NAS & iTunes

[scene]

I've got a new NAS, a readyNAS duo 2120 (see my other post for the deal available on NetGear readyNAS). Now my plan was to move my iTunes library onto it so that I could play it via my Sonos ZonePlayers. Thing is, on reading the manual, I noticed that the readyNAS can act as a iTunes server. Now is it better to move my library to the NAS, or have a shared library using the iTunes server. Is there a downside to this? I'm a bit new to this whole iTunes, nas, computer-based malarkey and I don't want to spend ages setting things up to find it's not what I want to do.
And while I'm on the subject, if I do decide just to move my iTunes library, how? I've looked online and found about three different ways of doing it [:|]

 

[Dan Turner]

My NAS is an Apple Time Capsule, but I wanted a copy of my music library on it for Sonos streaming. After faffing about with having a second iTunes library with the files on the NAS for Sonos (1. so that the Sonos library on the NAS and the normal iTunes library on my Mac would act as back-up for each other 2. so that i still have the files on my computer for streaming or replay off that and for syncing with iPod/Phone and 3. so that I don't have to have the Mac on when using Sonos) I realised it was a nightmare because for some reason (not quite sure why) both libraries kept getting mixed up and it seemed that everytime I checked, the files in one library were pointing to what was supposed to be the location of the other!

In the end I sorted out the main library on the Mac and just created a copy of the files on my NAS (but did not attempt to import it as an additional library in iTunes), so now when I get a new CD or DL, I import it into my itunes library, then just copy it to my NAS.

Anyway - just be careful, it's easy to get things all mixed up when moving/copy/re-pointing itunes to a different set of files, so make sure at all stages you have a back-up copy.

Having the files on your NAS so that you can stream straight to your Sonos, without needing to have your computer on is definitely the way to go though, if you can battle through the faff.

 

[Gozaradio]

I have never been that attracted to or impressed with iTunes server. It doesn't really do what you might expect. Unless you want multiple computers to access the itunes library at the same time, I wouldn't bother with it.
As you're in a very similar situation to mine, here's what I did (I would recommend you're connected to your LAN over ethernet rather than wireless):

1 - Identify / create a folder on the ReadyNAS for your music

2 - Make sure iTunes is organizing your library if it isn't already - Go to iTunes preferences, Advanced tab and tick 'Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized' AND 'Copy Files to iTunes Media Folder'

3 - In the same section of Preferences, Change the library location in iTunes to point to your new ReadyNAS music folder. Mine says something like "/Volumes/Media/Music"

4 - Back in iTunes go to 'File' / 'Library' / 'Organize Library'. Make sure 'Consolidate Files' is ticked and click OK

Now, depending on the size of your library, go and do something else for anything up to a few hours (my library was 500Gb when I did this, so it took quite a while)

When it finishes, all your music will be copied to your new muic folder on the ReadyNAS and iTunes will point to it all. You will still have copies of files in their original place which you can now either delete or keep until you are happy that everything has moved.

One last important thing to do is to make sure your account connects to the ReadyNAS automatically when you log in. If you don't do this, then iTunes will revert to the default library location when it starts and any new music or podcasts you add will go here instead of your ReadyNAS. To do this, go to System Preferences, Accounts, select the appropriate user then the Login Items tab (next to Password Tab) Click on the plus symbol to add an item, then in the finder window which pops up, just select your ReadyNAS from the sidebar and OK. Now every time you log in, a finder window should pop up showing tht you've connected to the NAS and iTunes will always be able to find it.

Hope that helps.

 

[scene]

Gozardio, thanks for the heads up on iTunes server, guess I'll give it a miss then.
Also, thanks for the really clear set of instructions on moving an iTunes library, and the tip on making sure that iTunes can see the Nas without requiring a manual login. I'll kick off the move tonight.

 

[Dan Turner]

Gozaradio:
One last important thing to do is to make sure your account connects to the ReadyNAS automatically when you log in. If you don't do this, then iTunes will revert to the default library location when it starts and any new music or podcasts you add will go here instead of your ReadyNAS. To do this, go to System Preferences, Accounts, select the appropriate user then the Login Items tab (next to Password Tab) Click on the plus symbol to add an item, then in the finder window which pops up, just select your ReadyNAS from the sidebar and OK. Now every time you log in, a finder window should pop up showing tht you've connected to the NAS and iTunes will always be able to find it.

I think this is what I missed by the look of it! Thanks Gozaradio, you've helped me too!

 

[Gozaradio]

No problem - it had me for a good old while until I used something other than iTunes to find a recently added file. I couldn't find it on the NAS, but spotlight found it on the internal HDD and I realised what had happened, a more Mac savvy friend (I've only been a user for a year or so), told me what to do.

One more thing worth mentioning about the Netgear ReadyNAS is the different ways it can serve up files. It can use CIFS (what Windows tends to use), act as a Samba share and serve files up in AFP (Apple File Protocol). This isn't set up by default but be careful if you decide to do this. For one thing, there are further settings about file permissions and at one time, I had a whole bunch of files that I couldn't manipulate from any other PC or user. The other thing is that AFP should be faster for Macs, but I think the ReadyNAS uses some sort of AFP emulation, which means that it's actually quicker to transfer files in OSX through CIFS.

If all that appears to be gibberish, then don't worry, I think it will be set up as CIFS by default and you norally have to activate AFP manually. It took me ages to work out why my iMac transferred files much more quickly in Windows than in OSX. In fact, it has only been in the past week that I found AFP can be slower if a NAS is emulating it! I suppose it's still of use for old Macs which may only be able to use AFP by default, but I am neither a Mac, nor a network expert!

 

[scene]

Thanks for all the extra info! I'm doing my copy now...

I'm also moving some large .ISO files over as well, so this doesn't look like completing any time soon...

I'm actually going to check, as I have a sneaky feeling that I ma have turned on the AFP thing when wading through the endless readyNAS setup screens...

Now all I have to do is work out how to embed all the album artwork in the files so that the Sonos can display them...

 

[daveh75]

scene:Now all I have to do is work out how to embed all the album artwork in the files so that the Sonos can display them...Oooh,let me know how you got on with that as i'm looking at ditching an ATV and going the Sonos route, and have been wondering how Sonos would handle Itunes artwork!

 

[Gozaradio]

The only way I know within iTunes is album by album. Here's

[*]Find the album you want to add artwork to and start one of the tracks in that album[*]Select all the tracks in the album (including the one currently playing)
[*]If artwork it isn't already displaying in the bottom left corner click on 'show/hide artwork' to show it
[*]Right-click on the artwork image that is displayed and select 'copy'[*]Right-click on the tracks you've highlighted and select 'Get info'[*]In the pop-up box that right-click in the artwork field and select 'paste'[*]Click OKthat will embed the iTunes artwork into all the tracks from an album. Same principle applies if you copy an album image from your browser (eg, when iTunes doesn't find artwork)

There may well be 3rd party apps that do this more quickly across a library now but I'd always be a little wary and make sure other people are using it successfuly.

 

[Gozaradio]

scene:Thanks for all the extra info! I'm doing my copy now...

I'm also moving some large .ISO files over as well, so this doesn't look like completing any time soon...

I'm actually going to check, as I have a sneaky feeling that I ma have turned on the AFP thing when wading through the endless readyNAS setup screens...

<snip>

As a guide, an 8Gb ISO image tends to take about 5 or 6 mins to copy to the ReadyNAS for me. Even if you have set up AFP, you're okay as long as you have CIFS selected as well. I actually see my NAS appear as three items in the sidebar of Finder; once as AFP, once as CIFS (they are labelled) and once as a computer (the Samba share). It's worth running a little test of your own to see which one copies faster.

 

[Dan Turner]

scene:Now all I have to do is work out how to embed all the album artwork in the files so that the Sonos can display them...

In the Sonos support pages there is a link to a script that you can download for doing this in bulk - I'll see if I can find the link for you.

Word of caution though - when the script is running it locks iTunes and makes it look as if it's hung, especially if you've selected several albums in which case it will take hours. You can either do just a few at a time, or select then in larger groups but you have to be patient and keep faith in the fact that it hasn't actually crashed!

Edit - here you go (afraid I don't know how to do that thing where you incorporate a hyperlink into a word to click on so here's the full URL)

Clickified by mods

 

[scene]

Thanks for that Dan. BTW do you know if the script work with iTunes 10?

 

[Dan Turner]

Good question - The script is still available in iTunes 10 since I've updated, and it appeared to execute OK when I tried it - although I wasn't able to try it on something without album artwork already embedded, so I can't say whether it was actually working successfully or not, if that makes sense.

 

[scene]

Sniff. The script page has this large banner across it:

**This iTunes script does not work for iTunes 10, only iTunes 9 and below**

Wish I hadn't upgraded to iTunes 10 last week

- wonder i I can uninstall 10 and revert to 9?

 

[kena]

Can't you be patient and wait, it only just been released (Itunes 10) give the developers of the S/W that link to it a break a upgrade will be along in due course.

 

[brendonw]

I can confirm that this script works well for Itunes 9 and I've used it to do my whole library.

Sorry it doesn't help you Scene