[M3-FAST]

I have for a while wanted to use my Apple Time Capsule as a media server but not entirely sure how to do it

This is how my media based life works at the moment......

I have an iMac in the office that is connected wirelessly to my Virgin Media Router. Whenever I buy a CD or DVD I rip it to the iMac using itunes. Purchases via itunes get loaded onto it. Whenever I take new pics with either of my Digital Camera's I copy the photo's to Iphoto, etc... you get my drift!

This allows me to listen to music etc using the imac

OR

• I can stream the pics and music to the lounge using Apple TV 2 via HDMI into my Onkyo Amp and KEF setup - this keeps it all HDMI into the TV etc
  I can access the pics and music/video via the Ipad or either Iphone 4S (all running IOS 5)
  I can also access the itunes library via my Denon CEOL in the kitchen
  My lads PS3 can also access the media as well.

Periodically I bring in the 120GB Ipods from out of our cars and sync them up with the iMac to keep the music up to date.

My biggest problem is that the iMac is located in the office on the loft conversion and it has to be switched on before any device can access the library. This normally involves me getting off my fat lazy arse and walking upstairs to turn the machine on.

Now, I have a time capsule connected to the iMac that provides a continual backup of everything which I like as I have a lot of pics etc that I wouldnt want to lose - What I would really like is that when the iMac is switched on, it performs it's usual backup to the Time Capsule BUT when the Mac is switched off I can access the media stored on the Capsule instead of the computer.

I have seen a few guides on using the Capsule as a server by copying the itunes folder across and then changing the library in itunes to the one on the Capsule - Won't this surely lose my backup plan though, as the Time Capsule will then become the sole source of all the media and hence it wont be stored on two hard drives as it is currently.

I also have a load of Devolo Mains Networking sockets that I used in my old house instead of wi-fi - would I benefit from reintroducing those to my Apple TV, PS3, Denon CEOL, iMac and Time Capsule - that way they would be using a physical connection via a Cat5 cable rather than the wi-fi?

Sorry for the mega long post but hopefully someone can help with a solution that will still allow for two copies of the media to exist (fully backed up) and also allow media sharing with the Mac switched off.

(I also have a ACER 1TB MULTIMEDIA WLAN 54G NAS SERVER 1x1G - I thought that I might be better off using that as the permanently ON device and keeping the time capsule as a backup device only?)

[TMP]

All I can be sure on - this will be a pita!

I am the other way around... use my NAS as my media server plus it has a time capsule module. took some setup

[briers]

Hi Paul - hope you are well mate

I have a similar set up but instead the computer is a macbook air.

I never shutdown my laptop, it is always sleeping as it doesn't use any power / tiny amounts if any. If you go to energy saver in system preferences, or press CMD + Space and type energy, tick the box that says "wake for wi-fi access".

Now go to the app store on your iPad / iPhone and download the apple remote app. With your iMac still on, load it up and pair the remote app with your iTunes library. I think it asks you to type in a code.

Now, providing you never power down your mac and choose to have it sleep, anytime you want media streaming from your iMac + time capsule instead of going upstairs to turn it on, just load up the remote app and it will wake your iMac and your iTunes library will be available for anything that needs it, like apple tv. I think you need to have iTunes running too, i just leave it running in it's own desktop.

[briers]

Just to note, i know your ideal solution would be to only have the time capsule running, there is a way to do this but imo it's pretty shitty.

You can buy a file browsing app for your iPhone / iPad and wirelessly browse to your time capsule, pick a movie and then airplay it to your apple tv, providing you have a iPhone 4s or iPad 2. This won't solve your other connected devices tho.

I much prefer the wake up method.

[E902717]

Originally Posted by briers

Hi Paul - hope you are well mate

I have a similar set up but instead the computer is a macbook air.

I never shutdown my laptop, it is always sleeping as it doesn't use any power / tiny amounts if any. If you go to energy saver in system preferences, or press CMD + Space and type energy, tick the box that says "wake for wi-fi access".

Now go to the app store on your iPad / iPhone and download the apple remote app. With your iMac still on, load it up and pair the remote app with your iTunes library. I think it asks you to type in a code.

Now, providing you never power down your mac and choose to have it sleep, anytime you want media streaming from your iMac + time capsule instead of going upstairs to turn it on, just load up the remote app and it will wake your iMac and your iTunes library will be available for anything that needs it, like apple tv. I think you need to have iTunes running too, i just leave it running in it's own desktop.

This is your best bet Paul, also you can set your imac to switch on and off automatically and lunch iTunes so you don't even need to get up off your arse

[gIzzE]

I have a WD NAS plugged into my time capsule, it is an airport extreme actually but that is besides the point.
I have a 2tb usb drive into the extreme set up as my time machine and then the NAS plugged into it as well.

The NAS will run iTunes as a server.

You can point your imac and then any macbooks etc. at this and they will share the same folder content, so add a new album on your macbook and it will show on your ibook etc. as well.
This is also backed up by time machine.

You can also have a separate iTunes on your macbook as well, hold comand while booting and choose which one you want to boot into, so you can have your fave albums etc. stored on the macbook for when travelling etc.



Having said all that, I just leave our imac on 24/7 and use that as the server.

[rogerxp]

I should back-up more .

[M3-FAST]

Cheers Ben/Paul

I will give that a go! Just thought a silent time capsule made a more ideal solution than having the whole computer on, but it does all work properly this way and am prob complicating issues

Cheers

Paul

[M3-FAST]

Originally Posted by rogerxp

I should back-up more .

Yes you should, especially as most backups are seamless nowadays. We use an offsite one at work that backs up every night.

Don't even need to think about it! Just check the log every morning to ensure there were no errors or fails.

Paul