Cannot find mr Brennan B2 on my network or Sonos

[Hugh Twiss]

I have only just joined this forum and my problem may be covered but I cannot find it. For a variety of reasons I had not used my Brennan B2 for a couple of months. When I came to do so recently I could not find it on my PC on my network or on my Sonos. I can find the B2 on the Brennan app and play music through my amplifier and I can find it on my ESET security programme, but not on my PC network or Sonos. The B2 has an ethernet connection to my WiFi system that appears to work fine and Sonos is working fine. I have Windows 10. Any suggestions as to how I find my B2 on my network and Sonos? I have tried everything suggested on the Brennan website and some of the things that seemed relevant in the forum, but with no success. Thanks Hugh

[PMB]

Hi Hugh,

There have been discussions about Windows 10 updates turning off SMB1.0 which B2 uses to communicate with your computer.

Have a look at this thread for instance.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Leslie Brownlee]

Hi Paul, I have seen quite a few posts saying that SMB1.0 needs to be activated to communicate with the B2 for NAS and sonos. I checked to see if mine was. It's not, and I use NAS for loading my music, but I don't use sonos (see screenshot attached). I use a Windows 10 Home edition on my laptop and the B2 is WiFi linked to my BT router. Works fine, yet I see others posting they can't get NAS to work. Strange. Is it down to Administrator permissions or Windows configuration? I know some have given up on NAS and I think you mentioned you use it. It's so handy. Curious to know if others have it working without SMB1.0 activated?

[Daniel Taylor]

Based on Leslie's picture of Windows Features, I pulled up my list on Windows 7.  I don't see any mention of SMB.  NAS works fine for me on Windows 7, which I realize is of no help to those with Windows 10.  I'm just trying to find out if I have it turned on/enabled on my computer or not.

[Hugh Twiss]

I seemed to have solved the problem. I switched on the SMB and also added my BB2 to my network again. Although it does not appear where I expect to see it I can now find it and seem to have reconnected to my Sonos. So fingers crossed that all is now back to normal. Thanks for the help.

Hugh

[Leslie Brownlee]

I'm curious Hugh, where does the B2 show up for you? The Brennan web site method of setting up NAS didn't work for me. I used a method described by one of the other Forum members to map the B2 drive and it shows up under "This PC" in File Explorer. See attached screenshots. One shows the Artists in the B2 drive (mapped as Z: ) Does not show up in the Network folder.

[Hugh Twiss]

Exactly the same as for me.

Hugh

[PMB]

Hi Leslie,

I use Windows 7, same as Daniel and the B2 and BB1 have worked without have to enable SMB 1.0. I've read that recent versions of W10 disabled SMB 1.0 which might explain the problems others have had.

Paul

Brennan  Support.

[PMB]

Hi Hugh,

Where do other users of W10 find SMB 1.0 to enable it i.e. which menu, etc?

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Leslie Brownlee]

Paul, still poses the question as to why Hugh (and some others) have to turn on SMB 1.0, while myself (and others) don't, to be able to see/communicate with the B2 as a NAS drive on their PC using W 10.

My route to SMB 1.0 options

Settings

Apps (opens in Apps & features)

Programs and Features (top RH side of screen)

Turn Windows features on or off ( LH side of screen with small shield)

Turn Windows features on or of Box opens (scroll to SMB 1.0 options.

In my case the SMB 1.0 is unchecked, The B2 is mapped as drive Z: and shows in the "This PC" folder as a NAS drive, which I can drag & drop my music files into.

[VRB]

Hi Leslie 

i think that you can have the (brennans ) be discovered on your network or be mapped as a drive but not both someone will probably correct me if  i am wrong  

so to remove a mapped drive you would have to delete it and re boot your computer the same goes for a network address on your network  

a lot of rebooting entering passwords more rebooting etc 

so people seem to go with what works for them 

regards 

              Vince 

[Leslie Brownlee]

Hi Vince, I'm not sure of the point you're making. I agree "you go what works with what works for you." 

I was just trying to get an explanation of why some W10 users need the SMB 1.0 activated to use NAS while others don't.

Discovering the B2 the Brennan website way didn't work for me while mapping the drive did. Hence, "you go what works with what works for you." 

Maybe if I had SMB 1.0 activated I would have been able to discover the B2 on the network the Brennan website way, but knew nothing about SMB 1.0 at the time. 

I'm happy with the way things are working with the B2 as a NAS using the mapped drive route. So, "if it ain't broke, won't change it"

Not sure about your "so to remove a mapped drive you would have to delete it and re boot your computer the same goes for a network address on your network  

a lot of rebooting entering passwords more rebooting etc" reference.  

When I turn my laptop on the B2 shows as an attached drive (Z:). I rip or download any new music on the laptop into the Music folder. From there I can drag & drop it into the B2 drive or any external back up drive attached. I then run Scan Disk from the Web UI to update the B2's music library and it's ready to rock. 

[VRB]

Hi Leslie 

  I think and i stand to be corrected that once you have mapped the brennan as a network drive your computer uses that by default

 unless you delete the drive (address) from your computer (not delete the contents ) 

and then you must shutdown (power off ) and restart your computer for the changes to take effect 

Then reboot 

then check SMB 1.0 

then see if your computer finds the brennan in your network  then enter the passwords ( root)  (brennan )

then you might have to delete the network address if your computer does find it but wont accept the passwords and re start your computer for those changes to take effect 

then try again with the passwords 

its a lot off work is what i am saying that  is why people do not  want to go fix something that is working but only with access to the music folder not all folders   

i will get around to doing it eventually and report back 

regards  

               Vince 

[VRB]

Hi  leslie 

i have dissconected the network drives i had set up not deleated sorry for any confusion 

re booted my computer

enabled SMB.10

my B2 was found straight away on my network 

i had to enter the password for my bb1  and use the other account setting , both root  and brennan but it found it straight away 

re booted my computer to make sure they didnt disappear

  

i thought you could drill down to the other folder but this is not the case only the music folder is accessible 

so in my case it was just the SMB1.0

regards 

           Vince   

[VRB]

HI 

Spoke to soon reboot again coudnt acces bb1 incorrect password 

i had to add it as a network locatiion brennanbb1/music/ to publish to etc 

reboot again worked ok this time 

deleted network location 

rebooted this time it found it straight away no asking for password 

regards 

               Vince 

[Leslie Brownlee]

You've been a busy boy Vince. I think I'll leave my mapped drive as it is. Works for what I want it to do. 

All good info though. Stored away in case I ever lose the NAS communication link with any future W10 updates.

Cheers.

[Peter Lowham]

Leslie,

I've read your post on the use of SMB1.0 and the use of NAS and have the following observations to make.  

If you don't have SMB1.0 running then you won't see the 'BrennanB2' folder in the 'Network' section of Windows Explorer.

However you will still be able to map a drive (e.g. Z:) to \\BrennanB2\Music.

The Z: drive access will work fine if you only need to access the 'BrennanB2' folder from your PC, say for editing album or track names or moving tracks from one folder to another.

The difference is that in the case of an external device needing to access the BrennanB2 folder, the external device cannot use a 'Z:' drive reference because the 'Z:' reference is only local to your PC.  So if you need Sonos (for example) to access the 'BrennanB2' folder, then this folder needs to be presented in the 'Network' section where Sonos will see it as '\\BrennanB2\Music' and not 'Z:\Music'

Regards,

Peter.

[Leslie Brownlee]

Hi Peter, thank you for your clear explanation. 

It certainly describes why I couldn't see the B2 on my network when I first tried to set it up as a NAS shortly after getting it nearly 3 years ago. I gave up on NAS until I stumbled across a post by one of the Forum members detailing how to map it as a drive. That worked for me and have used it this way for adding music from my laptop this way for several years now.

I have even pointed people who have had the same problem as I had initially to the same method of mapping the B2 as a NAS drive and it worked for them too.

Then I saw a lot of posts saying SMB1.0 was needed and I checked to see if I had it enabled. I hadn't and couldn't understand why I could use NAS without it and others needed it. You, Sir, have enlightened me as to why, and now it makes sense. I don't use Sonos so it hasn't been a problem, and mapping as a drive has circumvented the need to have the SMB1.0 enabled. 

As I don't intend to use Sonos I think I will leave things as they are, as they do what I require, but thank you for finally solving this riddle for me. Hate not knowing why something works for one person and not for another. 

Cheers and Happy New Year to you.

[Daniel Taylor]

I appreciate Peter's explanation about NAS and SMB, etc.  One thing I still don't understand: why does a setting on your computer have anything to do with Sonos.  I thought Sonos accessed its music sources directly, without need of an intervening computer?  That is, unless the computer is where the app is running.  But I thought most people ran their Sonos app on their phone or tablet.  I'm still a little foggy on the Sonos setup.

[Leslie Brownlee]

Good point about Sonos Daniel. I know nothing about it and don't want to go down the Sonos route. Peter's explanation described why the B2 didn't show up on my network until I mapped it as a drive. 

Back to you Peter!

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Daniel,

I see the point you are making.  I don't have a Sonos system, but have had a look at the Sonos set up instructions, both on the Brennan site and on the Sonos site.

As far as I can see, the Sonos system is set up from an app running on PC/ Mac/ Android/ iOS.  On a PC, this is where NAS/ SMB1.0 is required to be running, but only to get the NAS path loaded into the Sonos system.  Once the Sonos app (on the PC) has loaded the network access path into the Sonos system, then the PC will no longer be required for Sonos to operate because the Sonos and Brennan will communicate directly with each other, using NAS.

During the Sonos setup, the Sonos PC app asks for the music folder network path which will be '\\BrennanB2\Music'.  The Sonos app (on the PC) will send this to the Sonos system which will enable the Sonos system to function directly with the Brennan. The '\\BrennanB2' is a global network reference across your home network, and can be accessed from anywhere on your local home network.

Without SMB1.0 running, the PC can only 'see' the Brennan music folder as a mapped drive i.e. 'Z;\Music' which would not work for the Sonos system as it will not recognise this path because the 'Z:' drive is only a local reference on the PC and will not be visable on your local home network outside of the PC.

Please note that I am theorising to some degree, as  I don't know the Sonos app.  Perhaps someone who has the Sonos system running could comment or correct my note here.

Also, for Mac OSX users, some of the later versions of OSX do not provide a reliable version of SMB1.0 due to some sort of disagreement between Apple and Samba (who provide SMB1.0).  As a result, Apple tried to develop their own equivalent of SMB but failed to complete the project.  There are some alternative solutions available; if you google 'MAC OSX SMB problems' you will find plenty of material on that topic.

Regards,

Peter.

[Daniel Taylor]

Thanks, Peter.  That should clear things up for many of us.

[Leslie Brownlee]

Cheers Peter. Learned quite a lot today!

[VRB]

HI ALL

The bit that was key to me was the win 10 network setting  add it as a network location folder to publish to  (brennanbb1/music/ to publish to)

(the publish to)  seems to me just another way to say add as a trusted folder seems obvious now but diddnt at the time 

when i did this the credentials root and brennan were fixed or saved in win 10 network  but not untill

seems to me this is a windows security setting just not a very obvious one 

this could be some off the other peoples problems seeing the brennan on the  network but being denied access

SMB 1.0 security issues aside i will stick with the netwok settings for now check my anti virus is up to date regulary 

 i can always map them as network drives in the future 

i have also learned a lot from all the other posts thanks everyone 

regards 

               Vince