Host your own Madsonic server on Windows Server

Introduction

Madsonic is a powerful media server application that allows you to stream your music and videos to any device on your network. One of the great advantages of Madsonic is that you can host your own server, which gives you complete control over your media library and how it’s streamed to your devices.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of hosting your own Madsonic server on Windows Server. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a fully functional Madsonic server up and running on your Windows Server machine.

Downloading Madsonic

• Go to the Madsonic website at https://madsonic.org/ and click on the “Download” button in the top menu.
• Choose the version of Madsonic that is appropriate for your Windows Server machine. Make sure to select the correct version (32-bit or 64-bit) based on your system architecture.
• Save the Madsonic installer file to your desired location.
• Once the download is complete, navigate to the location where the installation file was saved and extract the contents of the ZIP file in a folder on your computer.

Installing Madsonic On Your Device

Installing Java

Once you have extracted the ZIP file, open the folder and run the “Madsonic.exe” file to start the installation process.

In case Java is not installed on your computer, you will see a prompt that reads “Java 8 was not found and will now be installed”.

1. Click on the “OK” button to proceed.
2. Follow the prompts in the pop-up installer window to set up Java.
3. Click on the “Install” button to begin installing Java 8.
4. Wait for the installation to complete.
5. Once the installation is finished, you will see a message that says “You have successfully installed Java”.

Alternatively, you can also download and install Jave for your Windows Server from the Madsonic website link.

To install Madsonic:

• With Java installed, click on the “Next” button to move to the next step of the Madsonic installer.
• Read the “Welcome to Madsonic Setup” message and click on the “Next” button to proceed to the next page.
• Choose the Madsonic components that you want to install and Click on the “Next” button.
• Select the installation location for Madsonic (the default location is “C:\madsonic”). If you want to change the install location, click on the “Browse” button and select a new location.
• Wait for the installation to complete.
• Once the installation is complete, click on the “Finish” button to exit the installer.
• Open up a web browser and proceed to set up your Madsonic on Windows Server.

Setting Up Madsonic on Windows Server

1. Once Madsonic is installed, open your web browser and go to http://localhost:4040 to access the Madsonic web interface. Madsonic is running on port 4040 by default.
2. Log in to Madsonic using the default username and password, which are both “admin”.
3. After logging in, click the “Change Administrator Password” link in the dashboard area. You’ll be prompted to change your password. Choose a strong password and click “Change Password” to save your new password.
4. The first time you log in to Madsonic, you’ll be prompted to set up your music library. For this, go to the settings area in the left-hand menu. Alternatively, you can follow this link http://localhost:4040/adminSettings.view? to access the settings.
5. Click on the “Media Folders” tab.
6. Click the “Add Folder” button to add a folder containing your music files to the Madsonic library. You can add multiple folders by clicking the button again and selecting additional folders.
7. Once you’ve added your music folders, click the “Scan Media Folders” button to have Madsonic scan your music files and add them to the library. Depending on the size of your music collection, this process may take some time.
8. Once your music library has been scanned, you can start streaming music.
9. To view, your media files click on “Artist Index”.
10. If you want to customize the appearance of the Madsonic web interface or configure other settings, click on the “Settings” tab in the left-hand menu. Here, you can change the theme, set up user accounts, configure streaming settings, and more.
11. When you’re finished using Madsonic, make sure to log out by clicking on the “Logout” button in the upper-right corner of the web interface. This will help ensure the security of your music collection and prevent unauthorized access to your server.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues with your Madsonic server, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the problem. First, check to make sure that all of your media files are properly formatted and stored in the correct location. You should also check to make sure that your network is properly configured and that your devices are connected to the same network as your Madsonic server.

If you’re still having issues, you can consult the Madsonic documentation or reach out to the Madsonic support team for assistance.