> Network storage keeps disconnecting

My NAS is currently set up to get its network IP address using DHCP, with AFP turned on. Its share connection keeps breaking, which is awkward as I back up to it using Catalina. How can I make it more reliable?

First, don’t leave fixed network devices like networked storage (NAS) devices connected using DHCP. Periodically, the DHCP server in your router will want to renew leases, and can assign any network IP address to your NAS when it does. Configure your DHCP server so that it leaves a block of IP addresses unallocated, and use those to assign fixed IP addresses to the NAS, any desktop systems, and laptops which spend much of their time on that network. This also makes it easier to trace network problems, as you can rely on most of your devices having the same IP address all the time.

Setting a Mac to a fixed IP address is a simple process in the Network pane: set

Configure IPv4 to its fixed IP address, then provide a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and enter the router’s IP address. Additionally, you may want to set suitable DNS server addresses too.

The other potential problem is that you’re still using Apple’s old AFP protocol for connecting to your NAS. This now has only limited support, and Apple recommends all users to switch to SMB3. Check whether your NAS supports that and, if it does, try switching to it, as it may well provide better performance and prove more reliable. NAS configuration settings for SMB should be detailed in its documentation. If not, check its support site.

Set networked storage and Macs which access it to fixed IP addresses, here in the Network pane, to improve reliability and tracing.