Using Firefly Media Server with Roku SoundBridge and SoundBridge Radio

For Microsoft Windows

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What is Firefly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Latest Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Prerequisite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bonjour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Getting Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Post Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Firefly Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Firefly Configuration Utility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Web Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Using Firefly with SoundBridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Uninstalling Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
My SoundBridge Does Not See Some Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sharing Files on Network Share. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Still Having Problems?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Introduction

What is Firefly
The Firefly Media Server is an Open Source server program capable of serving your music files to compatible clients on your home network, including your Roku SoundBridge. Firefly has many advantages compared to other media server programs:
Firefly is lightweight with low system requirements Firefly is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows,

MacOS X and Linux.

Firefly supports multiple media formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg-Vorbis,

FLAC and Apple Lossless

Firefly supports transcoding of formats to allow clients to play formats they otherwise
would not be able to play
Firefly is Open Source, allowing users to enhance and extend the server if desired. Firefly runs as a background service it does not require the user to run anything after
Firefly is initially installed.
Firefly is integrated with your iTunes Library. It understands iTunes playlists (including
SmartPlaylists) and allows your SoundBridge to access them from across the network.

Latest Information

The latest information about Firefly including the latest version of the server can always be found at http://www.rokulabs.com/firefly. Here you will also find support documentation as well as discussion forums where you can ask your questions and receive help should you need it.

Installation

Fireflys installation procedure is fairly simple and straightforward. At this time however, it requires the installation of Apples Bonjour program to function correctly.

Prerequisite

Bonjour
Firefly uses Apples Bonjour program to announce its availability over your home network. You will need to download and install Bonjour for Windows in order to successfully use Firefly. You can download Bonjour for Windows from http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows103.html. Once downloaded, run the setup program and follow the on screen instructions to install Bonjour.

Getting Firefly

The latest version of Firefly will always be available at http://www.rokulabs.com/firefly. Follow the links to download the version appropriate for Windows. Firefly is also available for MacOS X and Linux.

Installing

Locate the Firefly setup file you downloaded above. Run this program. Follow the on screen instructions to complete setup. During setup you will be prompted for your main music directory. If you are an iTunes user, make sure that the directory you specify contains your iTunes Library file. Doing so will enable Firefly to access your iTunes library and playlists.

Post Installation

Immediately following the installation, Firefly will run and scan your music folder for music. Depending on the size of your collection, this can take some time. Once the scan is complete, Firefly will announce itself on your network and should be shown on the Change Library or Configuration screen on your SoundBridge.

Firefly Configuration

Firefly has a few methods by which you can alter its configuration. From most basic to most advanced, these are the Configuration Utility, the built-in configuration webpage, and finally, direct editing of the configuration file.
Firefly Configuration Utility
Firefly comes with a Configuration Utility for performing the most common maintenance tasks. The configuration utility can be accessed via an icon in your System Tray. The color of the icon indicates the status of the Firefly server. Orange indicates that the server is up and running while red indicates that the server is stopped. If the Configuration utility is not available in your System Tray, you may need to run it by choosing Configuration Utility from the Firefly Media Server program group under your Start Menu.
Note: For most users, it will not be necessary to change these values from the defaults.
To change settings using the Configuration Utility, simply double-click on the System Tray. The Configuration Utility has multiple tabs. The most important and interesting tabs are the Library and Server tabs. The Library tab will allow you to change the name of the server, change the directory in which Firefly looks for your music as well as add an optional password to your Firefly Server. (See next page)
The Server tab allows you to start and stop the Firefly Media Server as well as set it to run automatically when Windows starts. You can also change the port on which Firefly listens. This should only be necessary in case of a conflict with an existing program. Finally, the Server tab will allow you to easily access the Web-based Administration page for your Firefly Server (see below).

Web Configuration

Firefly has a built-in web server that offers another method by which you can configure it. This web page is more advanced that the Configuration Utility and will allow you to alter more settings. To access the Configuration web page, simply click on the Open button in the Web administration section of the Server tab of the Firefly Configuration Utility.
Note: Firefly needs to be running in order to access the web-based configuration.

Configuration File

Firefly stores its settings in a text-based configuration file. This file is usually located in c:\program files\firefly media server\ and it is called firefly.conf. Should you wish, you can edit this file with your favorite text editor to change Fireflys settings. Be careful, though, as making mistakes in the file may cause Firefly to operate improperly.

Using Firefly with SoundBridge
The Firefly Media Server is among the most advanced SoundBridge-compatible servers available. It supports more music formats than other servers and also supports searching and browsing. SoundBridge uses these features to provide a very rich and powerful experience. When your SoundBridge connects to your Firefly server, you will be able to browse, search and queue your music to quickly and easily listen to whatever you desire. Please see your SoundBridge manual for more information about using Firefly and other servers with SoundBridge.

Uninstalling Firefly

Should you decide that you no longer want to use Firefly to serve your music on your home network, you can uninstall it from your computer. To do so, access Add and Remove Programs in your Control Panel and locate the Firefly Media Server item. Click on Remove and you will be able to uninstall Firefly from your computer.

Troubleshooting

My SoundBridge Does Not See Some Files
If some of your files are not accessible on SoundBridge and you think they should be, verify that they are located in the directory in which Firefly is configured to look. You can verify the current firefly Music directory using the Firefly configuration program or through the Firefly configuration web page. If the missing files are all of a specific type (eg WMA) while the rest of your properly-functioning library is of a different type (eg MP3), use the Firefly configuration web page to verify that the missing file type is indeed listed among the file types for which Firefly will search. If the file type is missing, add it and restart the server. You may also want to make sure that the meta data (artist, album and song title information is correct). There are various programs that can edit these tags, including Windows Media Player, Winamp, and MP3Tag.
Sharing Files on Network Share
If you store your music files on a network share, Firefly can still access them and serve them to your SoundBridge. To use a network share, enter the UNC path to the network share. For instance, if your music is on a computer named Sparky and in a shared folder named Musicality, you would enter \\Sparky\Musicality\ as your music folder in the Firefly Configuration. If, after setting shared folder as your music folder, Firefly still does not find your music, you may also need to modify the user under which Firefly runs. To do this go to Control Panel->Administrative Tools->Services. Locate the Firefly Media Server service and right-click on it and choose Properties. On the Logon tab, set it to log in as your user, with your password, rather than the default of LocalSystem. Stop and then restart the Firefly server. It will then rescan your music.

Still Having Problems?

If you are still having problems getting your SoundBridge to work with Firefly, visit the Roku Forum at http://www.rokulabs.com/forums and let us help! For help with Firefly itself, visit http://forums.fireflymediaserver.org.

06-FF-UG-0619

Using Firefly Media Server with Roku SoundBridge
For Mac OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.x

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What is Firefly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Latest Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Getting Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Installing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Post Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Firefly Preferences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Firefly Preference Pane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Web Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Configuration File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Firefly Menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Using Firefly with SoundBridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Recognizing Changes Made to Your Music Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Uninstalling Firefly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
My SoundBridge Does Not See Some Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Sharing Files on Network Share. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Still Having Problems?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Introduction

What is Firefly
The Firefly Media Server is an Open Source server program capable of serving your music files to compatible clients on your home network, including your Roku SoundBridge. Firefly has many advantages compared to other media server programs:
Firefly is lightweight with low system requirements. Firefly is available for multiple operating systems, including Windows,

Mac OS X and Linux.

Firefly supports multiple media formats including MP3, AAC, WMA, and Apple Lossless. Firefly supports transcoding of formats to allow clients to play formats they otherwise
would not be able to play.
Firefly is Open Source, allowing users to enhance and extend the server if desired. Firefly runs as a background service it does not require the user to run anything after
Firefly is initially installed.
Firefly is integrated with your iTunes Library. It understands iTunes playlists (including
SmartPlaylists) and allows your SoundBridge to access them from across the network.

Latest Information

The latest information about Firefly including the latest version of the server can always be found at http://www.rokulabs.com/firefly. Here you will also find support documentation as well as discussion forums where you can ask your questions and receive help should you need it.

Installation

Fireflys installation procedure is simple and straightforward.

Getting Firefly

The latest version of Firefly will always be available at http://www.rokulabs.com/firefly. Follow the links to download the version appropriate for Mac OS. Firefly is also available for Windows and Linux.

Note: Firefly is distributed as a Universal Binary it will run well on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.

Installing

Please follow the step-by-step instructions in the Read Me First file that is included on the installation disk image.

Post Installation

Once you have chosen whether to install for one or all users, Firefly will display its System Preferences Pane. Review these settings, adjusting any settings to your liking. For detail on these settings, see the Firefly Preferences information below. Click the Start Firefly button to start the server once your settings have been made.
Note: The first time you start Firefly, it may take a few minutes to scan the library file. During this time, the status will be displayed as Firefly is starting. Once the initial scan is complete and the server is available on the network, the status will update to Firefly is running.

Firefly Preferences

There are three methods by which you can modify Fireflys settings. For most users, the System Preferences Pane will be all that is needed. However, Firefly also offers a web-based interface and a configuration file for the adventurous users out there.

Firefly Preference Pane

Firefly includes a System Preferences pane for performing the most common maintenance tasks. The Preference Pane can be accessed via the Firefly icon in your Macs System Preferences.
The Preferences pane has three tabs: General, Advanced and Log. The General tab allows you to start and stop the Firefly server, set the name for the server, optionally add a password, and configure how the Firefly server starts. Additionally, this tab allows you to set whether to show the Firefly menu in the menu bar (see the Firefly Menu section below).
The Advanced tab allows you to set the network port on which the server listens, as well as the directory where your music and iTunes Library can be found. Finally, the Advanced tab allows you to access the Web-based configuration and status page (see below).
Note: For most users, it will not be necessary to modify the settings on the Advanced tab.
The Log tab shows detailed status events logged by the Firefly server. This information can be helpful to advanced users, and may be helpful in troubleshooting any problems. But, most users need not check the log often.

Web Configuration

Firefly has a built-in web server that offers another method by which you can configure it. This web page is more advanced that the Configuration Utility and will allow you to alter more settings. To access the Configuration web page, simply click on the Open Web Page button in the Advanced section of the Firefly Preferences Pane.

Note: Firefly needs to be running in order to access the web-based configuration.

Configuration File

Firefly stores its settings in a text-based configuration file. This file is usually located in /Users/ <your user name>/Library/Application Support/Firefly/ and it is called firefly.conf. Should you wish, you can edit this file with your favorite text editor to change Fireflys settings. Be careful, though, as making mistakes in the file make cause Firefly to operate improperly.

Firefly Menu

You may choose to display a Firefly menu in the menu bar, near the clock.
This menu is enabled by checking the appropriate box on the General tab (see above), and allows you to see the current server status without opening System Preferences. It also allows you to start and stop the server, as well as quickly open the Firefly System Preferences pane.
Using Firefly with SoundBridge
The Firefly Media Server is among the most advanced SoundBridge-compatible servers available. It supports more music formats than other servers and also supports searching and browsing. SoundBridge uses these features to provide a very rich and powerful experience. When your SoundBridge connects to your Firefly server, you will be able to browse, search and queue your music to quickly and easily listen to whatever you desire. Please see your SoundBridge manual for more information about using Firefly and other servers with SoundBridge.
Recognizing Changes Made to Your Music Library
The Firefly Media Server will periodically re-scan your shared music library in order to detect any changes you have made (such as adding tracks or playlists). By default, this happens every
5 minutes whenever a SoundBridge or iTunes program is connected to the library. (If no clients are connected, the server does not scan, even if the library changes.) The default setting for the re-scan interval should work well for users who make occasional changes to their music libraries. Just be aware that fresh changes to the library may take a few minutes to appear on clients connected to the server. If you want to adjust the interval, you may do so from Fireflys advanced configuration web page. Or, you may want to stop and then re-start the server if you have made changes that you want to see as soon as possible.

Uninstalling Firefly

If you should decide that you want to uninstall Firefly, the easiest way is to run the Uninstall Firefly script file supplied on the disk image. If you do not have access to the script, or if the script displays an error message, you may uninstall Firefly manually. Please follow the steps below:
Note: These instructions are for uninstalling Firefly 1.0 or later. If you are currently running Firefly 1.0b1, 1.0b2 or 1.0b3, please see the specific instructions in the Read Me First! file on the installer disk image.
Open System Preferences and click on the Firefly icon If Firefly is running, click Stop Firefly Un-check the Show Firefly menu in menu bar box Change the Start Server option to Manually, and click Apply Now Close System Preferences In the Finder, open your home folder Open the folder called Library Open the Application Support folder Drag the Firefly folder inside Application Support to the Trash
If you installed for the current user only: Go back up one level to your Library folder If you installed for all users: Open the window for your hard disk drive, and within that window, open the Library folder Open the Preference Panes folder Drag Firefly Preference Pane to the Trash Restart your computer, or log out and log in again

Troubleshooting

My SoundBridge Does Not See Some Files
If some of your files are not accessible on SoundBridge and you think they should be, verify that they are located in the directory in which Firefly is configured to look. You can verify the current firefly Music directory using the Firefly configuration preference pane or through the Firefly configuration web page. If the missing files are all of a specific type (eg WMA) while the rest of your properly-functioning library is of a different type (eg MP3), use the Firefly configuration web page to verify that the missing file type is indeed listed among the file types for which Firefly will search. If the file type is missing, add it and restart the server. You may also want to make sure that the metadata (artist, album and song title information is correct). There are various programs that can edit these tags, including iTunes.
Sharing Files on Network Share
If you store your music files on a network share, Firefly can still access them and serve them to your SoundBridge. To use a network share, ensure that your computer is connected to the share, then use the Browse button on the Advanced tab to browse to it.

Stop and then restart the Firefly server. The server will then rescan your music library. Note that the server volume will need to be mounted on your Mac whenever you want to share its music.

Still Having Problems?

If you are still having problems getting your SoundBridge to work with Firefly, visit the Roku Forum at http://www.rokulabs.com/forums and let us help! For help with Firefly itself, visit http://forums.fireflymediaserver.org.

06-FF00-UG0810

Copyright 2006 Roku, LLC. All right reserved. Roku, the Roku logo and SoundBridge are trademarks of Roku, LLC in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Visit www.rokulabs.com for more information.