Thank you for the replies.
Yes, I have 'Run auto-import in background' set.
I found a few threads re: Windows Defender, which is the only AV I use, and added the various JRiver, appdata, and media folders, files, processes and file types to the exclusion list. And rebooted. I copied a new album folder to the library share.
I start MC30 and wait a couple minutes but going to the smart playlist for 'imported today' (which when I manually kicked off the auto import earlier, updated), and I never see the auto import run or the files get imported.
I turned on logging fwiw, and restarted MC30 and I do see evidence that the auto-import is running :
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::StartBackgroundProcessing: Starting background import
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::ImportAutoImport: Start
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::ImportAutoImport: Stopping current auto-import processing
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::ImportAutoImport: Creating job
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::ImportAutoImport: Running job
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::Import: Start
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::Import: Creating processor
0008407: 24832: Import: CSynchronizeDatabase::Import: Process
and a little later...
0008407: 13080: Import: Process: Starting import (Media Center 30.0.30 (64-bit))
0008408: 13080: Import: GetNewFiles: Start
0008416: 13080: Import: GetNewFiles: Searching: V:\music\
After waiting in total >5min, I use Tools->import->run auto import now, i see the scanning happen in the 'importing media' window, it then says it is 'Adding file x of 1650'. Incidentally, i think this is a separate issue as earlier today when i was prompted to post this initial message, it was also 'of 1650'....
That aside though, one that completed, I did see the new album that i copied over show up in the 'Imported today' smart playlist when i refreshed it.
I do see the new files (flacs) in the log file as getting added as well.