Slow Import

If you copied your images to the drive (or NAS) before importing them into LrC, and you are happy with that location, then you should use the Add method in Import. Their is no reason to use Copy or Copy as DNG, as they are already located where you want them.

Using Copy will just slow things down.

While your LAN is very very nicely quick, you could still have some communication issues going on between computer and NAS and switches in between and anything else running on the LAN, so why increase the complexity of the Import? (P.S. for other members, on my LAN on my NAS I also have that LAN speed, I find copying files to the NAS is quicker than copying files to an external drive via USB, so we are talking some serious LAN speed)

Try using Add instead of Copy. See what occurs.

Sorry, I just saw the "ADD" option across the top of the import screen.  I use COPY, I do not ADD when I'm importing. Is this what you mean? For what it's worth, I'm using a CFExpress card with a USB-C connection.  Before I moved to the NAS, I could pull 500 images over to my internal drive in a matter of minutes - So I know my reader, card, and connection speed are all good.

1) Correct, my catalog is on my fast, internal m2 drive. I am aware of the local-only limitation and the need for the catalog to be on the fastest internal drive possible.

2) Yes, all my RAWs are on the NAS. My images have surpassed the ability to keep them on an internal drive, and upgrading space internally has become a nightmare, which is why I moved all my RAWs to the NAS to simplify future expansion, drive redundancy, and cloud backup.

3) I'm not sure what you mean by this.  Under the import tab, I do/select the following: build smart previews, don't import suspected duplicates, add to collection, rename files, apply lens+CA Correction, and set the location to a folder I create inside the NAS.  I assume this is "add" as you asked... I'm not "moving" the files from the card, as I am very meticulous about creating multiple backups (dual card reader, then add to NAS, then NAS adds to cloud) before I ever delete anything off a card.

Are these answers what you are looking for?

For the record, once the files get on to the NAS, the catalog and system work pretty darn well.  Even with 90,000 images, the catalog can reference the NAS rather quickly, and I don't have to wait too long for an image to load full-resolution in order to do things like zooming to 1:1.  It's very pleasant to work with once I suffer the pain of getting the images into the NAS.

I have split out several of your statements as to inquire separately and to attempt to make sure I do not miss a statement that would answer my inquiries if I had only read them up front.

 I also have a new Synology 923+ NAS

First Inquiry, is you have not placed your catalog on that NAS, correct? Adobe does not Support locating a catalog on a server share, be that a actual server, a NAS, or the Cloud. Some make this work, that is until the catalog gets corrupted.

The catalog is a SQLite databse. SQLite was created in conjunction with Adobe for this purpose (the original Lr), it does not natively support network shares. A Synology may be better than most NAS in terms of applications, but typically servers and NAS and whatever is on a Cloud do not include good support for SQlite and sharing. Adobe has apparently absolutely zero desire to fix that.

copy the RAWs directly on to my NAS where all my other RAWs live

As you stated, many recommend not doing that. I take it your images are all kept on the NAS, that you do not later import them to a hard drive?

Some make this work. Eventually issues occur. Typically missing folders, easily fixed. Some possibility that a catalog may get corrupted. But this is not as hazardous as placing the catalog on a NAS.

Adobe apparently supports that, but most members find that eventually fails.

I click "import", the process bar at the top left hand corner of the screen shows up and says "importing", 

I assume your Import type is ADD? Correct?

How to fix? It does not look like Adobe is doing anything to improve the use of NAS, neither for catalog location, or photo location. Recommend using the NAS for backup only. Keep catalog on local hard drive, keep photos on a local hard drive (they do not need to be the same hard drive)

A summary of questions:

• Catalog location is a local hard drive, not the NAS correct?
• Photo location is the NAS, not local hard drive correct?
• Import method is Add, correct?

(Sorry, small typo... my processor is the i9 14900)