ahhhh...bless you, anthony! i realize the error of my ways, now. i had done the following:
-the drive on my Linux box is called "iTunes"...or rather, the share is called "iTunes".
-i created a playlist on the empeg called "iTunes", and copied the contents of the share "iTunes" to the empeg playlist "iTunes".
-this worked ok, except it was a bit stupid at times when i was trying to update.
-i'll give this "FAQ" thing a try...