I’m thinking of buying a My Cloud but I am concerned that the device might be slowed down excessively by the automatic media scan.
This thread Indexing / Scanning Media - Myth or True - #4 by Parambir_Singh says that the file /usr/local/wdmcserver/bin/wdmc.xml can be edited to specify folders and shares that can be excluded from the scan, but warns that this voids the warranty. After saying that “you can specify which folders to exclude” the thread lists various folders and shares but I’m not sure whether they are excluded by default. The list included “/shares/backups/*”. Does the device come with a share called “backups” and will any files that I put under that share be automatically excluded from the media scan? And will this happen without voiding the warranty?
The thread I mentioned above (Indexing / Scanning Media - Myth or True - #4 by Parambir_Singh) says “The Twonky DLNA server media scan and the MyCloud media scan/thumbnail are entirely distinct activities”. Am I correct in thinking that the Twonky scan is to support the delivery of media (videos, music, etc) to devices on the local network whereas the other scan is to create thumbnails to support remote access over the internet? It’s useful to know that the Twonky scan can be controlled but I think it’s important for me to understand whether, and if so how, I can control how many files are subjected to the other scan.
The indexing and thumbnailing scans can be disabled by stopping the associated services, even with cloud access enabled; you just won’t get thumbnails, or be able to search when using remote access). Easier on the older gen1/v4 firmware devices than on the newer gen2/v2 firmware, but can be done (look for fox_exe’s WD_Crack).
Thanks for the interesting suggestion. I would have no problem with not seeing thumbnails and not being able to search. However, WDCrack sounds like something that would invalidate my warranty and I would prefer to avoid that if possible.
The knowledge base article My Cloud OS 3: Create a Remote Backup says “The “backup shares” are not indexed by the My Cloud or the Twonky DLNA Server increasing backup performance.” This is in the context of making a remote backup to a My Cloud, but perhaps the same principle (not indexing backup shares) applies to backups made from a PC to a My Cloud. If so, that sounds hopeful!
If I buy a My Cloud (with firmware version 02.xx…) will I find that it has a “backup” share that I can freely access and to which I can copy files using Windows Explorer and programs like FreeFileSync, and will those files not be subject to indexing and thumbnail creation?
