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<book>
<title>The Music Player Daemon - User's Manual</title>
<chapter>
<title>Introduction</title>
<para>
This document is work in progress. Most of it may be incomplete
yet. Please help!
</para>
</chapter>
<chapter>
<title>Installation</title>
<para>
We recommend that you use the software installation routines of
your distribution to install MPD. Most operating systems have a
MPD package, which is very easy to install.
</para>
<section>
<title>Installing on Debian/Ubuntu</title>
<para>
Install the package <filename>mpd</filename>:
</para>
<programlisting>apt-get install mpd</programlisting>
</section>
<section>
<title>Compiling from source</title>
<para>
Download the source tarball from <ulink
url="http://mpd.wikia.com/wiki/Server">the MPD home
page</ulink> and unpack it:
</para>
<programlisting>tar xjf mpd-0.14.2.tar.bz
cd mpd-0.14.2</programlisting>
<para>
Make sure that all the required libraries and build tools are
installed. The <filename>INSTALL</filename> file has a list.
</para>
<para>
Now configure the source tree:
</para>
<programlisting>./configure</programlisting>
<para>
The <parameter>--help</parameter> argument shows a list of
compile-time options. When everything is ready and
configured, compile:
</para>
<programlisting>make</programlisting>
<para>
And install:
</para>
<programlisting>make install</programlisting>
</section>
</chapter>
<chapter>
<title>Configuration</title>
<section>
<title>Configuring the music directory</title>
<para>
When you play local files, you should organize them within a
directory called the "music directory". This is configured in
MPD with the <varname>music_directory</varname> setting.
</para>
<para>
By default, MPD follows symbolic links in the music directory.
This behavior can be switched off:
<varname>follow_outside_symlinks</varname> controls whether
MPD follows links pointing to files outside of the music
directory, and <varname>follow_inside_symlinks</varname> lets
you disable symlinks to files inside the music directory.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title>Configuring input plugins</title>
<para>
To configure an input plugin, add a <varname>input</varname>
block to <filename>mpd.conf</filename>:
</para>
<programlisting>input {
plugin "lastfm"
user "foo"
password "bar"
}
</programlisting>
<para>
The following table lists the <varname>input</varname> options
valid for all plugins:
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>
Name
</entry>
<entry>
Description
</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>plugin</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
The name of the plugin.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>enabled</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Allows you to disable a input plugin without
recompiling. By default, all plugins are enabled.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title>Configuring decoder plugins</title>
<para>
Most decoder plugins do not need any special configuration.
To configure a decoder, add a <varname>decoder</varname> block
to <filename>mpd.conf</filename>:
</para>
<programlisting>decoder {
plugin "wildmidi"
config_file "/etc/timidity/timidity.cfg"
}
</programlisting>
<para>
The following table lists the <varname>decoder</varname>
options valid for all plugins:
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>
Name
</entry>
<entry>
Description
</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>plugin</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
The name of the plugin.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>enabled</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Allows you to disable a decoder plugin without
recompiling. By default, all plugins are enabled.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title>Configuring audio outputs</title>
<para>
Audio outputs are devices which actually play the audio chunks
produced by MPD. You can configure any number of audio output
devices, but there must be at least one. If none is
configured, MPD attempts to auto-detect. Usually, this works
quite well with ALSA, OSS and on Mac OS X.
</para>
<para>
To configure an audio output manually, add an
<varname>audio_output</varname> block to
<filename>mpd.conf</filename>:
</para>
<programlisting>audio_output {
type "alsa"
name "my ALSA device"
device "hw:0"
}
</programlisting>
<para>
The following table lists the <varname>audio_output</varname>
options valid for all plugins:
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>
Name
</entry>
<entry>
Description
</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>type</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
The name of the plugin.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>name</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
The name of the audio output. It is visible to the
client. Some plugins also use it internally, e.g. as
a name registered in the PULSE server.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>format</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
Always open the audio output with the specified audio
format (samplerate:bits:channels), regardless of the
format of the input file. This is optional for most
plugins.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>enabled</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Specifies whether this audio output is enabled when
MPD is started. By default, all audio outputs are
enabled.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>mixer_type</varname>
<parameter>hardware|software|none</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Specifies which mixer should be used for this audio
output: the hardware mixer (available for ALSA, OSS
and PulseAudio), the software mixer or no mixer
("none"). By default, the hardware mixer is used for
devices which support it, and none for the others.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title>Configuring filters</title>
<para>
Filters are plugins which modify an audio stream.
</para>
<para>
To configure a filter, add a <varname>filter</varname> block
to <filename>mpd.conf</filename>:
</para>
<programlisting>filter {
plugin "volume"
name "software volume"
}
</programlisting>
<para>
The following table lists the <varname>filter</varname>
options valid for all plugins:
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>
Name
</entry>
<entry>
Description
</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>plugin</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
The name of the plugin.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>name</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
The name of the filter.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
</chapter>
<chapter>
<title>Plugin reference</title>
<section>
<title>Input plugins</title>
<section>
<title><varname>curl</varname></title>
<para>
Opens remote files or streams over HTTP.
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Setting</entry>
<entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>proxy</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets the address of the HTTP proxy server.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>proxy_user</varname>,
<varname>proxy_password</varname>
</entry>
<entry>
Configures proxy authentication.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>file</varname></title>
<para>
Opens local files.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>lastfm</varname></title>
<para>
Plays last.fm radio. This plugin is experimental, and will
be superseded by a better solution in MPD 0.16.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>mms</varname></title>
<para>
Plays streams with the MMS protocol.
</para>
</section>
</section>
<section>
<title>Output plugins</title>
<section>
<title><varname>alsa</varname></title>
<para>
The "Advanced Linux Sound Architecture" plugin uses
<filename>libasound</filename>. It is recommended if you
are using Linux.
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Setting</entry>
<entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>device</varname>
<parameter>NAME</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets the device which should be used. This can be
any valid ALSA device name. The default value is
"default", which makes
<filename>libasound</filename> choose a device. It
is recommended to use a "hw" or "plughw" device,
because otherwise, <filename>libasound</filename>
automatically enables "dmix", which has major
disadvantages (fixed sample rate, poor resampler,
...).
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>use_mmap</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
If set to <parameter>yes</parameter>, then
<filename>libasound</filename> will try to use
memory mapped I/O.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>buffer_time</varname>
<parameter>US</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets the device's buffer time in microseconds.
Don't change unless you know what you're doing.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>period_time</varname>
<parameter>US</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets the device's period time in microseconds.
Don't change unless you really know what you're
doing.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>auto_resample</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
If set to <parameter>no</parameter>, then
<filename>libasound</filename> will not attempt to
resample, handing the responsibility over to MPD.
It is recommended to let MPD resample (with
libsamplerate), because ALSA is quite poor at doing
so.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>auto_channels</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
If set to <parameter>no</parameter>, then
<filename>libasound</filename> will not attempt to
convert between different channel numbers.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>auto_format</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
If set to <parameter>no</parameter>, then
<filename>libasound</filename> will not attempt to
convert between different sample formats (16 bit, 24
bit, floating point, ...).
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>ao</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>ao</varname> plugin uses the portable
<filename>libao</filename> library.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>fifo</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>fifo</varname> plugin writes raw PCM data to a
FIFO (First In, First Out) file. The data can be read by
another program.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>jack</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>jack</varname> plugin connects to a JACK
server.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>mvp</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>mvp</varname> plugin uses the proprietary
Hauppauge Media MVP interface. We do not know any user of
this plugin, and we do not know if it actually works.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>httpd</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>httpd</varname> plugin creates a HTTP server,
similar to ShoutCast / IceCast. HTTP streaming clients like
<filename>mplayer</filename> can connect to it.
</para>
<para>
You must configure either <varname>quality</varname> or
<varname>bitrate</varname>. It is highly recommended to
configure a fixed <varname>format</varname>, because a
stream cannot switch its audio format on-the-fly when the
song changes.
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Setting</entry>
<entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>port</varname>
<parameter>P</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Binds the HTTP server to the specified port (on all
interfaces).
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>encoder</varname>
<parameter>NAME</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Chooses an encoder plugin,
e.g. <parameter>vorbis</parameter>.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>quality</varname>
<parameter>Q</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Configures the encoder quality (for VBR) in the
range -1 .. 10.
</entry>
</row>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>bitrate</varname>
<parameter>BR</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets a constant encoder bit rate, in kilobit per
second.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>null</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>null</varname> plugin does nothing. It
discards everything sent to it.
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Setting</entry>
<entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>sync</varname>
<parameter>yes|no</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
If set to <parameter>no</parameter>, then the timer
is disabled - the device will accept PCM chunks at
arbitrary rate (useful for benchmarking). The
default behaviour is to play in real time.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>oss</varname></title>
<para>
The "Open Sound System" plugin is supported on most Unix
platforms.
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Setting</entry>
<entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>device</varname>
<parameter>PATH</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets the path of the PCM device. If not specified,
then MPD will attempt to open
<filename>/dev/sound/dsp</filename> and
<filename>/dev/dsp</filename>.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>osx</varname></title>
<para>
The "Mac OS X" plugin uses Apple's CoreAudio API.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>pipe</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>pipe</varname> plugin starts a program and
writes raw PCM data into its standard input.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>pulse</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>pulse</varname> plugin connects to a PulseAudio
server.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>shout</varname></title>
<para>
The <varname>shout</varname> plugin connects to a ShoutCast
or IceCast server. It forwards tags to this server.
</para>
</section>
<section>
<title><varname>solaris</varname></title>
<para>
The "Solaris" plugin runs only on SUN Solaris, and plays via
<filename>/dev/audio</filename>.
</para>
<informaltable>
<tgroup cols="2">
<thead>
<row>
<entry>Setting</entry>
<entry>Description</entry>
</row>
</thead>
<tbody>
<row>
<entry>
<varname>device</varname>
<parameter>PATH</parameter>
</entry>
<entry>
Sets the path of the audio device, defaults to
<filename>/dev/audio</filename>.
</entry>
</row>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</informaltable>
</section>
</section>
</chapter>
</book>