Set up a DLNA Server in a Minute
![Dmitri Popov Dmitri Popov](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/online/blogs/productivity-sauce/275404-17-eng-US/Productivity-Sauce.png)
Productivity Sauce
DLNA provides a hassle-free solution for sharing digital media between devices, and you can put this technology to good use on your local network. Install DLNA software on a server on your network, and you can easily access photos, videos, and music from any device that has a DLNA client on it. Using the minidlna application, you can turn any Linux machine into a DLNA server in a matter of minutes. Here is how to do this on Debian and Ubuntu. Since minidlna is available in the official software repositories of both distros, installing it is a matter of running the apt-get install minidlna command as root. Once the package has been installed, open the minidlna.conf configuration file in a text editor by running the nano /etc/minidlna.conf command as root. At the very least, you need to specify two things: paths to directories containing digital media and a descriptive name for the DLNA server. On my Raspberry Pi, I store photos, videos, and music in separate directories on a USB stick, so my minidlna.conf configuration file looks like this:
media_dir=P,/media/usb0/photos media_dir=V,/media/usb0/videos media_dir=A,/media/usb0/music friendly_name=Raspberry Pi DLNA server
Next, you should generate minidlna's database. To do this, stop the minidlna server with the /etc/init.d/minidlna stop command, then issue the following command (both commands should be run as root):
minidlna -R
Start then the minidlna server using the /etc/init.d/minidlna start as root, and you are done. Unfortunately, minidlna cannot update the database automatically, so you need to do this manually every time you add new media files.
To access digital media served by the DLNA server, you either need a DLNA-capable device or to install a DLNA client software. On Linux, you might want to give eezUPnP a try (see this article for more info), while the AnDLNA app can come in handy for accessing media files from an Android device.
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.
-
SUSE Offers CentOS 7 Support with Liberty Linux Lite
SUSE's Liberty Linux support offering now includes CentOS 7, which means businesses won't be forced to migrate those servers for some time.
-
Ubuntu's App Center Finally Supports Local Installs Again
If you regularly download .deb files and would prefer a GUI method of installing, Ubuntu has your back.
-
AlmaLinux Now Supports Raspberry Pi 5
If you're looking to create with the Raspberry Pi 5 and want to use AlmaLinux as your OS, you're in luck because it's now possible.
-
Kubuntu Focus Releases New Iterations of Ir14 and Ir16 Laptops
If you're a fan of the Kubuntu Focus laptops or have been waiting for the right time to purchase one, that time might be now.
-
NixOS 24.05 Is Ready for Prime Time
The latest release of NixOS (Uakari) has arrived and offers its usual reproducible, declarative, and reliable goodness.
-
Linux Lite 7.0 Officially Released
Based on Ubuntu 24.04 and kernel 6.8, Linux Lite version 7 now offers more options than ever.
-
KaOS Linux 2024.05 Adds Bcachfs Support and More
With updates all around, KaOS Linux now includes support for the bcachefs file system.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils New Iteration of the Stellaris Laptop Line
The Stellaris Slim 15 is the 6th generation and includes either an AMD or Intel CPU
comments
I'm using minidlna for a while, and found out that new media added will be served wihtout the need to restart the service.
Another tip, I found the android app BubbleUPnP it's great not only for DLNA, but for other streams.
Best regards.