Switch to SMB from AFP for iTunes on NAS

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Switch to SMB from AFP for iTunes on NAS

I have my iTunes media files stored on a Netgear NAS (the other files and artwork are stored locally on my SSD--just the media files on the NAS). Since upgrading to Yosemite, I have noticed a substantial speed improvement with SMB. My tests have shown SMB is now nearly double the speed for writes that AFP has. So I would like to switch from AFP to SMB for all NAS network activity.

Now, you would think this should be a trivial matter of simply closing iTunes, unmounting the AFP share, and mounting the same folder as an SMB share. The network protocol should be invisible to iTunes (why would it care?), and all it should be looking for is a share named "Music". But, of course, none of it works. iTunes says it can't find any of the files, and will usually simply just remount the AFP share without asking me. If I try under preferences to change the location of the iTunes Media files, it does all kinds of strange things like auto-mounting the AFP share, appending digits to the share names, etc.

Really, is there not a simple and obvious way to do this that I've been missing?

Thanks.

Posted on May 2, 2015 6:40 AM

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Answer 1

Limnos

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411,157 points

May 2, 2015 8:30 AM in response to lurkingbf

If you use iTunes' default preferences for organizing your media then when it asks you to find a file do so. If should then ask if you want it to find others. Let it try. In theory this should work but people using iTunes with NAS have discovered all kinds of errant behavior with iTunes and NAS and it would not surprise me if it does not work even though it should.

If you look at a .xml copy of hte library file in a text browser you will see how iTunes "knows" where your files are located. if you do anything to mess this up then you either have to do the method I outlined to remap the links, or you have to add the media to the library as new files, or you can try editing the .xml paths and use the .xml to rebuild a .itl library file (but will lose ratings, play count, and date added).

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Answer 2

lurkingbf Author

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May 2, 2015 8:40 AM in response to Limnos

Thanks for the reply. "Errant" behaviour, as you say, is just about right.

I used iTunes preferences to point it at the SMB location, and allowed iTunes to do its organizing and building tasks. It seems to have partly worked: when I play music, works fine off of SMB; if I try to play a movie or TV show, however, iTunes will pause, the AFP share will auto-mount, and only then will the movie or TV show play. If I try to eject the AFP share, I get an in-use error message, and can't eject it until I shut down iTunes. Lather, rinse, repeat.

If I delete (after backing up first) the .xml, itdb, and .itl files from the iTunes directory, will iTunes know how to intelligently rebuild them on restart?

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Answer 3

Limnos

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411,157 points

May 2, 2015 5:03 PM in response to lurkingbf

If you delete the .itl iTunes will say it can't find a library, then it will start to a totally empty library. You will have to re-add all your tracks, rebuild playlists, lose ratings, playcount, the lot.

Hmmm... that music playing but not movies sounds like another NAS topic I was reading recently but I don't remember the details. It isn't what you want to hear but I would stay away from using iTunes with NAS unless you have to.

I don't know if it would work any better to have all the iTunes files on the NAS instead of only media. Then iTunes won't be trying to path files to a "different drive". Mind you, I have probably heard about NAS-iTunes problems under just about any NAS-iTunes configuration.😟

What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660

More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management

What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html

Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391

iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6477809?answerId=26404702022#26404702022

Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.

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Answer 4

lurkingbf Author

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May 2, 2015 5:08 PM in response to Limnos

Thanks for all the links.

My NAS has 4 TB storage (which is almost full, and I'll be adding another drive soon), and my Mac has only 360 GB of SSD space. So, not much choice at the moment but to have the iTunes media files on the NAS.

Guess I'll do a bit more reading and research to see if there is a better solution. Ultimately, I suppose I can live with having duplicate Music folder mounts with both SMB and AFP (which is dopey), or just go back to AFP and its slower speeds.

This really shouldn't be so difficult!

Thanks for the help.

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Answer 5

Limnos

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411,157 points

May 2, 2015 5:12 PM in response to lurkingbf

Plain external hard drive vs. NAS.

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Answer 6

Jun 24, 2016 1:54 AM in response to lurkingbf

Hi!

I believe I'll have to do the same, migrate from AFP to SMB...in the end did you find a solution for it? Did you manage to migrate from AFP to SMB without any issues?

Thank you!

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Answer 7

Limnos

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411,157 points

Jun 24, 2016 5:34 AM in response to eduardonpinto

I have very limited experience with this kind of thing. I know when I set up my other computer to share files with this one the protocol used was a setting I had to do on the other computer. On that basis I am presuming you have to configure your server to use the protocol using whatever software the server provides for that. Read the manual?

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