How to get iTunes working on WHS 2011
Finally have iTunes configured on WHS 2011 server.
I have a couple of Roku devices that I wanted to point to iTunes running on a server. Also, want other laptops
and pcs to be able to point to one version of iTunes that is always up, without going thru fileshare.
I wanted to keep my iTunes library on a local pc but also copy to WHS.
Finally got it working.
The last issue was that I was copying the iTunes Media folder from a local pc to the server, and
the podcasts were not getting updated. Solved this by using a symbolic link on the WHS server box.
It appears that while you can copy the iTunes Media folder, the associated library has the absolute
path embedded inside it, so that if you copy from library from pc to pc, but each pc has a different path
the iTunes doesn't see library updates.
So in Summary ...
1. On Desktop PC, turn on Home Shareing for your itunes id.
2. On WHS 2011, turned on Audio Service
3. On WHS 2011, Install iTunes (using iTunes 10.X)
4. Copy iTunes library from client desktop to WHS Server
- Desktop PC points to something like -> C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes
- WHS 2011 server points to something like -> F:\ServerFolders\Music\iTunes
- Copy music from Desktop PC to WHS -> Kitchen-C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes to WHS-F:/ServerFolders/Music/iTunes
5. On WHS Server box, make symbolic link so that iTunes sees same absolute path as on Desktop
- mklink /D C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes F:\ServerFolders\Music\iTunes
6. ON WHS Server box, start iTunes to point to C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes
iTunes has two things:
- iTunes Library (music files)
- iTunes database (playlists, ratings, etc)
To move both of these:
- Close iTunes
- Hold down SHIFT and double click on the iTunes shortcut
- A dialog box opens up to move the iTunes database. Choose 'Choose Library' and choose where you copied the database to (for example C:\iTunes)
- Go to Preferences > Advanced and change the library location (choose something like C:\Users\Public\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media, will convert to
physical location but seems to still work)
7. On WHS Server box, restart iTunes and it will point to new library location
8. On WHS Server Box, turn on Home Sharing, use same iTunes id as on Desktop PC
9. On WHS Server Box, now that we have iTunes on WHS working, need to configure in Task
Scheduler to automatically start on Startup as Administrator
- stop iTunes
- in Task Scheduler create Task to start iTunes at startup
- run as Administrator (and note if you change password later, you have to update Task in Task Scheduler!!)
10. On WHS 2011, in Task Scheduler create task to kill iTunes at some time, Need to
stop iTunes on WHS before you can synch from Desktop PC, otherwise the some of the files,
?.itl, don't get synched.
- in Task Scheduler create Task to kill itunes at some time
- TASKKILL /F /IM "itunes.exe
- run as Administrator
11. On Desktop PC, now that we have iTunes on WHS, and starting, need to configure ability to synch from pc
to WHS server
- On Desktop PC, Installed synch toy to copy from Kitchen Public Music to WHS 2011 Music, do synch from iTunes
to iTunes, include all sub-directories and also copies the library itl etc
- on Desktop PC in Task Scheduler create task to run synctoy after iTunes has been killed on WHS
And there you have it, at least as of WHS 2011 Server, Windows 7 Desktop and iTunes 10.6 !!!
Todd
