Have issues with content paths in Native Access that I can't seem to resolve.

Gabrielsburg · 2023-04-19T17:06:29+00:00

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I just installed NA2 so I could install Stacks and Kontakt Player 7. But I can't seem to change the content or download paths in the settings. I'm trying to point these paths to my network drive, but even if I run NA as an administrator, it just reverts to the default paths.

So, I let Stacks install to the default location and moved it to the network drive. I tried to use Repair to update the path for Stacks, but it tells me the path is invalid.

To make things more frustrating, I can update the plugin paths.

I have been using that path for years and it worked without issue in NA1.

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Rich_NI

Hi @Gabrielsburg

Network drives are not supported by Native Access. The fact that you were able to install products to that location with NA1 is purely by chance. Generally, our installers simply cannot deal with NAS drives, which is why NA2 does not allow it as an option.

If you wish to use a NAS drive (which we strongly recommend against), you could try the following workaround:

Install your products on a system (or conventional external) drive -> move the libraries to NAS drive -> use the repair function in NA2 to relocate the moved entries via "Relocate All" or "Repair > Relocate"

Using the Repair / Relocate All Function in Native Access

Notes on Network Drives and Disk Formats

Regarding your plugin paths - are they on your local drive, or are you trying to set a network drive for these as well?

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Rich_NI

Hi @Gabrielsburg

If you wish to use a NAS drive (which we strongly recommend against), you could try the following workaround:

Using the Repair / Relocate All Function in Native Access

Notes on Network Drives and Disk Formats

Regarding your plugin paths - are they on your local drive, or are you trying to set a network drive for these as well?

Gabrielsburg

I actually found the article on network drives after I made my post here (which also clued me in to why the plugin path worked, since I install the plugins locally).

But...

If the path is a mapped drive, I don't see a reason why NA2 should care what that path is. How is it any different from using a mapped location that points to an external drive? If Windows treats them as essentially the same, why shouldn't NA2, especially since it wasn't an issue with NA1?

Whatever the thought is behind recommending against using a NAS, I have to say it has worked generally without issue for me for years.

At this point, I don't have much confidence that moving to an external drive won't break my old projects.

With regards to your repair recommendation, I touched on this in my original post -- in short, it doesn't work: "So, I let Stacks install to the default location and moved it to the network drive. I tried to use Repair to update the path for Stacks, but it tells me the path is invalid."

So my ultimate questions are:

What's the reasoning for why it's not supported?
Can you explain even at just a high level how it's any different from an external drive?
Is there any chance this may change in a future update?

Rich_NI

Hi @Gabrielsburg

As I stated previously, it's purely by chance that it worked for you previously in NA1. NA1 did not block NAS drives, as it had no mechanism to detect them, but users would usually run into the following error message: https://support.native-instruments.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000262537-Native-Access-Error-Message-XML-Processing-Error-

Due to this installation error, NA2 implemented a feature that would detect a NAS drive and mark is as an unsupported file location.

The reason is that our installers are not currently able to cope with running directly on to NAS drive
This article explains the differences better than I could:https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/digital-storage-basics-part-2-external-drive-vs-nas-server/
We are hoping to address this in future as we move towards "slim content installers". These would theoretically be able to be run directly to a NAS drive

Kubrak

Users often complain, that things load slowly and similar... NAS might be OK for Expansions and small Kontakt Libraries not used very often. But other than that?

I have everything on fast moderate quality (a bit below the top) NVMe PCIe SSDs and still wish loading was even faster.

Fast PCIe SSD has reading speed about 50 gigabit/s, no usual NAS may come even close to it....

Gabrielsburg

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/66067#Comment_66067

Is it actually that a high volume of users ran in that XML error or is it that users that ran into issues ran into that error? Those aren't the same thing. The idea that it worked for me by chance doesn't make much sense to me. I've done it with 2 different NAS servers now, though both from the same brand. That suggests the problem lies elsewhere, possibly the NAS configuration.

Meanwhile the article on DAS vs NAS drives doesn't do much more than point out the obvious physical differences. The root of my question is that in both cases, a mapped NAS and an attached external drive, you have a non-permanent mapped path assigned. I don't see why you chose to actively block NAS drives as opposed to taking a stance of "we don't recommend it but if that's what you want and you can get it to work, great."

Thankfully, this is pretty low stakes for me. Because at this point I don't see much value in picking up any other Kontakt libraries in the near future if I can't install it where I want it.

Gabrielsburg

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/66112#Comment_66112

I'm really not bothered by the load time, honestly. Kontakt itself doesn't load very quickly despite being on the local drive.

Kubrak

OK. Changing HDD to SATA SDD made Kontakt load times much faster on my notebook. Changing SATA SSD to PCIe NVMe SSD made loading time about three times faster, than using SATA SSD.

So, loading time of Kontakt heavily depends on data storage speed.

But, if you do not mind, no problem, Rich_NI has explained you how to go around LAN storage test performed by NA2.

Gabrielsburg

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/66122#Comment_66122

Unfortunately, the workaround doesn't work. It simply gives you an invalid location error. Though I would point out that this error doesn't appear in the preferences. The preferences simply changes the path on you.

Lu_

Hi @Gabrielsburg ,

I had the same issue, went back and forth a bit communicating with the NA2 PM @Hayo_NI

Great guy and really like the openness from Hayo / NI in this matter.

Most of my daytime work is escalations and find ways to work around issues.

So i invested a bit more time in this matter and got it working on my system, i'll share the details if you're a bit tech savvy you should be able to het things running as in NA1.

The issue (imho) is that the NA2 NTK daemon runs as local system, your drive mappings are being done with your user account and local system does not have rights on your NAS and no drive mapping to them.

From live.sysinternals.com u can download psexec64 (Made and maintained by Mark Russinovich, CTO of Azure) . If u are a bit scared (i can understand) downloading exe's from unknown places just submit it through something like virustotal and validate for yourself it does not contain malicious code.

U can you use psexec64, open an cmd prompt as administrator and issue this command from the folder where psexec64 is located : PsExec64.exe -i -s cmd.exe

This will open an cmd prompt as local system (just type in the cmd prompt whoami , it should echo back "C:\Windows\System32>whoami -> nt authority\system"

If you run a <net use> from there you'll notice there are no mapped drives under the local system account.

Just map the same drive and letter as under your user account (from a cmd prompt in your user enviroment issue; <net use> and it'll show all your mappings under your user context.

After this is done u can once more browse your content location from within NA2 and it should not revert to the default path.

After that just do a refresh and the repair option should be gone and at least on my system it works, beneath my current Content location located on my NAS.

Regards,

Lu.

PascalG

Kudos to Lu for the correct diagnostic and PsExec64.exe workaround Tip!!!!!

I confirm this work like a Charm

here is the detailed steps I followed for Windows:

1) Download PStools from Microsoft (please use google as i am not allowed to paste link here yet)

2) Unzip PSTOOLS archive, enter the unzipped Folder, then copy the file path using right mpouse click copy as text (exemple C:\Users\pascal\Downloads\PSTools)

3) Open Windows CMD windows as Administrator

your cmd windows should display C:\Windows\system32>

4) change directory to PStools folder by typing exemple (replace my path by yours pasting the path from step 2 after cd command)

cd C:\Users\pasca\Downloads\PSTools

5) press enter

your cmd windows should display (for my exemple) C:\Users\pascal\Downloads\PSTools>

6) type PsExec64.exe -i -s cmd.exe and press enter

another cmd window should appear, use this second window for the next instructions

7) if you type net use and press enter

the returned message should be that the list is empty

8) my NAS shared drive path for exemple is \\Leo_DS412\Applications (replace by yours)

type the following command and replace adminuser and adminpassword by your own credentials to access your NAS but Keep the double quotes ""

net use K: \\Leo_DS412\Applications /PERSISTENT:YES /user:"adminuser " "adminpassword "

9) type net use

you should get an answer that looks like this:

OK K: \\Leo_DS412\Applications Microsoft Windows Network

10) Open Native access, Go to Preferences, then click on File Management, and Click on Browse on the Content Location and select the letter you just mounted at step 8 and the subfolder you want to use to store your NATIVE Sound Library and click Select

Congratulations NATIVE ACCESS now has succesfully select your NAS drive to store the content of your choice, and every new Download will go there

enjoy

Again Kudos to Lu for the correct diagnostic and PsExec64.exe workaround Tip!!!!!

Jesse Harlin

I had this exact issue and I can confirm it works for me, I was able to repair my installations after moving from NI Access v1 to 2. Here is the same steps, condensed

run `net use` in a terminal. Note the drive mapping. Eg Q: \\Network_Location\Folder_Name
run `./PsExec64.exe -i -s cmd.exe` as admin in the same folder as PsExec64.exe. A terminal opens.
run `net use Q: \\Network_Location\Folder_Name /PERSISTENT:YES /user:"admin" "pa$$w0rD"` in the new terminal opened in step 2.
change the Content Location in NI Access 2.

Thank you @Lu_ for the tip and thank you @PascalG for the missing net use command and stepwise example.

almazmusic

Funny to see this thread. Pure disrespect from NI to its customers who paid them money. I mean a lot of money.

I built a 4k$+ true 10GbE network at home to expand my studio storage and all this crashed against the company's principles. Nice!

I'm done with NI, because I never know what they will ban tomorrow.

J3uddha

I had the same issue, but on Mac after updating to NA2.

I fixed my issue by deleting the .plist files for my missing libraries. On a mac, you can find them in Macintosh HD -> Library -> Preferences -> com.native-instruments.[library-name].plist.

For example: com.native-instruments.Battery 4.plist

This should remove the "broken installation" icon and allow you to do a fresh reinstall of that library.

Zdenek Breitenbacher

The easiest way to have your Kontakt libraries on some network drive, is to create a VeraCrypt volume on your network drive and put your libraries into the volume. If you mount the volume, the system sees it as a local drive and Native Instruments have no problem to use it.

I was solving similar problem on my MacBook. I wanted to use the Native Instruments libraries with MacOS software as well as with Windows software running on the same machine under Parallels Desktop virtualization. The issue is, that in parallelized Windows all MacOS folders are visible only as network drives. Of course, Native Instruments refuses to use them. I created a VeraCrypt volume with exFAT disk system, that can be mounted from MacOS just as from Windows, put all libraries there and voilá, everything works with no problem.

SchuhFits

News versions of Windows support VHD (Virtual Hard Drives) which can be stored on NAS volumes. Create the VHD (In Windows 11 -- Settings, Storage, 'Advanced Storage Settings', and select 'Disks & Volumes', and select 'Create a virtual hard disk', give it a name, select the NAS volume where you want to store it (browse), pick a size - make sure it's GB or TB if that's the size factor you want, select the type (VHDX recommended), and fixed size or dynamic as you prefer - and click 'create'. It will build the disk for you and then ask for partition style (GPT is probably fine) - click 'Initialize', then give the disk a label, a drive letter, your file system preference, and then 'format' - and then the drive will show up in Explorer. Native Access 2 will let you select this new volume in the file location preferences.

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