How to install Icecast

# Updates
# 06/22/11 – Updated guide to use the latest version of Icecast (2.3.2)

*Note – This does NOT work on 64 bit CentOS (x86_64); it will only install for 32 bit (i386). If you need to install on 64 bit, use the guide found here: http://support.cast-control.net/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=69. Once you got it installed, you can start from my Step #3 – Configuration. I tested their guide on my personal server and it worked perfectly.

Icecast Installation Guide for CentOS 5

I ran across a request from a customer recently asking me to install Icecast. I didn’t find any easy guides out there that had the entire process laid out. So, here is my contribution to the Internet. I hope one of you find this useful. With this guide, you can set it up in a mere 10 minutes.

#1 – First off, What is Icecast?

Per the official website (http://www.icecast.org): Icecast is free server software for streaming multimedia. In particular, icecast streams audio to listeners over the Internet, and is compatible with Nullsoft’s Shoutcast.

#2 – Installation

The first thing to do is install the dependencies that are needed run icecast:

yum install curl-devel libtheora-devel libvorbis-devel libxslt-devel speex-devel

Next, grab the SRPM:

rpm -ivh http://downloads.xiph.org/releases/icecast/icecast-2.3.2-0.src.rpm

****If you get the following error:

Retrieving http://downloads.xiph.org/releases/icecast/icecast-2.3.2-0.src.rpm
error: cannot create %sourcedir /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES

You will need to install the development dependencies:

yum groupinstall 'Development Tools'

Now build the binary package using the newly acquired specs:

rpmbuild -bb /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/icecast.spec

And then install the RPM:

rpm -ivh /usr/src/redhat/RPMS/i386/icecast-2.3.2-0.i386.rpm

#3 – Configuration

You need to modify the /etc/icecast.xml file and change the default passwords for the users: source, relay, admin. The Icecast developers definitely have a sense of humor; The default passwords are ‘hackme’.

         
              
              NEW-PASSWORD
              
              NEW-PASSWORD
     
              
              admin
              NEW-PASSWORD

You will have to change the user that the icecast service runs as. It cannot be initiated as root. It’s very picky and will give an error message:

[root ~]# ERROR: You should not run icecast2 as root

So simply change it to something else. The most intuitive solution would be to use ‘icecast’:

         
             icecast
             nogroup

And the last modification is to change the log directory from /usr/var/log/icecast to –> /var/log/icecast:

         <logdir>/var/log/icecast</logdir>

#4 – Add user and log folder

Almost done. Now add the icecast user and create the log path we specified above:

mkdir /var/log/icecast
useradd icecast
chown icecast:icecast /var/log/icecast/

#5 – Run Icecast

This is it, the moment you’ve been waiting for:

su icecast -c 'icecast -c /etc/icecast.xml -b'

Make sure port 8000 is opened in your firewall. Now you can test it by accessing: http://yourdomain.com:8000. You will see a black screen:

The front page for Icecast server

#6 – Add to system start up

You will want icecast to start when the server boots. Take the command to run the service (listed above) and place it in your:

/etc/rc.local

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Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey

A linux web hosting administrator, a professional production sound man, and a renegade cop without nothing left to lose.... Ok, that last part is made up. In all seriousness, my passion in life is to help people; whether that be with help running their sites or with their productions. The name Boom Shadow was given to me by a great group of filmmakers called Star Wipe Films. back in 2005 and has been with me since. One of these days, I will post the full story, and many more, here. As a side note, I love my mac for video editing, my CentOS for web hosting, and my Windows box for Stepmania. Don't give me any OS hate, cause I don't care :P Also, nano is still the bomb!

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/etc/rc.local, centos 5, icecast, installation, yum

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This article written by: Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey on December 19, 2010 at 3:44 am, and is filed under Software Installations. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

KAKA

FATAL: could not open error logging (/usr/var/log/icecast/error.log): No such file or directory
FATAL: could not open access logging (/usr/var/log/icecast/access.log): No such file or directory
FATAL: Could not start logging

this error
Pradja

How to Stop the icecast2 server on centos 5 ?
Kobyn

Thank you for the tutorial. I followed these directions and almost everything went trough. I am getting this error when I type su icecast -c /path/to/icecast.xml

ERROR: You should not run icecast2 as root
Use the changeowner directive in the config file
http://www.facebook.com/samuelmf Samuel Marfer

This works for x64 too?
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob (Boom Shadow)
  
  @facebook-697882011:disqus , Icecast can be installed on 64bit, but my guide is only for 32 bit. There is a good 64 bit guide here: http://support.cast-control.net/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=69
inzacky

thanks a lot bro..
i have one question, how to create multiple mount point..?
http://www.facebook.com/xpzion7 Armando Calderón

Its the any way that o cant run icecast in centos like a service, similar like fedora ?
http://twitter.com/Afghan123 Afghan123.com

When I entered this command: rpmbuild -bb /usr/src/redhat/SPECS/icecast.specI am getting the following error:-bash: rpmbuild: command not foundPlease help what to do?
- inzacky
  
  i so.. no such file or directory
http://www.facebook.com/xpzion7 Armando Calderón

Thanks very useful.

Si me sirvio.
- http://www.facebook.com/samuelmf Samuel Marfer
  
  Sirve para 64 bits?
Tsafar

How do i uninstall?

rpm -e aint working :/
Lefteris

Hello again. A little more help. I am trying to found how to hide
icecast status page and all the viewable information such as current
listeners etc. do you know how can i do this?

i also installed centova cast for managing streams etc.
Thanx in advancd
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob
  
  @b68862090db956d336cdf259aa0972ae:disqus , Are you trying to disable the entire page locate at: http://yourdomain.com:8000 ? If so, the easiest method would be to change the permissions on the document root folder. You could run: chmod 000 /usr/share/icecast/web
  - Lefteris
    
    Yes i want to disable the entire icecast2 status page. i don’t anyone to see my mount points with my active listeners. i tried to chmod as you said. but the page is still viewable.
    the status page is on 8900 port, if this means something.
    - http://boomshadow.net Jacob (Boom Shadow)
      
      @b68862090db956d336cdf259aa0972ae:disqus , removing the permissions of the web folder ought to do it. I now successfully get this error on my page: “Could not parse XSLT file”
      
      Perhaps your web root for icecast is set to a different location. Look at the icecast.xml (configuration file) and see what the path is for:
      
      If you set the permissions of that folder to 000, no one should be able to pull up the page. Alternatively, you could simply rename (or move) the static page itself instead of modifying the entire webroot folder. You could remove status.xsl & status2.xsl
Shadowknight

using Cent OS 5 and getting an error:

error: cannot write to %sourcedir /usr/src/redhat/SOURCES

So I created this folder while logged in as root and got a warning that the user and group karl could not be found – using root. So I logged in as a user and still could not perform this.
- Shadowknight
  
  I found this one helped. Seemed i was missing some development tools.
  
  http://sysextra.blogspot.com/2010/10/centos-5-icecast-server-howto.html
  - http://boomshadow.net Jacob
    
    @cb87a2f72321cd933cba252c0d26e2b4:disqus , I just ran across a box I was installing this on, and got the same error as you. Thanks for posting the development tools. I’ll add that in.
Moslemovic

Could not parse XSLT fileplease help me …
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob
  
  @434437af76d3baafc1b50eee7ae3cfec:disqus , which step gave you that error? Did you install the libxslt-devel?
Daniel

thanks, what about the 64bit version?
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob
  
  @ @bfc10186b6581747068bf097a0139327:disqus : As of right now, installations on CentOS 5 64 bit do not work. I’m going to try my hardest to set aside some time in the near future to play around with it. Once I get working, I’ll update the article.
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob
  
  @bfc10186b6581747068bf097a0139327:disqus , I just came across this. Someone else wrote up an article for installing on 64bit. I tested it for myself, and it works fine. Although the icecast.xml was in a new location. Here is the link:
  
  http://support.cast-control.net/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=69
Lefteris

in which path icecast is installed ? Thnx for the great tutorial
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob
  
  @b68862090db956d336cdf259aa0972ae:disqus , after the installation, icecast’s binary will be located at: /usr/bin/icecast
  - Lefteris
    
    Hello again. A little more help. I am trying to found how to hide icecast status page and all the viewable information such as current listeners etc. do you know how can i do this?
    
    thanks in advance
Anonymous

thanks a lot. this is exactly what i was looking for!
- http://boomshadow.net Jacob
  
  I’m glad I could help!
  - Inganious
    
    when writing this command useradd icecast I got no such command error , is there any help ?
    Thanks

How to install Icecast

Icecast Installation Guide for CentOS 5

#1 – First off, What is Icecast?

#2 – Installation

#3 – Configuration

#4 – Add user and log folder

#5 – Run Icecast

#6 – Add to system start up

Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey

Latest posts by Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey (see all)

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How to install Icecast

Icecast Installation Guide for CentOS 5

#1 – First off, What is Icecast?

#2 – Installation

#3 – Configuration

#4 – Add user and log folder

#5 – Run Icecast

#6 – Add to system start up

Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey

Latest posts by Jacob "Boom Shadow" Tirey (see all)

Related posts:

#grep

Ad

ServInt