Why does the resource library load slowly on NAS?

When using a NAS (Network Attached Storage), the connection between your computer and the NAS requires network protocols, making response times inherently slower than directly accessing a local drive. Eagle's centralized data storage structure makes random access to multiple small files particularly demanding on storage performance. This is why using Eagle with a NAS can sometimes result in a less-than-optimal experience, especially when dealing with large collections of images.

Performance Considerations

After each system startup, the initial loading of your library may take considerable time, particularly for larger libraries. Once loaded, however, Eagle utilizes cached data to improve performance in subsequent sessions until the next restart.

While NAS provides excellent content-sharing capabilities, several factors can affect performance:

Immediate performance experience: If you require ultra-low latency responses, a NAS may not meet your expectations due to network transmission and disk speed limitations.
Network protocol limitations: File transfers via SMB protocol typically offer inferior random access performance compared to directly connected drives. For improved NAS performance, consider devices with higher IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) or NAS systems with SSD caching.
Network connection optimization: When possible, connect your NAS directly to your computer using an Ethernet cable to eliminate additional latency from routers or wireless transmission.
Wireless network performance: Wi-Fi performance varies significantly between routers. Using Wi-Fi to connect to your NAS may impact performance.
Wi-Fi frequency selection: Utilize 5GHz frequency bands rather than 2.4GHz when possible, as 5GHz typically offers faster transmission speeds despite having weaker penetration capabilities.
QoS settings check: Verify the QoS (Quality of Service) settings in your Wi-Fi network to ensure traffic to your NAS or sync drive isn't being inappropriately throttled.

Important Notes

For better performance and solutions to NAS-related issues, please refer to our troubleshooting guide: Making Eagle Fly Faster: Performance Optimization Guide, specifically the section on common causes of poor NAS performance.

Why is my resource library on NAS / LAN so slow to initialize, and how can I solve it?