Windows Home Server
From SqueezeboxWiki
This page needs editing. Please note this page is OBSOLETE. Go to http://www.logitech.com/support for up to date Squeezebox Support information.Squeezebox Server will run on most if not all Windows Home Server (WHS) platforms. In earlier versions of Squeezebox Server it was necessary to install the software using Remote Desktop Connection not the Windows Home Server Console and Squeezebox Server would not show in the Windows Home Server console. However, in recent versions a separate "Windows Home Server" Squeezebox Server package has been made available that can be installed as a regular Windows Home Server Add-In, and which integrates into the Windows Home Server console.
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Obsolete Page
- Please note this page is OBSOLETE. Go to http://www.logitech.com/support for up to date Squeezebox Support information.
Using the Windows Home Server Add-In package
A standard Windows Home Server Add-In package is now available from Logitech, and this represents the best option for installing Squeezebox Server on this platform. Installation follows the standard Windows Home Server Add-In model and full details are available on the Logitech support pages, for instance here.
Installing the Squeezebox Server Windows Home Server Add-In
A summary of the installation procedure is:
- Download Squeezebox Server from
making sure to select the Windows Home Server package from the drop-down selection box.
- Copy the downloaded file in to
\\server\Software\Add-Ins. - Open the Windows Home Server Console (e.g. from the task bar icon) and log in using the Administrator password.
- Click on Settings at the top right of the Console.
- Select Add-Ins in th eleft hand pane of the Settings dialog.
- Select the Available tab.
- Find the entry for Squeezebox Server and click on Install. Installation may take a while, don't panic.
- When the installation is complete the Windows Home Server Console will close and restart.
- Log back into the Console.
- Click on Settings at the top right of the Console.
- Select Squeezebox Server in the left hand pane.
- Work through the various tabs and adjust the basic installation as required by your particular server usage.
- Advanced settings can be accessed via the normal Squeezebox Server web pages at http://server:9000/ which is also linked from the Advanced tab in the Squeezebox Server Windows Home Server Console application.
Using a standard Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 package
The following instructions describe how to use a standard Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 package on a Windows Home Server machine. Since the new Windows Home Server package is now available which better integrates into the WHS console, this method is now deprecated, but the instructions are as follows.
Getting Started
Start by using another computer to download the standard Windows Squeezebox Server software. It is not a good idea to use the WHS computer more than you need to for security reasons and it's configuration will also make it difficult. Once you have the software successfully downloaded copy it across into one of the shared folders that are available. Whilst it doesn't really matter which one I suggest you place it into the public folder rather than the software folder. The software folder is normally where applications that interact with the console are placed. Keeping things separate helps to avoid confusion.
Installing Squeezebox Server
To install Squeezebox Server you will need to access the console of the Windows Home Server. If you happen to have a keyboard, mouse and screen attached then you can use them, just log in as administrator. If you don't have anything connected, as this is the way it is intended to be used, then you will need to use the Remote Desktop Connector. This application can reside in a few different menu positions but is generally in the Start->All Programs->Accessories menu or one of the sub menus from this.
Running this software it will display a box asking for the computer name that you want to connect to. You should enter the name that you gave your server when configuring it. If you are not sure what it is called you can find out by double clicking the Shared Folder icon on your desktop. The server name appears in the title bar. The Remote Desktop Connection can do some interesting things like use a local CD drive as though it was connected to the server instead. These options can be accessed via the Options button. However you don't need anything other than the default settings to install Squeezebox Server. Simply click Connect.
You will then be presented with a Login box. The username is usually pre-filled but if not it should be something like: HomeServer\administrator where HomeServer is your server's name. Enter the password you provided when installing HomeServer or that was given to you when you bought it. Your desktop will, assuming a successful login, be replaced with the server's desktop and you will also see a warning about using the console. Close the browser window and you will see your server's desktop.
There will be a shared folders icon on this desktop, double click it and navigate to where you copied the Squeezebox Server installation file. Once located double click to execute the file. Squeezebox Server will now installed. It will ask where you would like to install it. Where it should be installed is a matter of debate but provided you are not installing lots of applications on your server or provided you don't have millions of albums then the default location should be acceptable.
Once the installation has completed the browser will open to configure Squeezebox Server. However, unless you have changed security settings it will be complaining about access to Squeezebox Server, most probably suggesting that you don't have Java or JavaScript enabled. Whilst you can resolve this it is better to configure Squeezebox Server using a different computer. At this stage just close down the browser.
Whilst Squeezebox Server is installed and running at this point it still requires one element of configuration to be done on the server. Otherwise when you log out Squeezebox Server will stop. In the Start->All Programs->Squeezebox menu you will find an item Squeezebox Server Startup Options select this. Since you don't normally log into the server console you will need to tell Squeezebox Server to run at system startup rather than on login. This is also a good idea because the server may restart itself if it automatically installs updates. When you run the startup options ensure that "Start Squeezebox Server automatically when the computer starts" is selected and if you wish you can enter the administrator username and password. Normally these can be left blank but some configurations of Windows Home Server may run Squeezebox Server more successfully if these are filled in. Then click "Next" and Squeezebox Server will be reconfigured. See SqueezeCenter As Windows Service for additional details.
You can now log out. It is important that you do this from the start menu and ensure you select Logout not Shutdown otherwise your server will stop and you will need to manually restart it.
Configuring Squeezebox Server for the first time
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 Squeezebox Server. 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 Squeezebox Server and other applications on the network.
