Roku and Linkstation - setup and customization tips
From NAS-Central Buffalo - The Linkstation Wiki
Contents |
Background
The term Roku can refer to any device produced by Roku Labs. These devices seem to play well with Firefly-equipped Linkstations and other hacked NAS's. Below are some tips and tricks that may provide a more positive experience for Roku & Linkstation users.
Hardware/Software Requirements
- Any Roku soundbridge device (M500, M1000, M1001, M2000)
- Any Linkstation w/ OpenLink or FreeLink installed on it
- A wired or wireless (b or g standard) network - some Roku devices are WEP & WPA compatible
- regular computer w/ web browser & terminal/command line interface program
Directory setup
On the share/data partition (hda3 usually) of your Linkstation, it is a good idea to set up some sort of directory structure for organizing your music files. Here is one possible example:
/share/freelinktunes/e_Music /share/freelinktunes/i_Tunes /share/freelinktunes/hpodderdownloads /share/freelinktunes/mediarippertunes /share/freelinktunes/lossless /share/freelinktunes/internet_streams
Managing these files is easy if you have flexible access to them with Samba or NFS, so one can modify ownership and permissions to these directory with chown and/or chmod.
Firefly/mt-daapd Tweaks
Making Firefly's web interface configuration page "configurable"
If you notice that your Configuration page on the web interface (available by web browser at <linkstation-ip>:3689/config.html) won't allow you to make changes, then you may need to adjust permissions on the configuration file. The very first entry on the Configuration page lists the location of this file, usually at /etc/mt-daapd.conf . To make the web configuration work, cd to the directory where this configuration file is and modify the permissions of the file:
cd /etc chown nobody mt-daapd.conf chmod 600 mt-daapd.conf
Reload the web Configuration page and it should work now. This is a method suggested by an expert at Firefly Forums. If you have concerns about security, you may want to read this thread for details on keeping it secure.
Automatically refresh the database
Also on the Configuration page, there is an option for periodic updating of the database. To make your Firefly server update every hour, go to the Database area on the Configuration page, choose Scan Type 0 - Normal, enter Rescan Interval 3600 (seconds, ie. 1 hour), and choose Always Scan Yes.
Restart Firefly from the command line
You will have to restart your mt-daapd server from the command line for any of these configuration changes to take effect.
/etc/init.d/mt-daapd restart
It takes a minute or so for it to come on line after a (re)start.
Playlists
Static Playlists
Smart Playlists
URL/Internet/Stream Playlists
hpodder
Hpodder is a podcatcher that is available as a Debian package, so it is a natural choice for those running Freelink. At the time this article was written, it is available in testing and instable, so remember to (temporarily) adjust your /etc/apt/sources.list as needed - that is, you must have either the testing or unstable branch of Debian enabled.
Once you install hpodder, check its man page. It gives details on configuring it and the first run of hpodder.
You will have to declare a download directory for hpodder (like /share/freelinktunes/hpodderdownloads) , as listed above in Directory setup.
One nice implementation would be to run hpodder as a daily or periodic cron job.
Customizing the Roku
CAUTION: Customizing your Roku, like any device, could void its warranty or turn it into a Brick, or in the case of a M500/M1000/M1001/M2000, a Baton. Proceed at your own risk.
Several accounts of hacking Roku devices can be found on the web:
- One of the first hacks of the M500 - http://www.i-hacked.com/content/view/108/90/
- Hacking the Roku w/ TCL to display weather information or a Message of the Day - http://www.last-outpost.com/~malakai/roku/index.html
- Setting up a static IP for your Roku - http://www.rokulabs.com/support/soundbridge/static_ip.php
It is relatively easy to gain access to a Roku M1001, for instance, via telnet at your Roku's own IP address, through port 4444. A list of command available is given below. :
telnet <roku IP address> 4444 Trying <roku IP address>... Connected to <roku IP address>. Escape character is '^]'. Welcome to the SoundBridge Shell version 2.7.38 Release
Type '?' for help or 'help <command>' for help on <command>. SoundBridge> ? Valid commands are: ? - displays this list help - provides help on a command clear - clears the terminal window stty - sets shell tty parameters consoleprint - sets consoleprint on or off version - prints out the software version exit - exits the shell cycles - displays a count of processor cycles uptime - reports system uptime reboot - reboots the system ps - lists threads ifconfig - lists network interface configurations ping - pings an ip address ipset - sets up a manual config mfg - performs mfg tests sketch - draw on the display irman - capture, monitor or send IR commands memstat - prints out memory statistics romcheck - print rom sizes log - dump the persistent log logclear - clear the log logadd - add string to log attract - attract eyeballs irwait - wait for a specific IR command displaytype - print type of currently connected DISplay time - displays the current time clearsettings - clears CascadeSettings and reboots softwareupgrade - perform software upgrades from network or local storage srbmod - modify srb for oem test rcp - enter the RCP shell
