How to install "Squeezebox Server" on Ubuntu Maverick/Lucid/Karmic

This guide covers how to install Squeezebox Server versions 7.4 and later. To install the previous version (called SqueezeCenter) then see this guide

NOTE: If you're currently running SqueezeCenter and wish to upgrade to Squeezebox Server then you should really uninstall SqueezeCenter first. You can do this quite easily from a Putty Session or a Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) by typing the following three commands:

sudo service squeezecenter stop

sudo apt-get remove --purge squeezecenter

sudo apt-get update

Installing Squeezebox Server is really quite straightforward and the following guide works equally well for Maverick 10.10, Lucid 10.04, Karmic 9.10, Jaunty 9.04 and Intrepid 8.10.

There are 2 main "flavours" of Squeezebox Server to choose from; the released version and the pre-released version. For the pre-released version of SqueezeboxServer you can either go with what they call "stable beta" or alternatively the "unstable beta". I use the "stable beta" version of Squeezebox Server personally but you can go with whichever version you prefer.

NOTE: At the time of writing the released package of Squeezebox Server is broken under Karmic (but it works fine under Lucid & Maverick). So use one of the pre-released versions if you hit an error along the following lines when trying to install the "stable main" under Karmic:

Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies.
squeezeboxserver: Depends: mysql-server-4.1 but it is not installable or
mysql-server-5.0 but it is not going to be installed
E: Broken packages

Back to the installation. So, first off we need to make a simple change to add Squeezebox Server as a valid Ubuntu "source repository".

Install Squeezebox Server using the Command Line.

Using either a Putty session or by typing directly onto the server issue the following command:

sudo vim /etc/apt/sources.list

and type your Ubuntu password if prompted. This will open a file called sources.list which lives in the /etc/apt folder.

Scroll down to the bottom of the file and then press the [Insert] key once (to go into "edit" mode). Next type or paste one of the following strings onto a new line:

TIP: If you're using Putty you can save yourself some typing by highlighting the required string below then right-click on it and select Copy. Then toggle over to your Putty session and right-click once more. The string you highlighted here should be pasted into the sources.list file in Putty.

For the released version of SqueezeboxServer you should type or paste the following string into the file:
deb http://debian.slimdevices.com stable main

For the "stable beta" type or paste: deb http://debian.slimdevices.com testing main
And for the "unstable beta" type or paste: deb http://debian.slimdevices.com unstable main

Now press the [Esc] key once and type the following:

:wq

This should save your changes and bring you back to the command line. If you make a mistake editing the file then issue :q! instead of :wq to abort your changes.

For the installation of Squeezebox Server itself type the following two commands:

sudo apt-get update

followed by:

sudo apt-get install squeezeboxserver

answer Y when prompted. You may receive a warning about the package not being authenticated. Just answer Y to continue with the installation.

Squeezebox Server requires mysql-server and this will be installed automatically if it's not installed already. When prompted for a password please leave it blank.

 

Install Squeezebox Server using a Gnome desktop either directly or via VNC (See Install VNC guide)

So, from the gnome desktop menu go into System -> Administration -> Software Sources Repositories and select the Third-Party Software tab (in Lucid/Karmic this tab is called Other Software). Next click on the Add button. Then type or paste one of the following three strings into the APT line: on the dialog box:

For the released version of SqueezeboxServer type or paste: deb http://debian.slimdevices.com stable main
For the "stable beta" type or paste: deb http://debian.slimdevices.com testing main
For the "unstable beta" type or paste: deb http://debian.slimdevices.com unstable main

Then click the Add Source button, then Close and then click the Reload button.

Next go into the Synaptic Package Manager (using the menus System -> Administration) and then type squeezeboxserver in the Quick Search box and then place a check against squeezeboxserver in the list of results returned and click Mark For Installation. Choose any additional packages too and then click the Apply button and then the Apply button once again for confirmation.

Squeezebox Server requires mysql-server and this will be installed automatically if it's not installed already. When prompted for a password please leave it blank.

How to access Squeezebox Server once it has been installed

Once Squeezebox Server has finished downloading and installing you can launch Squeezebox Server by typing http://MyMediaServer:9000 into the address bar of your browser where MyMediaServer is the name you gave your server when you installed Ubuntu. The IP address of your server will work equally well if you can't remember your server name.

The first time you launch Squeezebox Server you'll be asked a series of questions (eg. where your music is stored and where you keep your playlists etc). Just follow the prompts and you should be good to go.

How to start and stop Squeezebox Server

When you change settings in the Squeezebox Server web GUI you're sometimes informed that "the settings will become effective the next time you restart Squeezebox Server". With previous versions you had to do this manually. With this new version you are given the opportunity to perform the restart using the GUI.

If you ever wish to restart Squeezebox Server manually you can do so from within a Putty Session or a Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal) by typing the following command:

sudo service squeezeboxserver restart

If you want to stop Squeezebox Server for any reason then use stop instead of restart in the command above. To start the service again use start.

      

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