No server

I am going to offer my advice. Some may not like the answer or will argue against it.

Macs are not good servers*. You can put what ever UPNP software on the mac that you like, it will never be truly reliable.

Its not really the macs fault. Apple kind of pissed on developers by creating their "Answer to everything™"

But this answer only works in the mac ecosystem. For most mac users this suffices, therefore mac developers seem to have not bothered developing stuff that 'serves' to the wider IT world. Sure there are a few things out there asset etc but they just don't work as well as they could because standard apple OS is not server grade. I am not sure how windows performs in this regard, but suspect it may come under the same pressures.

The primary issue as I see it, is power saving modes. Sleep etc. Sure we all live better lives by saving £3 a year on electric, and hey that tree survived getting cut down, I know this because I read it in the paper (made from trees)

But when servers go to sleep, they never wake up the same. I think this should become some sort of tenant, or law. 'When a server goes to sleep, they never wake up the same'

My recommendation. Get something that 'serves'. This something is available 24/7. If youa re not willing to make that sacrifice, to kill that tree, to spend the extra £3 a year. Then suck up the issues, because they will continue.

*I have used macs since 1991. Although I have PCs in the house, my main stay is mac, always has been always will be.

Just use iTunes and control from the MAC. Bomb-proof. Sonic quality is on the top-line ...

Why would anyone use UPNP?

It really is an un-necessaey complication that adds nothing of use.

ATB from George

I was fighting this same battle with a custom linux server build.  it had limited control.  

I suggest to to try to remove any power saving features (except screen saver) in both the software and firmware of your Mac.  Sorry I have no clue how to do this in Mac as I have never owned one.

Based on the same basic logic, I will give the exact opposite advice to George's - get a proper NAS that's designed for 24/7 use. If you like Asset then get a QNAP and a switch. 

Getting a Uniti and not using UPNP seems a bit contrary, plus I have an abiding loathing for iTunes. But I recognise everyone's experience is different. 

If the Uniti is finding iRadio then it probably it's either the HD in the Mac going to sleep and not waking when UPNP asks it or there's a network issue - are you using a switch?

Nothing on the planet would get me to use any system involving UPNP.

I have been using iTunes for longer than most here, and it is s constant of reliability and sonic quality.

However, I do not doubt that computer genii can get UPNP right, though if you are not a computer genius, then all bets are off.

I am not a computer genius, though MAC and iTunes have never challenged me ...

ATB from George

No ideas but if you run a UPnP server on your Mac and a Uniti2 you most likely have an iPhone or an iPad or the likes in your environment. Install a UPnP client on one of these devices. If it can find the UPnP server while the Uniti2 cannot, there might be a problem with your Uniti2. On the other hand, if both the Uniti2 and your second client cannot see the server, then there is probably a problem on the server side. Can you ping your Mac when the Unity2 cannot find the server? If not, then the problem is clear. Good luck, nbpf

One reason is if you are running more than one client.  

Is it inevitable;e that you must use more than one client?

I have no idea what a client is in this context, but I have always looked to find the simplest possible route to high quality replay combined with the most economical one.

ATB from George

Mark, if you have a computer on which you can open a terminal, you just type "ping", the IP address of your Mac and return. If your Mac is reachable over your LAN you will see something like:

nicola@cirrus:~/Downloads$ ping 192.168.178.22
PING 192.168.178.22 (192.168.178.22) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.178.22: icmp_req=1 ttl=64 time=85.6 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.178.22: icmp_req=2 ttl=64 time=2.42 ms

...

otherwise, if your Mac is not reachable, you will see something like:

nicola@cirrus:~/Downloads$ ping 192.168.178.22
PING 192.168.178.22 (192.168.178.22) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 192.168.178.3 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.178.3 icmp_seq=2 Destination Host Unreachable

...

For details about ping, please check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P...etworking_utility%29

Best, nbpf

Hi Mark.  There is a very high chance that your computer is "pingable" but the UPnP server program is not functioning properly.  "Pinging" the computer is a good first step, and if the computer indeed is "pingable" and the server it's (supposed to be running) is not seen by your Uniti, I'd try restarting the computer, then restarting the server.  Then I'd take the advice given earlier here and pick something other than a Mac as a device to run a UPnP server (a nas, which is designed to truly run 24/7, would be a better pick). 

How is the Uniti connected to the Mac?  Not directly by an ethernet cable I hope!  Let us know . . . plenty of help here. Good luck!

It is one reason but perhaps not a very strong one: you could also run a number of MPD servers (in a multi-room context, for instance, one for each room or dac device) and control them with a single MPD client. One advantage of this solution is that no wiring would be needed because no significant data transfer would take place over the LAN. At least, not necessarily at replay time. Best, nbpf

Mark, if this intermittent, it could be that the Mac is mangling the UPnP advertising messages that Asset needs to deliver to the network, and respond to as part of the UPnP protocol. 

I don't know how UPnP is implemented on the Mac, but as it as an alternative to Bonjour, it perhaps is implemented at a higher application level rather than at the Operating System level, therefore there might be timing issues..

As said above, personally if I was using UPnP applications I would not use a Mac to run them on if I could avoid it.

Simon

I dont think the mac has any system upnp implementation. Therefore I assume that software providing this function is on its own. My issue as I see it, is any power saving etc by the mac, which will inevitably lead to issues.

Macs are simply not good servers. Even apple admitted it by stopping their server side. The latest version of OSX server is just crap, look at its response on its own app store. This is apples best attempt at server side, and for most users they don't even have that.

I love apple I really do, but what I discovered many years ago is that anything communicating outside of mac, all bets are off.

Gary -- all of our home computers are Macs; all phones are iOS.  But I too would not pick a Mac to run a server 24/7 that I would want to be up and running on a moment's notice (such as I expect of a music server).  It's just not the best tool for the job.

I think it's reasonable for folks just starting to 'play with' streaming to give it a shot with Asset running on a Mac, but once the principle has been demonstrated, one should get a proper tool (server hardware & software).

I am not a fan of OS X and I have no idea what the OP exactly means by "a Mac". I certainly would not run a UPnP server on an iMac. But many in this forum seem to be quite successfully using mac minis as music players. I would expect such devices to run reliably, headless and 24/7 if set up properly. My minimal Debian GNU / Linux running on a fanless fitpc3 microserver does so

nicola@fitpc3:~$ uptime
 20:53:42 up 32 days,  1:48,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.01, 0.05

and a system based on a Raspberry Pi certainly would do so. It is easy to set up a system which is more flexible and as stable as a NAS device for very little money. Just check "tiny green pc" for hardware and 

http://www.thewelltemperedcomp...com/Linux/Distro.htm

or "vortexbox" for OS and software. As I argued for in other posts, I do not see any need to rely on a UPnP server for music replay, in particular if multi-room replay is not an issue. In this case an MPD server is a more appropriate solution:

http://www.musicpd.org/

MPD can be controlled by clients running on virtually every computer (including mobile phones, tablet computers, iPhones, iPads, android machines, etc.), consumes very little resources and does not require a wired connection with the router. Internet radio works flawlessly, of course. Best, nbpf

Raspberry Pi, Debian boxes, etc. are for hobbyists not for folks who are uncomfortable and/or totally inexperienced with anything more than running Windows or OS X updates on their home computers.  I often see such suggestions made to posters who, based on their questions, clearly are far from hobbyists and are seeking the most basic of information.  As many of us know from experience, even installing a third-party UPnP server on a nas can be technically challenging and daunting at first.  'Just learn it' is a nice suggestion sometimes, but quite impractical. 

Those who have worked in the technology field seem most at home with such approaches.  That's awesome, and I wish that I had that technical background.  But if that's the 'future of hi fi' it's surely doomed. But it's not.

There clearly is a need for 'it's simple to install and it just works' solutions.  Too bad the Mac isn't better at this task, as it's nicely 'it just works' simple for almost every other task asked of it.  The OP, Mark, could use a practical suggestion.  If I've impugned his hardware and software prowess, I apologize.  I guess that I am sympathizing with him. 

Another streamer.  I have a SuperUniti in the lounge, a Qute in the Dining Room and a Qute in my den.  All can take a separate stream from a single uPnP server.

Bart, most so-called "audiophile" distributions work out of the box. If the OP has managed to install a UPnP server on a OS X, he can manage to do so on a vortexbox. This is in fact not necessary: a UPnP server runs by default in a vortexbox, if I remember well. NAS have not been conceived to act as UPnP servers in the first place. As you point out, installing a UPnP server on a NAS can be annoying and is not something I have suggested. In fact, I have not given any specific suggestion (how could I do so ? I do not even know what the OP exactly wants to do): only basic information and my personal viewpoint on streaming. Best, nbpf

George, you almost surely know thewelltemperedcomputer. I find it quite useful to go back to the site now and then. Best, nbpf

I do not know it.

I have never needed to know much about computers to use iTunes [first on two PCs with XP] and more recently on a MAC.

I have changed no settings from the defaults apart from setting the iTunes volume at flatt out and selecting AIFF as the ripping file type. I only select check rip if the result is audibly suffering from some disk fault.

It works so that I have not had to learn much.

I expect that some wise people know an awful lot more than me about it!

ATB from George

Thanks for all of the advice. I think the issue does lie with the iMac going to sleep. If i reboot the computer the unps on the uniti2 springs into life. need to look at getting a NAS. Any advice on which one to go for? How do i move my music collection and asset software onto it?

Thanks