Improves access speed to SAMBA systems from Mac OS X
Many Mac OS X users observe an excessively slow access when connecting via local ethernet network to a NAS or NFS file server, especially from the Western Digital brand , such as the WD MyCloud, or for example the Synology .
These servers are used to have external storage of personal files, such as photos and videos, thanks to their large size ranging from 2TB (Terabytes) to 16TB.
For Mac OS users they are a good option to perform automatic backups with the Time Machine function included in the operating system.
Slow network access
However, many WD MyCloud and Synology users view with frustration how access via the SAMBA protocol to these NAS or NFS servers is extremely slow, leading to errors or loss of TimeMachine backups.
Even though the installation was successful and the ethernet system of the local network has been checked (correct cables, switch and router in good working order …), the access to the external NAS network disk from Mac is exasperatingly slow.
Solution to the problem to access the NFS
This solution is only valid for secure networks, such as the local home network or the work network if you are behind a firewall.
It consists of deactivating the “packet signing” of the SAMBA protocol . In other words, once the computer has authenticated with a name and password to connect to a directory on the NAS, WD MyCloud or Synology, the packages they exchange will not be “signed” since we trust the established connection.
In this way, the negotiation of network packets will be much faster since they do not have to be checked one by one and they are directly allowed to pass. The speed increase is spectacular once the “packet signing” is deactivated
Disable packet signing on macOS client
The solution is simple and only requires knowing how to access the Mac’s file system through the terminal to disable “packet signing” for SMB 2 and SMB 3 connections.
First check if your macOS computer has a file in /etc/nsmb.conf
If your macOS has a file in /etc/nsmb.conf
- Open your /etc/nsmb.conf file for editing
- Change the value of the signing_required parameter to “no”, such that:
[default]
signing_required = no - Save the file /etc/nsmb.conf
- Disconnect and reconnect (mount and unmount) any previously connected SMB drive for changes to take effect.
If your macOS does NOT have a file in /etc/nsmb.conf
- Open the terminal
- Use these commands to create an /etc/nsmb.conf file with the signing_required parameter set to “no”, like this:
sudo -s
echo “[default]” >> /etc/nsmb.conf
echo “signing_required = no”> > /etc/nsmb.conf
exit - Disconnect and reconnect (mount and unmount) any previously connected SMB drives for the changes to take effect.
Trick to connect drives in Mac OS
- Open Finder
- Go to the “Go” menu and select “Connect to Server” (You can also press directly ? K)
- Choose a shared network folder on the NAS
- To disconnect them, click on the “Eject” symbol when you select them in the Finder.
In this video (in English) they show how to fix other problems with the Mac OS X Sierra system:
