What no discussion on new n-serve for MAC?

Hi Bart

I have until recently not really had a chance to see the server software but Jason from Naim was able to show something (n-serve or stream) running on an ipad during a quiet moment at a local dealer recently and it looked very interesting. I would need it to run on a wired network computer.

Unfortunately none of the local dealers have any server in stock to demonstrate so I have little (actually no) idea what DTC is fully capable of.

My real reason for asking about the Mac version is because I have had a major dislike of the company for decades and see them as being everything bad in business terms; the exact opposite of Naim who are the best company I have dealt with in any field of business.

However, the fact is that Apple has a particular market pretty well tied up and Naim have decided that their products should be compatible as far as they are allowed, to access that market. I can’t deny the wisdom of that decision, so is it time for me to reconsider using an Apple product?

Pev’s post suggests that it may not be although Tom seems to imply that maybe not all the new features will be possible with the PC version – that though might well be a misinterpretation of what Tom is saying.

I must find a dealer and the time to travel and get a proper demo of how a server might fit into our system…….oh, a new pair of Ovators are just arriving so must  go and see if I can help; crikey, they look like a couple of coffins being delivered; that’s very un-nerving at my age.    .

Thanks for your input,

Peter

You're welcome, Peter.  In my experience owning the UnitiServe for about 18 months now, I find that I use the DTC quite rarely.  I used it to set up the backup process (after which it runs by itself), to set up a 'share' on my nas, and used it to edit some album art before such was possible with nServe on the iPad / iPhone.

I think that the decision to add a Naim server to your system should be pretty divorced from whether you "must" also own an Apple computer to control it.  The answer to the latter is, clearly, "no, you need not."  Very clearly imho.

And this is one case where Naim have been pretty slow to add Apple compatibility; they have sold servers for many years and are just now making an Apple-compatible DTC available.

Chaps,

I have just dabbled with the new DTC for Mac and found it more pleasant to use than the windows version...as usual.

But I have some silly questions regarding the downloads folder....again. Bart has explained it to me once before but I am still not getting any luck with this issue, which could be a Mac problem, anyway hear me out.

I am trying to access the downloads folder on the n-serve from the Naim DTC on Mac.

Firstly, I can not see the server in shared devices on the side bar in Finder.

To resolve this I.....open GO on menu bar > CONECT TO SERVER >  type in smb address > CONNECT > enter name and password.

At this point the name is filled out for me. So in "Network Shares" in the DTC I have given the same name and new password for the server using the "SET PASSWORD" button in the right hand side of the screen.

The problem is that the Mac will not allow me to connect with the name and password set in the Naim DTC...when I press connect the inevitable shuffle occurs indicating that I have not typed in the right name and password. I have also completed a rescan after every new "SET PASSWORD" and restarted the Mac.

The question is then...Why is my Mac not allowing the name and password I have set for the n-Serve server when I use Finder to connect to it?

As far as I understand, this is the only way to access the downloads folder although I can see the music library via the DTC. So why is it that to access the downloads folder I have to go through this when the DTC is all ready accessing the n-serve....or have I completely miss understood....very likely?????????????????

Cheers for any help and Happy New Year to all and sundry 

Jason.

Jason, I can think of no reason to use the DTC to access the Downloads folder on your uServe.  DTC cannot be used to edit the metadata or album art, for example.

I access the Downloads folder via Finder.  My uServe shows up as a server, and when I click on it I see two folders -- Music and Downloads.  Easy

Start with telling me WHY you want to use the DTC to access the Downloads folder and I'll see what I can come up with.  And/or shoot me an email and I'll talk you through it.

Hi Bart.........okay, then I don't need to access the downloads folder via the DTC, thats clear now.

The problem is that to access the server (n-Serve) via Finder I need to connect to it as it does not show in the side bar in Finder. But the Mac asks me for a name and password for the server. So after assigning a name and password for the server via "SET PASSWORD" in the DTC I then attempt to connect to it via Finder or "GO" > CONNECT TO SERVER. The Mac does not like my name and password for the server and so will not connect.

I can't see what I am doing wrong for the Mac not to accept the name and password assigned to the server by me via the DTC??????

Does this make sense?

Do I need to assign a name and password elsewhere for it to be valid??? I am assuming that the Set Password in System Share is the place to do this in the DTC?

Ahh ok.  As to that issue -- there actually is no login/password for the uServe.  Log in as "guest" and you can do everything.  I had a similar issue where for a while, for some unknown reason, the uServe stopped appearing in the Finder list.  I emailed Naim support, convinced I'd lost my password, and that was the response they gave.  The tricky part is getting the Mac to 'see' the server when it does not show up in Finder.  To do that, find the 'find servers' function in the Finder menus.  I'm at work right now and not at a Mac, but it is in there somewhere.  It might be in the GO menu.  For more on this, Google up "OS X mount nas" and you'll see some other approaches.

Mount the uServe, log on as guest, and you should be all set.

Try GO -> Connect to server. The keyboard shortcut is "cmd K" when in finder. You should then be presented with a list of servers available to choose from.

Hope this helps

And I can confirm that here at home, when my Mac is connected to my uServe, it says "connected a GUEST."  No username or password is needed to connect.

If the uServe ever again disappears from the "Shared" list, just use the CMD-K function and re-connect to it. 

Probably a dumb question... but... does this software serve any purpose if you are streaming from a mac to a SuperUniti or similar... or does it only have a role if you have a Naim Server product?

I downloaded thinking it would be the equivalent of N-Stream for my mac.... but it doesn't seem to do anything with my system as configured. It can find my SuperUniti, but not my music library.

Sorry if the question is daft :-)

It only functions with Naim servers.  So no role with the SuperUniti.

Chaps, just got back online, I will try the GUEST again, but it did not work last time either. 

I am wondering what the point of SET PASSWORD is for in the DTC, if not for this.?

Jason, the server address should look something like this:

smb://nssrvdf94

Hope that helps!

Chaps, thanks for your time with this, but alas no success as yet.

Firstly I tried using both the Host Name and the Host Address (NSSRV389_ and 192.168.10._ _ _). When using the Host Name I get this message;

There was a problem connecting to the server “nssrv389_”.

The server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time. Check the server name or IP address, check your network connection, and then try again.

However, when using the Host Address I get the shudder (or cold shoulder) using the GUEST option.

I have checked both Host Name and Host Address in System Status in the DTC and they are correct.

Any further ideas?  If not then I should contact Naim tech support I guess.

Cheers.