NAS SAMBA Slow and crashes airtunes

[Liamfm]

Okay, here's the setup, maybe someone can help?

Computer:
Powerbook G4 1.67 and 1GB RAM
OSX 10.4.6

Network:
Cable modem going into Vonage box.
Inoi NAS HDD (160GB) connected to Vonage box
Airport Express connected to Vonage Box
Mac connected via 54MBS signal to Airport Express

Inoi NAS HDD:
160 GIG running FTP server (almost never have someone on it since its really just for me)
Samba share to my mac
HDD hosts all my music for iTunes


When I FTP to my NAS from the LAN I get 2MB+ speeds
I get about 1/3 that with SAMBA transfers

When I stream music (from NAS to itunes and back through airtunes) I get a lot of stopping of the music. Sometimes for 10 seconds, sometimes for 10 minutes, sometimes forever!

Is there a way to speed up SAMBA and make this run a little smoother? It seems to be about the worst networking I've ever had. I've read a little about the ACK being set to high, but that seems like something on the server end, not the client (mac) end.

Any help is appreciated... Mac's are so cool, Samba is so uncool.

[UpQuark77]

Vonage is the culprit here...

I would put a hub/switch between ....so

cable modem --> hub --- vonage
|->mac
|->NAS device

Vonage will appropriate as much pipe as it thinks it needs slowing the rest of your network. with a hub (I recommend a switch) your ftp speeds and everything else will improve.

[Liamfm]

Yes, but the problem is on the LAN, not the WAN, and I can reach speeds of over 2mb/sec when using the FTP protocol. It's just the SMB protocol that slows things down.

I don't think that the Vonage router will limit anything on the LAN, only on the WAN. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

The Vonage router will give preferential treatment to Vonage packets going in or out (to maintain a decent QoS for VoIP), but if there's no Vonage packet activity, then nothing should slow down.

Can you disconnect all the peripherals and network devices other than your computer, some sort of router (preferrably not the Vonage one), and the NAS and try again and see if speeds are different?

[Liamfm]

If I take out the WAN all together (run the NAS through my wifi router) the speeds are the same. No change at all.

FTP 240mb file - about 2 minutes (2.2mb/sec)
SMB 240mb file - about 6 minutes (???)