Share your music library using a Linux server, with DAAP and iTunes

Introduction

If you want to share you iTunes library with your family or maybe (for private use) in you office, you can set up a Linux server with mt-daap, it uses the DAAP protocol to share music within your network.

As far as I know the music can not be downloaded by the clients, only streamed, if this is not true please let me know.

Be aware that according to Apple the music you buy in iTunes can only be shared with your family.

Install mt-daap in Slackware

I have a printer server in my office and have decided to use it to share my music collection with my colleagues.

The installation in Slackware is really easy, you can find mt-daap in slackbuilds.org (13.37 version).

And then follow the instruction in this post to install from slackbuild. How to install sofware from slackbuilds

Configure mt-daap

The /etc/mt-daap.conf file only needs one change, and that is the folder where you music is.

Look for this section

#
# mp3_dir (required)
#
# Location of the mp3 files to share.  Note that because the
# files are stored in the database by inode, these must be
# in the same physical filesystem.
#

mp3_dir         /var/cache/mp3

And change the path, according to your configuration.

Start the server

Now is time to start enjoying your Music server.

/etc/rc.d/rc.mt-daap start

If it is not executable make it so, with:

chmod 755 /etc/rc.d/rc.mt-daap

You are done, in all iTunes clients on the same network this should be seen.

For Linux clients

For all the fortunate users that are running Linux, can use Amarok or Banshee as DAAP clients.

Here a list of DAAP clients