iTunes Library saved to Time Capsule?

[Cibbersicks]

Recently I purchased a 1TB Time Capsule. I have it downstairs, plugged into my modem and it's working as my wireless router as well as external HD, I also have an Airport Express plugged in upstairs, set up in bridge mode to extend my network so I get strong coverage everywhere in the house.

Now my collection of around 3500 mp3's are currently stored on my unibody 13" Macbook, but I want to know if it's possible to save all of my music - and any other content I download straight to my TC, and then run iTunes as normal, just using the TC as the source rather than a file on the HD in my Macbook? Just trying to free up some space is all.

Will I be hearing glitchy playback if it is possible?

And of course, if it is possible - how do I do it? Is it simply a case of finding my iTunes library, cmd+A, copy all files to TC, delete original files off HD and then resetting the file location under iTunes preferences? I don't want to try this yet until I'm told I can in case I screw up and lose my library...

Many thanks

Tom

 

[Xenc]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

You can use a symbolic link to trick your MacBook into thinking it's accessing the library locally, when in fact it's pointing to the Time Capsule. Loading tracks will take a moment since you'll be working over the network, and you won't be able to open or use iTunes without being connected to the Time Capsule.

 

[Cibbersicks]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

You can use a symbolic link to trick your MacBook into thinking it's accessing the library locally, when in fact it's pointing to the Time Capsule. Loading tracks will take a moment since you'll be working over the network, and you won't be able to open or use iTunes without being connected to the Time Capsule.

Hadn't thought about needing to be connected to the TC. Hypothetically speaking though my iTunes library is also saved on my iPhone, therefore when I'm out with my Macbook (not that often) and I need to play music via my Macbook's speakers I could plug in my iPhone and use the library off that right?

 

[skorpien]

I would do as Xenc suggested, and in fact that's how I have mine set up using a NAS rather than my Time Capsule. Make a copy of your iTunes folder onto your Time Capsule (don't delete original yet), rename original folder on your internal HDD, then create a symbolic link to the folder on your Time Capsule and name it the same and place it in the same place as the original iTunes folder. To make that link, or "Alias", right click the iTunes folder on your Time Capsule and select "Make Alias." After you've tested everything, then delete the original (renamed) folder to free up space.

Edit: To answer your second question, yes you can. Or rather that you should be able to. I just did it with my iPhone and my work computer, which is not synched with my phone at all.

 

[Xenc]

As far as I know, when you launch iTunes without being connected to your Time Capsule it will display a missing library error and ask you to either create a new one, or quit. You could create a new library temporarily to gain access to iTunes and then repair the link when you get home, but that may prove bothersome.