Nucleus Web Administration Interface

Nucleus Web Administration Interface

What is the Web Administration Interface

The Nucleus Web Administration Interface (the "Web UI" for short) lets you manage your Nucleus at the system level from any web browser on your network. You can check its status, update or reinstall its software, manage storage and networking, and reboot or power it off. It works independently of the Roon app, so you can use it even when Roon Server isn't running or Roon can't connect.

Which version of the Web UI do I have?

RoonOS 3.0 introduces a redesigned Web UI for Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan. Nucleus and Nucleus+ (Rev A and Rev B) keep the original Web UI.

The quickest way to tell is the top of the page. If you see tabs labeled Overview, Storage, Network & Access, and Settings, you're using the RoonOS 3.0 Web UI. If you don't, please see Using the Original Web UI on Nucleus and Nucleus+.

Alert
RoonOS 3.0 and the redesigned Web UI are available for Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan. Nucleus and Nucleus+ (Rev A and Rev B) don't receive RoonOS 3.0, the redesigned Web UI, or Tailscale.

Connecting to the Web Administration Interface

How do I open the Web UI from the Roon app?

  1. In Roon, go to Settings > Setup.
  2. Next to Find Roon OS, click Find.
  3. In the window listing your RoonOS devices, click your Nucleus's IP address.

The Web UI opens in your web browser.

The Find Roon OS window in Roon listing available RoonOS devices with their IP addresses

For more details on finding your Nucleus from the Roon app, please see Connecting to Nucleus.

How do I open the Web UI directly from a browser?

On any device connected to the same network as your Nucleus, enter one of these in a web browser:

Hostnames don't work on every network, depending on your router's DNS configuration. If a hostname doesn't load, please use the IP address instead.

Using the Web UI on Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan

The RoonOS 3.0 Web UI is organized into tabs: Overview, Storage, Network & Access, and Settings. Each status line uses an icon so you can see its health at a glance. A green check mark means everything is working, for example "Running", "Ready", or "Up to date". An amber warning triangle means something needs your attention, such as "Not signed in" or "Read only".

What's in the header and Power menu?

The header at the top of every tab shows your Nucleus model and its serial number. Having the serial number handy is useful when you contact our support team.

The red power button in the top right corner opens the Power menu. Click Reboot or Power Off.


Why are some settings view-only?

This is expected behavior. When you open the Web UI on your local network, a banner reads "You're on your local network. File Sharing and Tailscale settings are view-only here." Depending on your setup, it may instead read "Some File Sharing settings can be changed only over Tailscale."

Everything else in the Web UI works normally. These settings are protected so no one on your network can change your share password, or sign your Nucleus out of Tailscale. Until your Nucleus is signed in to Tailscale, you can still change File Sharing settings from your local network. After that, please open the Web UI over Tailscale to change them. For details, please see Tailscale and File Sharing below.

What's on the Overview tab?

The Overview tab shows System Status, a one-page summary of your Nucleus. Each row shows a component's details and its current status, with a button or link where you can take action.


Roon Server

Shows the Roon Server version, build number, and update track, plus how long it's been running.

  • Restart restarts Roon Server.
  • Stop stops Roon Server. Please stop Roon Server before you copy or replace your Roon database over the network. Stopping it can also be useful before a large import.

Operating System

Shows the RoonOS version and build, how long the Nucleus has been running, and its update track. The status reads "Up to date" when you're on the newest build.

  • Update appears when a newer RoonOS build is available. Click it to install the update.
  • Reinstall downloads and reinstalls the latest RoonOS, even if you're already up to date. Reinstalling doesn't affect your settings or your Roon database. It can take several minutes, depending on your internet connection.

The update track is production for regular releases, or earlyaccess if you've joined the Early Access program. To switch tracks, please see the Roon Early Access Program.

Progress stays on screen during an update or reinstall, even if you reload the page. If it fails, the Web UI explains why, such as how much space is needed versus available. Your Nucleus keeps running the version you already had.

Roon Labs Software

Shows the version, build, and status of the Roon Labs Software running on your Nucleus. There are no controls for this row.

Storage

Shows how much space is available for your Roon database and settings, and the status of any internal music storage. Click Storage to open the Storage tab.

Tailscale

Shows whether your Nucleus is signed in to Tailscale, the account it's signed in to, and the installed Tailscale version. Click the eye icon to show the full account name. Click Network & Access to manage Tailscale.

USB Drives

When a USB drive is connected, this row shows its name, its capacity, and its status, such as "Read only". If more than one drive is connected, it also shows how many other drives there are. Click Storage to manage your drives.

What's on the Storage tab?


Roon Database & Settings

Shows the status of the drive that holds your Roon database and settings. A usage bar shows the space available, with GB used and GB total. If you're looking for the Reset button, it's now on the Settings tab.

Internal Music Storage

If you've installed a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) for music storage, it appears here. The card shows its status, capacity, model, and a usage bar. A new drive must be formatted by RoonOS before you can use it.

Warning
Formatting permanently erases everything on the drive, and it can't be undone. If the drive already has music or other files on it, please copy them somewhere safe before you click Format.

When you're ready, click Format, then click Format again in the Format Internal Storage? window to confirm. A progress bar shows while the drive formats, and a Success message appears when it's done. For installation steps and how to copy music to the drive, please see Nucleus Internal Storage.

USB Drives

Each attached USB drive, and each partition on it, is listed with its name, manufacturer, model, and capacity. A drive that's working normally shows OK with a green check mark, and "Ready ยท Read / write" below it.

If a drive has more than one partition, each partition is listed on its own row. Each row currently shows the same label and the full drive size, rather than the size of that partition.

If a drive shows Read only with an amber warning icon, it mounted read-only. It may be write-protected or have file system errors. The line below the drive explains why, for example: "The drive wasn't safely removed. This usually happens when a drive is unplugged without ejecting it. Run Check & repair to fix it."

Depending on the drive's status, you'll see these controls:

  • Check & repair runs a file system check on the drive, similar to chkdsk on Windows. It's designed for drives that weren't safely ejected from a computer. While the check runs, the drive is unmounted and a progress bar shows the elapsed time.
  • Stop check or Stop repair stops a check or repair that's in progress.
  • Open read-only opens the drive in read-only mode.
  • Eject safely unmounts the drive. Please eject a drive before you unplug it.

Info
This is expected behavior: an NTFS drive that wasn't safely ejected now mounts read-only, instead of failing to mount. Check & repair may not be able to fix NTFS drives. If the drive stays read-only, please connect it to a Windows PC, run chkdsk, then eject it safely before reconnecting it to your Nucleus. exFAT and FAT32 drives are repaired automatically when they mount.

What's on the Network & Access tab?


Networking

Like most network devices, your Nucleus uses DHCP by default, so your router assigns its IP address automatically. A static IP isn't generally required or recommended.

Alert
Incorrect static IP settings can make your Nucleus unreachable on your network. Please only set a static IP if you're familiar with networking and with your home network. If your Nucleus becomes unreachable, please follow Reset network settings on RoonOS.

To set a static IP address:

  1. Under Ethernet, set IP Address Setup to Static IP.
  2. Enter the IP Address, Netmask, Gateway, and DNS Server.
  3. Click Save.

Your changes apply right away, with no reboot needed. If Use Tailscale DNS is turned on, Tailscale's DNS overrides the DNS Server set here (see Tailscale).

Network Diagnostics

Click Test connection to check every layer of your Nucleus's network connection in one step. The results start with a summary, followed by a check for each layer:

  • Link: wired or wireless, speed, and duplex.
  • IP Address: the address, whether it's DHCP or static, and the prefix length.
  • Gateway: your gateway address and its response time.
  • DNS: your DNS server addresses and how quickly they resolve.
  • Internet: reachability, packet loss, and latency.
  • Roon Cloud: whether your Nucleus can reach Roon's online services.

Each passing check shows an OK badge. A summary line at the bottom lists your IP address, gateway, and DNS together, which is handy to copy into a support post. The time of the last test is shown next to the button. If your Nucleus is connected to a display over HDMI, the same diagnostics appear there.


Tailscale

Tailscale is an app that creates a private, secure connection between your devices and Roon Server. It can help if Roon ARC has trouble connecting through your home network or internet provider. Learn more here.

This section shows your Tailscale status and the installed version. Before you start, please create a free Tailscale account and install the Tailscale app on your phone. To connect your Nucleus:

  1. Click Sign in.
  2. In the Enable Tailscale window, click Sign in to Tailscale. The Tailscale sign-in page opens in a new tab.
  3. Sign in with your Tailscale account.

Once your Nucleus is connected, the status reads Connected and shows the Tailscale account it's signed in to. Click the eye icon to show the full account name. For full setup steps, please see Tailscale Setup Instructions for RoonOS.

When your Nucleus is connected, a Use Tailscale DNS switch also appears. While it's on, Tailscale's DNS overrides the DNS Server set under Networking.

Info
This is expected behavior: once your Nucleus holds a Tailscale account, its Tailscale settings are locked on your local network, even while it's signed out. Otherwise, anyone on your network could sign it out or move it to a different account. To click Logout or change Use Tailscale DNS, please open the Web UI over Tailscale.

Signing in to Tailscale, or switching to a different Tailscale account or tailnet, removes any share password that was set from your local network. The share then goes back to guest access, with no password. This way, a new account doesn't inherit access to your files. Signing in again with the same Tailscale account normally keeps your password. A factory reset clears the Tailscale sign-in, along with the File Sharing settings and the share password.

File Sharing

Your Nucleus shares its Data folder on your network so you can copy music to its internal storage from a computer. This section shows the share name, whether it's currently shared, the minimum SMB version, and the username.

Under Who can connect, you can choose how devices access the share:

  • Guest (on by default): anyone on your network can access the share as "Guest". Some devices can only connect this way.
  • Username and password: devices sign in as roon with the share password. The default password is roon. Turning this on doesn't disconnect anything.
  • Allow older devices (SMB 1) (off by default): please only turn this on if a device can't connect any other way. SMB 1 is an old, less secure version of file sharing.

Changing File Sharing settings

How you change File Sharing settings depends on whether your Nucleus is signed in to Tailscale:

  • Not signed in to Tailscale: you can change File Sharing settings from your local network, including the share password.
  • Signed in to Tailscale: File Sharing settings can be changed only over Tailscale, so your share password is never sent across your local network unencrypted. On your local network, the Changing these settings box shows the HTTPS link to use. If your Nucleus isn't signed in, the box explains that signing in gives it a private address that can carry these changes.

Alert
Signing in to Tailscale, or switching Tailscale accounts, removes a share password that was set from your local network, and the share goes back to guest access. If you plan to use Tailscale, please sign in first, then set your share password over Tailscale.

To change File Sharing settings once your Nucleus is signed in to Tailscale:

  1. In the Tailscale admin console, turn on MagicDNS and HTTPS Certificates.
  2. Install Tailscale on the computer you'll use, and sign in with the same Tailscale account.
  3. On that computer, open the HTTPS link shown in the Changing these settings box.
  4. Wait for the secure page to load. The File Sharing options then become editable.

This is usually a one-time setup. On Windows, please disconnect any mapped drive to your Nucleus before you connect again as Guest, with a different username, or with a new password. Windows only allows one username per server at a time, so an old connection can cause error 1219.

To connect to the share from a computer on your local network, please use your Nucleus's name or IP address, for example \\NUCLEUSONE\Data or \\<ip-address>\Data on Windows. On a Mac, please use smb://NUCLEUSONE/Data or smb://<ip-address>/Data. For step-by-step instructions, please see Signing in to the share.

Your File Sharing settings are kept after a reboot, an update, or a reinstall. Signing in again with the same Tailscale account normally keeps them too.


What's on the Settings tab?

Time Zone

Setting your Nucleus's time zone makes scheduled tasks, such as automatic backups, run at the local time you intend. This includes after seasonal clock changes. Until you set a time zone, your Nucleus runs on UTC. The section shows the current setting and your browser's time zone for reference.

  1. Select your time zone from the Time Zone list.
  2. Click Save Time Zone.

Open-Source Licenses

RoonOS includes open-source software. This section shows your RoonOS version and release, with links to the source code for that release.

  • View Licenses lists each component's license and copyright notices.
  • Download saves the license information to your computer.

Reset

Warning
Reset permanently erases all Roon settings and databases, network settings, the Tailscale sign-in, and File Sharing settings. Please make sure you have a recent Roon backup before you continue. Music on your internal storage isn't affected.

Click Reset to return your Nucleus to factory defaults.


Using the Original Web UI on Nucleus and Nucleus+

Nucleus and Nucleus+ (Rev A and Rev B) use the original Web UI, a single page with every control in one place.

The original Nucleus Web Administration Interface showing the Operating System, Roon Server Software, storage, and Networking sections on a single page

What can I do in the original Web UI?

  1. Reboot or power off: use the red button in the top right corner.
  2. Reinstall RoonOS and Roon Server: click Reinstall under Operating System. This always reinstalls the latest firmware for your Nucleus, even if you're already up to date. It can take several minutes, depending on your internet connection. Reinstalling doesn't affect your settings or your Roon database.
  3. Stop, start, or restart Roon Server: use the drop-down button under Roon Server Software. Stopping Roon Server can be useful before a large import.
  4. Reset all settings and databases: click Reset to restore your Nucleus settings, Roon settings, and Roon database to factory defaults. This doesn't change anything on your internal storage.
  5. Format internal storage: if you install an HDD or SSD for music storage, click Format so RoonOS can prepare it. Formatting permanently erases everything on the drive, so please copy any files you want to keep first. For details, please see Nucleus Internal Storage.
  6. Set a static IP address: under Networking, change IP Address Setup to Static IP. Enter the IP Address, Netmask, Gateway, and DNS Server, then click Save. The same caution applies as on Nucleus One and Nucleus Titan (see Networking above).

If an incorrect static IP makes your Nucleus unreachable, a USB network adapter can help you reconnect. The adapter adds a second network interface, which uses DHCP by default. It appears as a new tab under Networking and can be configured the same way as the built-in Ethernet port. You can also follow Reset network settings on RoonOS.


If you have questions or feedback about the redesigned Web UI, please share them with us on the Roon Labs Community.