Do you own an iPod, or use iTunes heavily? Do you want an easy way to access your server’s music on iTunes much the same way that HP MediaSmart Server users can? Well, HP used the Firefly Media Server in part to accomplish what they did. And we are going to show you how to install FireFly.
Don’t forget to check the WGS Wiki for updated versions of this tutorial, and for other great tutorials!
What you will need
- Remote Desktop Connection or Advanced Admin Console
- Bonjour - Yes, this is in fact required.
- Firefly Media Server - The most current version is build 1696, and does work on Windows Home Server
- Firefly WHS Add-In - Download this to your “Add-Ins” directory on the server.
What to Do
First things first, download the installer files to your Windows Home Server, either directly to the desktop, or copying them to a network share. After you have done that, install Bonjour. Bonjour is a required component, as it is needed to properly talk to iTunes. Don’t blame me, it is how apple wrote iTunes.
After Bonjour is installed, run the setup for Firefly Media Server. First it will give a splash screen with general info. Click “Next”. Then it asks you to Agree to license agreement. Read through it, and click “I Agree” if you do agree to it. Installing to the default location is fine, so click “Next”. The next path is the default location for music. Set this to “D:\shares\Music”, because the installer will not let you choose a network location. This is fine. Click “Next” and it will install the files, configure the program and start the service. Click “Next” and then “Finish”. If you have used remote desktop, you will notice a new system tray icon.
Now load up the console if you aren’t running everything from the console already, and install the Firefly WHS Add-In. Once the console has restarted, you can access the settings for Firefly in the settings page for WHS.
Done
Now you are done. There aren’t a whole lot of options for FireFly, but there is a number of plugins for it. I may cover those later, but for now, you have Firefly!
Additional Info
FireFly Media Server will index all of your files in the folder you specified. This may take a while, and it will not be available properly until it is done.
Also, when FireFly Media Server tries indexing corrupt files, it crashes. I’ve personally ran into this problem, and many others may also. So I’m going to post the method to fix it that I found on the MS WHS Forums:
- Once you are at the console, use notepad to edit “c:\program files\firefly media server\mt-daapd.conf”
- Change (or add, if it isn’t there) an option called “debuglevel” with a value of 5 in the “[general]“ section.
- Then, delete the “songs3.db” file (in “c:\program files\firefly media server”) and start the firefly server.
- It will crank around, indexing the music for a while. At some point it will crash. When it does, look at the log file in “c:\program files\firefly media server\firefly.log”.
- Find the last song it tried to index and move it out of the way. Then start it again and repeat as necessary.
Credits
Thanks to ssart over at MS WHS forum for posting the solution, and to Ron from Firefly forums for writing the solution.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Thansk for the article, it looks interesting. But what will Firefly Media Server enable me to do? Couldn’t I just point iTunes on my PC to look at \\homeserver\music and add that? Might be a stupid question but I haven’t played around with itunes much yet on my PC and I’m still contemplating if it’s a good solution to store my music on the WHS.
For my VMC I will need to add a share that’s read only in order to avoid having WMP11 destoy my HiRes artwork. On the other hand I need to be able to add new music to the share.
And then there is of course song rating and playlists. Would be great if that could be done centrally and then show up in iTunes, WMP11 and in my VMC.
August 1st, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Sorry for not mentioning it, or linking it but the Firefly Media Server website has a better explanation of what it can do: http://wiki.fireflymediaserver.org/Overview
It is also the same software that the HP MediaSmart Server uses to “push” music to iTunes on client computers. Not to mention, it is pretty much a zero-config setup for iTunes users after it is installed. (Basically, Windows Media Connect for Apple devices)
August 1st, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Great piece.
It’s a little bit disengenious to have the first line read “Do you own an iPod” because in my experience, using FireFly allows you to stream music to any iTunes on your server, which is great, but it does not allow you to copy any songs to the iPod.
The only solution I’ve found is to map your iTunes library to a network drive (not a shared address, or n:\ and not \\homeserver) and you can only do this on one machine.
If I am wrong about this, I’d love to know a solution.
August 1st, 2008 at 9:03 pm
I’ve got a HP and found this restrictive as its only music.
The solution I used was to install iTunes on the HP Mediasmart server and then index all the stuff on the music/pictures/video folders.
I can then sit back relax and watch all the glorious stuff on my appletv
Paul
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I also found the HP iTunes solution kind of restrictive. What I have done is 1) put all music files within the Music share (M:\Music); 2) first computer built its iTunes library on M:\Music; 3) direct 2nd computer to M:\Music for its library - that was instant - no importing or lib building required. Now, when either computer puts new music into the library, it is instantly recognized within the other’s library.
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Thanks for the feedback! I’ll probably see about writing a tutorial for “how to get the most out of your server and iTunes soon”.
August 29th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Hi Drashna,
Given that you’re preparing a tutorial I thought I’d drop you a scenario I’m looking at with regard to itunes/ipods/roku soundbridge/WHS.
My wife and I each have ipods and our own itunes libraries on each of our PCs. I run a Roku Soundbridge music steamer linked to my itunes library via fireflymedia server.
I’ve now bought a Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo Home Server. This comes with TwonkyMedia as standard (though I’m not familiar with it).
Ideally what I want to do (and I don’t know if it is techically possible) is create a single itunes library (i.e. merge out two existing libraries) on the WHS that allows my ipod to sync with a subset of the library that I choose, that allows my wife to sync her ipod with a different subset of the library, and that allows the soundbridge to access and receive anything on the itunes library.
I don’t know whether itunes allows this, or indeed Fireflymedia or TwonkyMedia.
The move to a WHS means that centralising media libraries makes complete sense, but it’s hard to visualise the technical solution to make this happen while retaining flexibility with how the centralised library is used thereafter.
Any help on this would be appreciated. Thanks.