have a single central point where the IP addresses n the network are managed.

If you must use a true static IP address (e.g. because a device doesn't support DHCP), then those IP addresses must[/] be outside the range of addresses that your router uses to assign addresses using DHCP. And, of course, a static IP address on any device must never be the same as the router's IP address.

[jonpanoff]

I just set a range of IP addresses for the DHCP server of my router and set the static IP addresses outside this range. Renewed all the leases of the devices and all seems to be working as expected. Don’t think I am ever going to get smb to play nicely with the T3 so just sticking with FileZilla for now. I heard some people have modified the smb config file to get it working though..

[Paul_oz53]

... I heard some people have modified the smb config file to get it working though..

If you are accessing a folder on the PC from the T3, the default mount option for that folder in 19.3 is "vers=2.1". All you need do is delete this in the mount manager along with the comma. After a restart of the Wiz that mount will be functioning as SMB version 1.0. Of course, the PC must support version 1.0.

It's not apparent that will affect the reverse though - accessing the T3 from PC. In Win10 I had to turn on SMB version 1.0. This was the point of my earlier post.

I know it seems silly but, by turning off the T4 for a minute or two and reinstalling 19.3 I restored normal SMB performance on the T4. Still think it's worth a try.

My setup has router assigned IP addresses linked to MAC addresses and is fast.

[MrQuade]

Might be something worth looking into here:
http://plazko.io/apple-osx-finder-is-li ... fi-router/

I didn't look too hard at what was involved, and was for an older MacOS version, so may not apply here. (sorry, distracted atm).

This solution seems to be specifically for slow browsing which is what you seem to be getting.

There are other fixes for slow transfer speeds that relate to tcp settings, that I saw, but not sure they are applicable here.

It would be interesting to see a wireshark capture of the issue in action to see if there were any clues there.

[peteru]

Another thing to investigate is the use of jumbo frames on your Ethernet interface. Every single device on your network must support jumbo frames if you are going to use them. That is almost never true in typical domestic networks. Therefore, make sure that jumbo frames are not enabled on your Mac.

I should also point out that the SMB client and server configurations are completely independent of each other on the Beyonwiz. Changing the mount options on mounts (i.e. the vers=2.1 option) has absolutely no effect on the shares that the Samba server provides.

The most likely scenario is that the problem is on the Mac. The 19.3 firmware uses a fairly modern version of Samba that drops support for legacy stuff that makes SMB badly insecure. If the Mac is expecting to use the legacy features, it may have interoperability issues, although one would expect outright failures, rather than excessively long timeouts.

There have been some Samba updates in the most recent version of the 19.3 beta, so you may want to try installing it and see if it makes a difference.

[prl]

If the Mac is expecting to use the legacy features, it may have interoperability issues, although one would expect outright failures, rather than excessively long timeouts.

Catalina (10.15.x) Mac SMB does not support mounting SMB v1 shares on the Mac. I'd actually like to do it, because I have an SMB server that only supports v1, but I haven't been able to find a way to do it (and yes, I've Googled).

That doesn't guarantee that Mac SMB doesn't rely on legacy features, though, but it may make it less likely.

[GregH]

I'm having the same issue with Microsoft Windows 10 desktop. Before I go reload the latest Beta from Mar 28 is there a fix coming in an update soon. I use to be able to copy over my network between 50-70mbps now it's around 9-11mbps. I loaded the software on my T4 via USB and restored my network settings. Went well as usual except the slow network when I try to copy from my Windows 10 desktop. I've tried Static IP but makes no difference.

Cheers

[MrQuade]

I'm having the same issue with Microsoft Windows 10 desktop. Before I go reload the latest Beta from Mar 28 is there a fix coming in an update soon. I use to be able to copy over my network between 50-70mbps now it's around 9-11mbps. I loaded the software on my T4 via USB and restored my network settings. Went well as usual except the slow network when I try to copy from my Windows 10 desktop. I've tried Static IP but makes no difference.

Do you mean mbps or MBps? (bits vs bytes).

9-11 MBps is pretty much the exact speed you would expect from a 100 megabit Ethernet connection.

The T4 can sustain around 50-60 mega BYTES per second if you have it connected to a gigabit capable Ethernet interface.


My guess here is that your T4 is only connecting to your communications equipment at 100Mbps, hence the lower transfer speed.
Check your cable and port settings.

[Grumpy_Geoff]

I use to be able to copy over my network between 50-70mbps now it's around 9-11mbps. I loaded the software on my T4 via USB and restored my network settings. Went well as usual except the slow network when I try to copy from my Windows 10 desktop.

Even 50-70 Mb/s is very slow for a T4 if you meant megabits and not megabytes. Does this involve a wireless connection?
Using Windows File Explorer drag 'n drop, a T4 can transfer at around 45-50MB/s using ethernet only.

I just then transferred a recording to a Win10 PC using File Explorer from our T4 on 19.3's 20191106 -
3,282,145,172 bytes in 74 secs
= 44,353,313 bytes/sec
So roughly 3.05GB transferred in 74 secs at 42.3MB/s

[GregH]

Yes megabits not megabytes. All my switches are gigabit so is the Telstra router it runs through. Nothing has changed in my network on the software on the T4

[GregH]

I fixed it. Got into the admin of the Telstra router and for some reason 1 port said 100Mbps. I unplugged it and plugged it back in now it says 1000Mbps. The mind boggles. All good now, transferring as it should. No idea why it did this.

Thanks for your quick replies

Greg

[MrQuade]

Yes megabits not megabytes. All my switches are gigabit so is the Telstra router it runs through. Nothing has changed in my network on the software on the T4

I think you still have that backwards.


Your faulty 100Mbps connection that you discovered would have limited your transfer speed to 11MBps (you said 11mbps).

The numbers match, but the capitals did not .

Anyway, sounds like it is fixed now

[peteru]

Better to spell it out, since many people get it wrong.

11 MB/s = 11 Mega Bytes per second - write this as 11 MBytes/s
11 mb/s = 11 milli bits per second (almost certainly not what was intended) - don't write this
11 Mb/s = 11 Mega bits per second - write this as 11 Megabits/s