Sync ipod doesn't work if songs on network drive

Question

To consolidate redundant files, I moved MP3s from 3 computers on our home network to a shared network drive. (It's on a NAS.) I used WMP to edit the ID3 tags. All users have access to \\nas1\public\music as a mapped drive, M:. I deleted my kids' iTunes folders from each computer and re-imported all music from the network location, not copying files.
Two problems result:
1. Importing does not import the album art. That must be restored manually by copying the jpeg file from the folder on the network drive. That's a lot of work. I surmise that WMP copies the album art as a separate file and displays it if in the same directory, while iTunes requires a reference in the id3 file itself. Am I correct? (The latter seems a better design.)
2. My kids' iPods won't sync to their local computers, even though iTunes plays fine. Will iTunes sync only if the file is stored physically in the library? Doing so replicates everything resulting in massive file duplication.
Another question, related to 2., above:
If I were to set up a network media server that's discoverable by iTunes (most likely Firefly, http://www.fireflymediaserver.org), can mp3's available there be synced to the ipods?
Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

highland99 wrote:
My music library is pretty small, only about 100-150 songs. But none of them are "synced" to the iPod after selecting File > Sync iPod.
That's not how it works for the shuffle...
Try reading the manual:
ttp://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/iPod_shuffle_3rdGenUG.pdf