Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Router / network question (Sqeeze Box stuff)

I’m in the process of setting up my HP Smart Media Home Server and Squeeze Box Duet. I’ve ran into a snag.

I am a self proclaimed PC / IT / Software / Hardware moron. It is not possible to talk down to me. Please try.

I have a hard wired network. No wireless and I don’t really want to go wireless. (but I will if there is a good reason to do so)

So far I have connected the server to the home network and I think it’s working OK. I was able to transfer 350 gigs of audio files from an external drive that is plugged into my office PC onto the HP server.

The Squeeze box installation instructions suggest that I install Squeeze center on the server so that I can run it when the (office) computer is off. It also suggests that instead of giving the software a typical drive address for the music file folder, I give it a web address. I started to set this up using the remote access wizard on the server desk top and one of the steps was to configure my router. When the wizard started checking the router for Plug and Play, it said the router was OK, and then anther dialog box came up telling me I had to access my router and manually configure it. I click on that and it brought up the router’s web page. The damn thing is asking for my user name and password to access the router…… What the heck?? I don’t have a user name / password for my router?? The wizard tells me that I should consult my router’s documentation. Crap…. I tossed that stuff years ago. The router is a Linksys four port.

My office PC is running Vista.

This is frustrating……. I asked for help on the Slim Device Forums. I was provided a link for “beginners”. All that information is for beginners who speak IT language.

OK, you do have a password on the router. It may well be something like admin/<blank password> or admin/password. Possibly even <blank username>/admin or <blank username>/password.

What kind of linksys router do you have? We can probably look up the default password on their website.

I am a bit confused. SqueezeCenter does not like files that are NOT on the local drive.

Can you explain exactly what you are trying to achieve (I am running SqueezeCenter on two computers here, and one is a HP MediaServer so I should be able to help)?

1) What squeezeXYZ do you have? Box? Receiver? BoomBox?
2) Do you have a Squeezebox Controller?
3) Do you wish to access SqueezeCenter from outside your home (from the office, for example)
4) Do you need to access "squeeze network" for radio and stuff?

Yeah, you shouldn't have to access the router if you're only doing streaming inside your house. If you're streaming outside of your house, then that's a different matter.

Leave the user name blank and admin for the password

Thanks for the help guys.

Not sure what the Router Model number is. I need to pull it out to see. I'll do that tomorrow. I need the serial number anyway.....

I have the Duet.

I am following the set up instructions on the SD Wiki sight. http://wiki.slimdevices.com/index.php/WindowsHomeServer

I don’t need, or really want to access the server from anywhere but my home. I’m just following these recommendations……..
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Using a computer other than your server start a browser and point it at a website on your server. There are various ways of doing this http://<your_server_name>:9000 or using the TCP/IP address for example http://192.168.1.200:9000 The first time you do this a 'wizard' will run that helps you to correctly configure your new SqueezeCenter. The element that is important for Windows Home Server is the location of your music files. There are two or three ways to specify this but the preferred method is to use a UNC. A UNC is similar to a URL in concept.

Assuming that you have stored your music files under the music shared folder then the UNC will be: //<your server name>/music you can also point it to folders lower down the heirachy //<your server name>/music/flac Whilst this is highly recommended you can if necessary use a normal windows drive reference. In this case use D:\shares\music Microsoft note that they may change the location of the shared folders within the disk hierachy in the future and this would obviously break your configuration. Another advantage to using the UNC is that the path specified should be the same for all computers on your network. This allows any playlists you create to be used by both SqueezeCenter and other applications on the network.

disreguard the URL thing.
Use the direct path and you'll be set.

And if you're not accessing it from anywhere but your home, disregard anything about the router.

The guys are pointing you in the right direction. There's no need to adjust the router settings for in-home use. You adjust these settings to allow 'port forwarding', opening some ports for use outside the home.

If you ever want to do that, go to portforward.com. Great site. You just find your router and the application you want to run. Pretty straightforward.

That HP server is pretty nice. Some of the newer ones now support Time Machine backup. They had a few on demo at Macworld.

Orly? Hmm...

OK, I'll try the direct link. Thanks.

While I have your attention.... (I have a never ending supply of stupid questions)

All my music files are FLAC that I ripped with EAC. I also got an iPod but would rather use MP3 for that. How would you recomend I do this? I have not pointed I-tunes toward the folder on the server where the FLAC files are yet.

As I understand it, you'll need to convert the flac files to mp3 for use with the iPod. I don't have an answer handy on how to do that, but I've done it (once.)

Google i-Tunes and Flac, I beleive their is a plug in available, not sure how well it works.

Download Mediamonkey. I believe it has the ability to do that on the fly, but that may be in the pay version. It will certainly allow you to make MP3s of all your flac files.

I have a similar setup to you, except that my server runs Linux. I've never installed Squeezecenter on a Windows machine, but I guess that it will ask you for the path to the music files somewhere. As the music is in the same box as Squeezecenter, you just need to specify the path in the usual way, eg

c:\stuff\music

The http://<your_server_name>:9000 is what you use to point a web browser on any computer in your house to Squeezecenter.

As for converting to mp3, there are many ways to do this. I use another piece of free software called foobar2000 - http://www.foobar2000.org/

Foobar2000 utilises a free utility called LAME to convert the FLACs to mp3. - http://lame.sourceforge.net/

If I convert to MP3, what would be the best method for file use? I mean, if the Squeezcenter is using the FLAC files on the server, would I just create another folder for the MP3's on my office PC? I'm just concerned that this might create some sort of conflict. I know that squeezecenter uses Itunes playlists and interacts with iTunes.

Am I just overthinking this??

You mean we could have met up at MacWorld? Damn.

Bummer, didn't know you were there. Would've been funny that you had to travel all the way back here after you actually started here, just for a meet up.

I would say next year but I don't think it'd be worth it anymore. I probably spent 30 min on the floor, I'd seen enough of iphone apps... I walked it w/ a friend from Apple. Then we took him to Thirsty Bear and proceeded to drink beer for the next 6 hours. If we do it again next year, ping me. You can get drunk w/ some Apple folks.

I love Thirsty Bear! I was there Monday with my brother (adamp88) and former boss.

I'm just using my straight PC for everything, no dedicated media server so I'm not much help there. I also don't use iTunes anymore.

Just thought that I would let you know that when I used to have ITunes, I initially had an issue where Squeezecenter would have every song listed twice because it adds in the iTunes library by default. Therefore I was seeing both the flac and the mp3 version of all the songs.

Very easy fic though. There is a setting to ignore the itunes library altogether, which is best if they are duplicate libraries.

That worked!! Cool!

I noticed that the router firmware version is 2002. Should I try to update that? Seams kinda old to me.

One more question....(for now anyway)

Where do I install SqueezCenter? On my office PC or on the Server? I had thought that it needed to be installed on the server to enable it to run with the PC turned off. However, when I open the Server Console and navagate to the software (where I placed in the Server Shared Folder) and click to install it, I do not have the option to install it anywhere but the PC drives.

Installing SqueezeCenter on a HP MediaServer is a tad tricky as it is not really supported (by HP). You need to use "Remote Desktop" and run the install from the server itself. Since it is a server, it is a bit more tricky as you have to "allow" the application to run.
I thought you were using the instructions from the SlimDev Forums. That is where I found how to do it. If you don't find how to do it in the next two hours, I will be home this PM and I can help you then with more details.

ADDITIONAL: You MUST install it on the server as SqueezeCenter does not like to access files that are not local.

Oh crap! I thought I was using Remote Desktop.... I was just clicking on the icon on my PC. I tried using the remote connector. I'll be back later after I try this again.

not sure if someone already answered this, but most linksys routers have the followind default credentials

username: linksys
pwd: admin

So this isn't a regular computer, but more like an NAS? It would be harder to install Squeezecenter on it if that's the case. It would be better if you could though, as you can't play anything without Squeezecenter running.



Huh? Can't you map the drive on the HP to a drive letter so the music folder is something like e:\music ?

The HP is a regular PC, barring a keyboard and a screen (hence the need for remote desktop).
SqueezeCenter is allergic to drive mapping, so the path needs to be local.

It's working now... A lot of help and support from EFalardeau.

Long day. This PC stuff drains the life out of me.

Oh, I also updated my router firmware. That seamed to help a bit. I've been having troubles whenever the PC would restart after a windows update. I'd have to restart the stupid thing a couple times to get the network going again. I hope the new router firmware fixed that.

Unfortunately, Mike, that's more likely the PC than the router, but maybe you'll be lucky.

GGRRRRRR!!! You and Peter need to come up and visit me. LOL

Hey Mike - let me know if you can stream the Squeezed content to more than one device (your Duet and a PC running SoftSqueeze, for instance) and have it stay synchronized. I tried to do that "back when" and had trouble. I might be interested if the current version of the server software is more reliable in that regard.

Don't know about SoftSqueeze, but I'm trying to screw things up with Foobar right now. The Squeezbox is playing in the living room and I'm clicking and playing different songs with Foobar in the office at the same time (both sharing the server file folder). I haven't smoked anything yet.

If I were you, Mike, I wouldn't be using anything called Foobar.

Mike, I would so be your computer tech guy. Most of the stuff I could take care of remotely, but for those rare issues that crop up around the time of a party, I'd have to come in person. And bring Ken and Tom for moral support.

Were having a BD party for a friend this Saturday. There will some VERY nice bottles opened.

You guys can help me calibrate my new projector while you're here.

You know what Ken, I was thinking the same thing..... Me? Messing around with software called Foobar?? That sounds like a catastrophe just waiting to occur.

This Sqeeze Box came with a 30 day free trial of Rhapsody. I’m going to give that a whirl today.

Awesome, Mike! See you then!

Can you pick us up from the airport?

In Seattle?

A blu-ray party, huh? Oh, wait...

I give up on using the squeeze network. It continues to lock up the sqeezebox and I have to restart the server. Screw this crap....

I know! We can all chip in for a rental RV. J.P. and I can drive it across the country to pick up Sean and Ken in California, then go up the coast and grab CV and Tom in Washington then go through BC up to Alaska.

Sound like a plan, guys? We could probably do it in a week with that many drivers.

We'll call it "Peter's folly - the road-trip".

Off Topic, I'm Jonesing for a Disney World vacation today.

An RV trip with the Axiom crew sounds like the makings for a funny movie.

Our RVs drive up to 111.

and a lot of driving with the windows down. No more bean burritos for JP!

The question is, how many M80s could we fit in there? And with you and me there, we'll need a tall-ass RV.

I better put a padlock on the wine cellar.

I have two spare bedrooms you'll have to fight for. The rest get couches, air mattresses and the RV.

Heli Skiing is ramping up. Bring your skis. Make sure you guys bring up a few cases of NW micro-brews too.


.......why is this vision of Eddie from Christmas vacation and you guys pulling up to the curb in Eddie’s RV floating around in my head now?

If they loaded a few cases of beer in the RV, do you seriously expect to have anything but empties by the end of their trip?

Really? South of you in BC they are having a record number of avalanches (and deaths) because of high snowfall and rapidly changing temperatures.

I bet there is not much heli skiing going on south of you right now.

That brings back memories though. I was able to go twice in the late 70s back when it was still 'cheap'.