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[rarewolf]

This topic is fairly old, but thought before I went to the time and trouble of actually creating a suitable library, I'd first create a thread that would bring these questions up to date ... TIA! 

I thought the function of an iTunes sever might be a good idea -- possibly (1) eliminating the need of a library on all home computers and wifi-enabled iPods, (2) common playlists, (3) faster startups by loading a library db instead of checking a 60,000 track library, (4)  ... etc ...

I created the iTunes server on my DNS-323 (F/W 1.08), and whereas I thought the functionality might include broadcasting its presence to local iTunes installations, iTunes instead does nothing.  That is, the DNS323 manual does simply state:

"After enabling the iTunes server on the DNS-323, launch iTunes. When iTunes detects the DNS-323, select it and you will be prompted to enter the iTunes server password if required"

... so I came here to find what others are doing, and instead I find a lot of problems (possibly cured with recent iTunes versions), but also including many queries questioning the functionality of D-Link's implementation -- afterall, iTunes does provide similar functionailty via sharing the library, does it not(?)   All posts in this forum are very old, and most seem to have given up and instead chose to simply point iTunes at the mapped drive for the NAS, and left it at that ...

Regarding the latter, some have indicated this non-server method creates an extremely long startup time for iTunes -- is this true?

Lastly, I'm assuming it may be an issue with the D-Link implementation, else I may simply post a similar query at the Apple forum.  In any case, feel free to point me at any pertinent forum thread, and thanks for bringing you experience with iTunes and/or iTunes Server to this thread and updating noobie questions ...

[rarewolf]

Anyone? ... or should I assume no one is using D-Link's implementation of it iTunes server??

TIA! 

[dhc]

I'm using FW 1.08, to include the D-Link implementation of the iTunes server. I do this primarily because I don't have a dedicated server hosting my music always on at my house -- I use the 323 for that. Once I got it up and running, I've had very little problem with it. It streams to all the laptops in my house, my wi-fi connected (Sony) TV, and a couple of Airport Expresses I have hooked up to other audio equipment.

I've found that while loading the ~5,000 song database from the server into the iTunes client can take a full minute or so, once loaded into iTunes it is more convenient than pointing my iTunes clients at mapped drives on the 323 and having to update each client library every time I add/delete from my music collection. I also used to experience not-infrequent dropouts during playback using mapped drives. I never see that when using the server.

It's a fairly bare-bones server, but it does what I need.

[nikhalton]

This thread suggests there are problems with some recent (10.x) versions of iTunes and the server functionality in the 323.

I had it working for a while in 10.1, but not in 10.2 and not now in 10.3 versions of iTunes.

I am not clear whether it's just me or a general problem. Nobody answered my final post of the thread. I hope you get more luck here, because I'd like to know what's the deal.

In the brief time I did have it working it seemed a pretty limited implementation. I could see a list of songs but couldn't arrange them very well. I've now reverted to simply having the media files on the 323 as a mapped network drive.

I've tried this both with the library file on the 323 and locally. Response times can be pretty slow, ie the lag between pressing "play" and getting playback to start. That could be my choice of HDD though - Samsung HD204UI Spinpoint F4 2TB Hard Drive SATA 5400RPM 32MB Cache. They seem to have a fairly poor reputation. Or it could be my network which includes some homeplugs.