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**Kavik Brock** · 03-27-2009, 11:10 AM

I've been a little obsessed lately with being able to access my music from work. I was getting tired of the rotation that last.fm seemed to be taking with my playlist and sometimes other online music places don't always cut it.

I have a fair amount of music at home so why not have access to it?

My first problem with accessing it from work is our heavy security with various firewalls and proxies. So, I needed to find something that wasn't blocked.

I ended up just getting my home media server online and accessible. I tried a php setup called 'netjukebox' but it just didn't like me. I ended up digging some more and ended up going with 'Zina;' and my problem was solved.

Once you have a home PC setup to act as a web server you get some decent options. I've been using Zina for several days now and it works great! It's easy to setup (once your web server is going) and works flawlessly for me at work.

So, if you're looking for a good solution to access your home media files from anywhere; I highly recommend checking into using Zina. Oh, and it's FREE!

Now, during this whole process I was bugging Taco with it; having him verify that it works for him, showing him different stuff, bouncing ideas off of him, etc.

So, during the process Taco found and shared www.orb.com with me yesterday. I checked it out and when I got home I downloaded it.

If you have ever installed and used Winamp Remote you'll get a notice that you need to remove the "older version of orb" from your PC; that's the Winamp Remote. At first I was a little disappointed thinking it was just that module that I was going to be installing.

I was wrong, however. After installing Orb you create an account and share out the media you choose to share (TV streams/audio/video/documents). It has a lot of great options; isn't blocked for me at work and best of all...yes...you guessed it... FREE!

So, if you have been looking for a solution (or something different to try) I would recommend checking out either Zina or Orb.com. I have both running from my home media server and they are working great.

**Kavik Brock** · 03-27-2009, 11:29 AM

If you're looking for a nice and easy package installation to get your home PC to be a web server: XAMPP

In the past I've used a few different packages to install Apache/MySQL/PHP and XAMPP is, by far, the easiest that I've worked with for quickness of installation and functionality of being up and running quick.

Joshua Nightshade · 03-27-2009, 11:32 AM

Also a suggestion, if your home PC runs XP Professional or Vista anything higher than Home, set up Remote Desktop on it and configure your router/firewall to accept it, then you can just open up the music program and access it over the intarwebz that way.

Or you can do what I did with Adam when I was at work and he was still sleeping, connect remotely and not pass sound through the network (so it stays playing on the local machine) and crank volume up to max before playing Kylie Minogue. Makes a great alarm.

**Kavik Brock** · 03-27-2009, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua Nightshade

Also a suggestion, if your home PC runs XP Professional or Vista anything higher than Home, set up Remote Desktop on it and configure your router/firewall to accept it, then you can just open up the music program and access it over the intarwebz that way.

Bearing in mind that this method may not work for you if you are behind a firewall (or more) and proxies. Network Security folks can block outgoing traffic on port 3389 (or any port, for that matter); thereby killing use of Remote Desktop (or Terminal Services) outside of your work network. Or they may just simply block RDP/TS traffic going outside your network so don't bother changing the listening port on your home router for the port forwarding to enable port 3389.

Great method, though, if it works for you.

**Cristiano** · 03-27-2009, 01:24 PM

Thanks for mentioning Orb - I have been looking for something like it to have access to my media collection on several different devices and on the web. I especially like the iPhone/iPod app - I bought the full version, and I'm very impressed with it. It's extremely intuitive and makes accessing a large music collection easy - much better than the built in iPod player.

The only downside obviously is battery life, which isn't great, but it is worth it for the convenience. I haven't tried it yet, but during setup I said to include support for XBOX 360 and PS3 - so I am assuming I can access it from those as well, which is a nice bonus.

**Kavik Brock** · 03-27-2009, 03:28 PM

You can even access it with your Wii!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiii.....................

I brought up the photos last night on my phone during date night and my wife got all "ooooo oooo oooo" because now she can have the baby photo's anytime she wants to show off to everyone.

Brownie points! Cha-ching!

03-27-2009, 11:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
Kavik Brock Monkeh Foo Master SLU Supporter Not all that interested. Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Shakopee, MN, USA Posts: 1,565 My Mood: SL Join Date: June 6th, 2006 Blog Entries: 5	Accessing your media from anywhere I've been a little obsessed lately with being able to access my music from work. I was getting tired of the rotation that last.fm seemed to be taking with my playlist and sometimes other online music places don't always cut it. I have a fair amount of music at home so why not have access to it? My first problem with accessing it from work is our heavy security with various firewalls and proxies. So, I needed to find something that wasn't blocked. I ended up just getting my home media server online and accessible. I tried a php setup called 'netjukebox' but it just didn't like me. I ended up digging some more and ended up going with 'Zina;' and my problem was solved. Once you have a home PC setup to act as a web server you get some decent options. I've been using Zina for several days now and it works great! It's easy to setup (once your web server is going) and works flawlessly for me at work. So, if you're looking for a good solution to access your home media files from anywhere; I highly recommend checking into using Zina. Oh, and it's FREE! Now, during this whole process I was bugging Taco with it; having him verify that it works for him, showing him different stuff, bouncing ideas off of him, etc. So, during the process Taco found and shared www.orb.com with me yesterday. I checked it out and when I got home I downloaded it. If you have ever installed and used Winamp Remote you'll get a notice that you need to remove the "older version of orb" from your PC; that's the Winamp Remote. At first I was a little disappointed thinking it was just that module that I was going to be installing. I was wrong, however. After installing Orb you create an account and share out the media you choose to share (TV streams/audio/video/documents). It has a lot of great options; isn't blocked for me at work and best of all...yes...you guessed it... FREE! So, if you have been looking for a solution (or something different to try) I would recommend checking out either Zina or Orb.com. I have both running from my home media server and they are working great. __________________ Sock monkeh save mah soul! The Travels of Charles

03-27-2009, 11:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
Kavik Brock Monkeh Foo Master SLU Supporter Not all that interested. Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Shakopee, MN, USA Posts: 1,565 My Mood: SL Join Date: June 6th, 2006 Blog Entries: 5	If you're looking for a nice and easy package installation to get your home PC to be a web server: XAMPP In the past I've used a few different packages to install Apache/MySQL/PHP and XAMPP is, by far, the easiest that I've worked with for quickness of installation and functionality of being up and running quick. __________________ Sock monkeh save mah soul! The Travels of Charles

03-27-2009, 03:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
Kavik Brock Monkeh Foo Master SLU Supporter Not all that interested. Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Shakopee, MN, USA Posts: 1,565 My Mood: SL Join Date: June 6th, 2006 Blog Entries: 5	You can even access it with your Wii! Wiiiiiiiiiiiii..................... I brought up the photos last night on my phone during date night and my wife got all "ooooo oooo oooo" because now she can have the baby photo's anytime she wants to show off to everyone. Brownie points! Cha-ching! __________________ Sock monkeh save mah soul! The Travels of Charles

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03-27-2009, 11:32 AM	#3 (permalink)
Joshua Nightshade Account Closed Unedited Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 33,567 My Mood:	Also a suggestion, if your home PC runs XP Professional or Vista anything higher than Home, set up Remote Desktop on it and configure your router/firewall to accept it, then you can just open up the music program and access it over the intarwebz that way. Or you can do what I did with Adam when I was at work and he was still sleeping, connect remotely and not pass sound through the network (so it stays playing on the local machine) and crank volume up to max before playing Kylie Minogue. Makes a great alarm.

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