For the folks using a Mac for Plex Media Server and hosting their media on a NAS: Maybe someone can help me out with a problem I’m experiencing.
I have a Synology NAS connected to my home network over ethernet and I have an M1 Mac Mini connected to the same home network over ethernet. I want the Mac Mini to stay connected to the SMB shares on the NAS 24/7. However, what happens is that over the course of 24 hours or so, the SMB shares disconnect and the Mac will not connect to them again without restarting the Mac. I know this is a problem with the Mac Mini because when the connection problems arise I am able to connect to these SMB shares just fine using other Macs in the household. This problem existed in Big Sur and now in Monterey as well. It seems to be getting more frequent.
Steps I have taken so far:
- Upgraded the Synology to a newer unti
- Factory reset the Mac Mini (there is very little software running on it other than Plex Media Server at this time)
- Made sure the Mac Mini does not go to sleep
- Using different apps like AutoMounter to help ensure the shares stay connected (also tried scripting my own shell script for this purpose)
- Swapped out all of the ethernet cables for different ones
I am at my wit’s end and coming to the sad conclusion that Mac is simply not the right platform for such a purpose. Next I am going to replace the network bridge that connects these two devices together but I do not expect this to work either.
Hardware Details: The Mac and the Synology are both connected to a Netgear GS305 switch. The switch connects to the router (Asus RT-AX88U) over MoCa using these Actiontec adapters. We have gigabit internet service over fiber and I am getting full gigabit internet speeds over this MoCa setup.
Screenshot of my Energy Saver preferences
Any ideas on how to ensure SMB connectivity remains available without needing to restart the Mac once or twice a day?
