I win

[reldnahkram]

In January, I set up a linux box and started ripping CDs to it. I finished ripping CDs in June (no, I wasn't ripping straight through). Now, on the cusp of July, I've done the thing that makes it all worthwhile:

Samba.

My laptop now has a network drive mapped to it containing all my CDs. This means that my laptop can access said CDs around the house without having to carry them around, either on my too-small laptop hard drive or the big binder of CDs.

This makes me happier than it should, but I've been trying (and failing) to get Samba to work since January. Last night's Ubuntu install (yes, I'm using an Ubuntu machine as a server. Deal.) made it possible.

And I say w00t.

Comments

[foxfour.livejournal.com]

ubuntu makes samba painfully easy. knoppix does too. just so you should know.

w00tage seconded.

[reldnahkram.livejournal.com]

Well, it made it so that the config file was where it was supposed to be, and so that the changes I made to the config file as suggested to me by my Linux book did the right things, unlike the previous, uh, headware installed on the machine.

[foxfour.livejournal.com]

out of curiousity, what were the changes?

[reldnahkram.livejournal.com]

well, I added the share information, I forget what else I had to change, possibly the security mode. The computer name and workgroup names. I had to fight with it to get the connections to work right, but eventually they did. I don't relish doing it again.

[gerbilicious85.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's awesome. Do you have the process written down anywhere so you could tell someone else how to do the same for themself?

[reldnahkram.livejournal.com]

Nope. I have a couple of shell scripts that I used to rip the CDs, although this is completely unnecessary, a graphical rip program will work fine (on either platform). It's then a matter of finding a box, installing linux, putting all the music on said box, then getting Samba to work. This last step is the tricky one, but I probably could do it again with a bit of hacking (in the experimenting - does this work, does this work sense).

[wayman.livejournal.com]

Nifty. With an 80-gig hard drive on my new PowerBook, my plan was to just rip my entire library there and use an AirPort Express to wirelessly play anything remotely through the stereo, but I do like the idea of having a dedicated music server better. Plus, I've probably got at least 30GB of music, which is rather a lot of laptop space. On the other hand, I'd probably never want to listen to about 15GB of that.

Is it possible to get the sort of bare-bones processor+harddrive I'd need for that for close to the cost of the AirPort Express (~$150)?

[reldnahkram.livejournal.com]

If you can find someone who's getting rid of an old or ancient computer, that's your best bet. PIIs and the like make good low-volume, low-importance servers. Hard drives are fairly cheap these days.

I'm at between 15 and 20 GB of music, which just can't live on a 40 GB laptop hard drive.