[How to do instruction] Access to local files through Windows

[TheOldPresbyope]

Tim Curtis
You could use the one pi with your USB drive attached and SMB File sharing turned on as a NAS.

Create a Music source on the other Pi's that references the NAS Pi.

After copying new music files to the NAS Pi
Menu, Update library
Then
Menu, Players, Action = Update library, Submit

All the Pi's will be up to date with respect to the Music collection

Hi @Tim Curtis,

Curiosity got the better of me and I thought I'd give your suggestion a try. Unfortunately I cannot mount the music source. The source is something I can access through Windows File Explorer.

If I've missed out some stage then I'd like to know what it is. If it's something more involved then please don't worry as I'm very happy to continue to use things as they are with local storage.

Thanks,
Nick

Hi, NIck.

This is exactly the error I would expect for a Linux-based system if there is no local DNS resolver running on your LAN. Easy check: on the Music source screen, manually edit the path "LOUNGE/Music" to read "LOUNGE.local/Music" and see if the problem goes away. (Note, putting the hostname in all caps isn't necessary). You can also use the IP address instead of the hostname.

An alternative check, from the command line of your moOde player or any other Linux host, try to ping the source hostname "lounge". Then try to ping "lounge.local". The first will fail if there's no local DNS resolver running. Use "ping -c 1 hostname" to avoid endless pinging or just hit CTRL-C if it keeps pinging..

I have the same problem on my LAN because the otherwise very nice router/access point provided by my ISP doesn't run a local DNS resolver and doesn't cache local hostname/addresses. Adding ".local" to force mDNS resolution instead is second nature to me. Note: Windows works its magic differently.

I haven't pressed Tim to revise the code to try mDNS on failure (or to use it always) because I figure I'm one of a small minority. Most home LANs don't have my problem.

Regards,
Kent

PS - of course I could stop being lazy and set up a local DNS resolver of my own but that brings its own headaches.

[TamedShrew]

Tim Curtis
You could use the one pi with your USB drive attached and SMB File sharing turned on as a NAS.

Create a Music source on the other Pi's that references the NAS Pi.

After copying new music files to the NAS Pi
Menu, Update library
Then
Menu, Players, Action = Update library, Submit

All the Pi's will be up to date with respect to the Music collection

Hi @Tim Curtis,

Curiosity got the better of me and I thought I'd give your suggestion a try. Unfortunately I cannot mount the music source. The source is something I can access through Windows File Explorer.

If I've missed out some stage then I'd like to know what it is. If it's something more involved then please don't worry as I'm very happy to continue to use things as they are with local storage.

Thanks,
Nick

... manually edit the path "LOUNGE/Music" to read "LOUNGE.local/Music" and see if the problem goes away.

@TheOldPresbyope
Thanks Kent, that's sorted it! Nice green tick (check) next to the source now.

[Tim Curtis]

I don't see anything suspicious in the log.

Post the output from these commands

Code:

moodeutl -c
moodeutl -C IP_ADDRESS

Here's an example

Code:

pi@moode:~ $ moodeutl -c
Scanning network for CIFS (SMB) hosts...
moode900.home           192.168.1.223           CIFS version: 3.1.1

pi@moode:~ $ moodeutl -C 192.168.1.223
Scanning host...
NAS
Playlists
SDCard

[TheOldPresbyope]

Argh. The ".home" domain. There is no IETF RFC which specifies it. See, however, RFC 8375 which officially deprecated its usage in 2018. 

Basically the intent is to make it possible, in the DNS framework, to "reference a zone that is served locally, the contents of which are unique only to a particular homenet and are not globally unique." RFC says the TLD to be used is ".home.arpa" instead, tells why, and goes on in typical RFC-lish to describe how DNS software is to deal with it.

For this bear of little brain, using mDNS is simple enough. YMMV.

Regards,
Kent


PS - neither ".home" nor ".home.arpa" is resolved in my ISP's router's DNS support.

[TamedShrew]

I don't see anything suspicious in the log.

Post the output from these commands

Code:

moodeutl -c
moodeutl -C IP_ADDRESS

Here's an example

Code:

pi@moode:~ $ moodeutl -c
Scanning network for CIFS (SMB) hosts...
moode900.home           192.168.1.223           CIFS version: 3.1.1

pi@moode:~ $ moodeutl -C 192.168.1.223
Scanning host...
NAS
Playlists
SDCard

I've been playing music fine over the music source LOUNGE.local/Music since the suggestion from @TheOldPresbyope

Here's the output from those commands:

pi@lounge:~ $ moodeutl -c
lounge.local 192.168.68.107 CIFS version: 3.1.1
cellar.local 192.168.68.108 CIFS version: 3.1.1
kitchen.local 192.168.68.111 CIFS version: 3.1.1

pi@lounge:~ $ moodeutl -C 192.168.68.107
Scanning host...
NAS
Playlists
SDCard
Music

Thanks for your help.

[Tim Curtis]

Glad to hear its working :-)