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How is SMB?
- Thread starter RumorConsumer
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Using a DS918+ SMB is causing kernel panics and Finder freeze after a while for me, that's since Mojave for me. Its not an issue with the NAS since all Windows machines have absolutely no issue. AFP works well, so I use that...
Samba is a no go for me its unstable and crashy on all the macs I have (MBA, MBP 13", MBP 16" & Mac Pro), not sure how anyone can use it, maybe there's something in the Synology NAS Samba stack that macOS really doesnt like.
I did try a bunch of different samba config after checking online resources, it never fixed the issues long term.
Samba is a no go for me its unstable and crashy on all the macs I have (MBA, MBP 13", MBP 16" & Mac Pro), not sure how anyone can use it, maybe there's something in the Synology NAS Samba stack that macOS really doesnt like.
I did try a bunch of different samba config after checking online resources, it never fixed the issues long term.
Got it. Not to be snarky, but that is what this thread is about - how does SMB perform on Big Sur. We know its crap on previous OS versions.
Sure I understand that, but since it hasnt improved for at least the past 3 OS releases it seems that its at best an after-though for Apple, so I wouldnt get my hopes up.
Previous replies from others said that the performance was worst, we could hope that the lost of performance is the cost of it being more stable but if I had to bet I would guess they just didnt touch it beyond making sure its not horribly worst/broken, so previous bugs and issues are likely still there.
That being said I will try it out in the near-ish future and I'll post my findings in this thread when I do, atm its just not a priority since AFS works and Big Sur is still in early betas.
The pivoting factor for me is that SMB is now being included as part of firmware. Its the new Target Disk Mode. So maybe its being improved on.
The Accidental Tech Podcast host, Casey Liss, reports that his SMB issues were totally resolved in Catalina by ceasing to use the Finder sidebar to connect. I cant imagine how thats possible but he swears it has fixed his problems. Im away from my SMB servers for the foreseeable future or Id give it a shot.
The reason there could be a difference with the use of the side bar is the discovery, and hence what server address you're actually connecting to, is being done via Bonjour. If you use the sidebar you'll get an address URL like…
smb://Some server._smb._tcp.local
… although when you use the Finder > Go menu > Connect to server… you'll get a URL that you directly enterlike…
smb://some-server.com
There's a difference. Not sure how/why it comes about but there's a difference.
What interface speed do you use? Im on 10Gbit and I always wondered if that was part of the problem - that it would choke on the bandwidth in some way that gigabit wouldn't. But I hear plenty from gigabit users.
Gigabit ethernet through a Thunderbolt 2 to Gigabit adapter on MacBook Pro Late-2013, Big Sur.
Mac <-> Thunderbolt adapter <-> Cisco 2960-S-24TS-L <-> Synology DS1513+
WTF?
Why is the deprecated protocol the one that's working so well?!?
(Also, why have they seemingly gone backwards from what I was seeing in the first developer build...)
I found that Big Sur (at least on wireless) needs to have the TCP delayed ack setting changed:
sudo sysctl -w net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0
See: http://www.debugginlife.com/solved-very-slow-file-transfer-on-mac-shares-smbafp/
I am also seeing strange directory listing behavior - not all files are showing up on the client, even with directory caching turned off via /etc/nsmb.conf
This isn't a problem in Catalina.
sudo sysctl -w net.inet.tcp.delayed_ack=0
See: http://www.debugginlife.com/solved-very-slow-file-transfer-on-mac-shares-smbafp/
I am also seeing strange directory listing behavior - not all files are showing up on the client, even with directory caching turned off via /etc/nsmb.conf
This isn't a problem in Catalina.
If possible, could people share their Samba config files?
I’m really struggling with SMB on the Big Sur Beta 4.
I have Ubuntu Server 20.04 with the latest Samba server (4.11, from memory).
With a really basic setup, I’ve shared a folder totalling about a gig’s worth of JPEGs.
I can connect to the share and drag the files to a local folder. The copy seems fine to begin with, but stalls after about 50%.
The copy can not be cancelled. If I try to continue browsing the share, all folders come up empty, stuck on ‘Loading...’
The Finder then beach balls (even the desktop). If I try to relaunch Finder, the desktop disappears and Finder won’t relaunch.
The only way to recover is to disconnect the network and wait for everything to timeout.
I’ve replicated this with a default Samba config, as well as one tailored to macOS (with the ‘fruit’ options configured). Also tried disabling signing on the client to no effect.
Have reported all this via the Feedback app too.
(oh, and speed-wise, when it’s working, I see no more than 50MB/sec on GigE or on WiFi, which is running about 800Mbit for me)
I’m really struggling with SMB on the Big Sur Beta 4.
I have Ubuntu Server 20.04 with the latest Samba server (4.11, from memory).
With a really basic setup, I’ve shared a folder totalling about a gig’s worth of JPEGs.
I can connect to the share and drag the files to a local folder. The copy seems fine to begin with, but stalls after about 50%.
The copy can not be cancelled. If I try to continue browsing the share, all folders come up empty, stuck on ‘Loading...’
The Finder then beach balls (even the desktop). If I try to relaunch Finder, the desktop disappears and Finder won’t relaunch.
The only way to recover is to disconnect the network and wait for everything to timeout.
I’ve replicated this with a default Samba config, as well as one tailored to macOS (with the ‘fruit’ options configured). Also tried disabling signing on the client to no effect.
Have reported all this via the Feedback app too.
(oh, and speed-wise, when it’s working, I see no more than 50MB/sec on GigE or on WiFi, which is running about 800Mbit for me)
I re-tested on Public Beta 2 and the speeds seem to be back to normal now.
AFP 101MB/s
SMB 95MB/s
AFP 101MB/s
SMB 95MB/s
Have you seen the new info on hire they will do target mode as an SMB server in firmware? Can’t say I’m excited but I’m willing to try. Anything but data migration over 1 gig or WiFi.
I mount my DAS shares via SMB over Thunderbolt, and it is blazingly fast.
I have Bonjour/SAMBA over TCP/IP turned on in my QNAP TVS-872XT, and it is connected via Thunderbolt to my Mac Pro. The QNAP has a virtual switch running, and I setup a network connection on the Mac Pro.
I then mount shares via a script; mount volume "smb://DAS_NAME(Thunderbolt)._smb._tcp.local/SHARE_NAME"
I have Bonjour/SAMBA over TCP/IP turned on in my QNAP TVS-872XT, and it is connected via Thunderbolt to my Mac Pro. The QNAP has a virtual switch running, and I setup a network connection on the Mac Pro.
I then mount shares via a script; mount volume "smb://DAS_NAME(Thunderbolt)._smb._tcp.local/SHARE_NAME"