Music server

Ok, this one is going to Make You Laugh...

How do I add a MUSIC server to my network?

I now have a bazzillion mp3's ... I also have a server coming up for replacment ... so, I wanna get a cheap 200+ gig HDD and keep the ole' gurl on the network as a music server...

Has anyone done something like this, seen or heard of this?
linkage, tutorial or howto appreciated

thanks...

I'm not really sure what you mean by a music server. Is it not just a file server, with a shared folder contains MP3s? I get most of my computer hardware from www.ebuyer.com, but you may use other equally cheap suppliers.

Erm, I'm not really sure what else to say. Do you have any particular questions about this?

Sorry ~
What I want is the mp3's on the network so that I can get them from a media browser on any system, or LT.

And, by ext. I am gearing up for the possibility of wireless streamin { or hard wired } to a set top box | reciever of some sort on the home ent. system. Thus streaming mp3's thru my NICE sound system instead of my puny cpu speakers.

Well for playback from other computers on the network, you should just be able to setup a file server or a web server, where all the files are available. The media client on the other computer should be able to go to that location and play the music.

There is a Windows Media Encoder server which you could use to steam music across a local network, although I think you need Windows Server 2003 for this.

If you're planning on using this as part of a home entertainment system, then you'll probably be buying one of those boxes which connects to the network from your lounge (either with wires or wirelessly) and then allows you to browse the media from your television etc. If this is the case, then this should include its own streaming software which you could install on the server, so that the music can be transferred across the network very easily.

Yes !
a little more digging reveals this sweet little piece of Open Source

http://edna.sourceforge.net/

It is probably very close to the answer I was looking for.