Install itunes on an external hard drive

[mikeytikey]

Does any one know if there is a way to make this possible & how?

Ideally I would like to access & play my iTunes music library via a hard drive attached to a wireless network, without my pc being turned on, via the iPhone remote application/airport express.

 

[graham.myers]

Most NAS have an itunes server which acts like an itunes client - you can stream from it (non-DRM) but not sync with it.

Synology do a DS111j and with 1tb in they're around the £170 mark. QNAPs offering - the TS-110 is just under £180. Probably around £25 extra for 2TB

Not sure about ReadyNAS and other makes if they have an itunes server running on them

 

[next010]

There are a couple of ways of doing it but it's not so straight forward.

Get a QNAP NAS and install the forked-daapd iTunes service (a not so trivial thing to do). The old mt-daapd (Firefly) service found in most NAS was abandoned years ago and only works with PC iTunes application.

With the forked-daapd running on the NAS you can pair the iOS remote app to the forked-daapd service then use Airplay with an Airport Express.

With a Synology NAS the above isn't possible (third party app development on Synology is near dead compared to QNAP) however Synology have just released a beta firmware update which adds Airplay support to their iOS DSAudio application. DSAudio plugs into the Audiostation service on the NAS so you could read the music and have it play through Airplay on the AE.

Option 3 is install an app on iPhone like Airplay, Media Link Player and use that to access any NAS over SMB/UPnP and play media back over Airplay.

 

[theronkinator]

Or just store your itunes on it and then point iTunes to that directory, by far the most easier and compatible way.

 

[next010]

Unfortunately that requires the PC being on which the OP doesn't want.

Whats worse is Apple have tied Homesharing into iTunes account authorization so theirs no way to use that ever. I wonder how long forked-daapd will last at some point Apple are going to kill off the old pair code to iTunes which will close that door too.