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[Arindelle]

Hi all
 

I'm total noob when it comes to MAC and Linux OSs

A friend of mine is interested in changing his system set-up. Currently he uses a PC as his media server connected to a QNAP NAS; JRemote and 1 old laptop PC as a client.

He is buying a MAC to replace his laptop and is thinking of trying to install JRiver eventually on the QNAP.

So .. he asked me and I said no problemo ... upgrade to a Master License ...

 ? and then I started to read posts about MAC directory paths and things and I'm thinking oh no, he's going to make me set everything up 

SO .. can you mix and match OS on the same LAN? What would have to be modified if a linux machine runs as a server? How about if it is a MAc machine running mediaserver, with a PC machine as a client?

As he likes to use theater view, I suppose it would probably best that he stick with a Windows machine running as a server and leave the QNAP install alone for a bit. BUT at present, his laptop does all the admin from his laptop. I'm afraid that MAC client tagging a Win library is going to have problems with "\" and "/" as I have read in recent threads.

could anyone set me straight on this or is there a post which explains multi-OS installs using client-server set-ups. I've tried to search for one but maybe I missed something.

I imagine it works, seen as how a master license is available, but I'm not sure everything will work

thanks in advance
 

[mwillems]

I run a mixed environment of Linux and Windows PCs on my LAN, and the filepath issues are not really an issue so long as all the computers are clients of one server (no multiple libraries or attempting to access the media files through separate local libraries).  Having direct access to the files from the client computer is a best practice, but is not required for the server/client relationship to function well.  As long as the server can see everything on the NAS, all the clients should be able to play them too.

To do admin from a laptop that isn't the server, you can do most kinds of tagging just fine through the normal client/server interface.  However, for some tagging (file moves, cover art, etc.) you need to use a remote desktop solution to remote into the server (like VNC or teamviewer). That sounds complicated, but is easier than it sounds, and is actually pretty easy to use (I've been doing my daily admin that way for over a year). I'm not sure how that would work on the QNAP, but I'd bet there's some kind of VNC server that could be run on it.  In the worst case you could edit the files using a different library and count on auto-import on the QNAP server to pick up the external changes, but that may not be trouble free.

In the long run I've found that solution to be much, much easier to maintain than trying to work with multiple libraries or anything like that, so much so that even if I had an all windows ecosystem, I would still probably be remoting into my server to do admin.  It's nice to have everything in one place and not have to remember to switch libraries and all that.  

There are a few cross-platform hiccups, but for the most part it all works. For example, album artist(auto) seems to be calculated differently on linux clients than the windows server or windows clients, but that's easy to work around. If the person would like TV tuner support, obviously the server needs to be windows as do the public facing clients.  I have no direct experience of Mac clients, but the filepath issues are the same on Linux v. Windows as Mac v. Windows.

[Arindelle]

ok thanks!

well I've been running JRiver client/server set-ups for years (also use Teamviewer), so I get it. Its not complicated, I've got a good workflow that I like. Its just 100% Windows, though. I am not a fan of multiple libraries  - actually I'm always telling people not to use them most of the time. I also avoid ALbum Artist (Auto) anyways, and no live TV/tuners in the system so thats not going to be an issue.

What concerned me was a post that was talking about people changing form a win machine's library (runnning as server) and changing  to a MAC; lots of problems with it and they are just getting the bugs out if I understand correctly. http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=102663.0. This is ore about migrating a win library to a mac, however.

So what I'm going to recommend to my firend is that he stick with the Windows machine as the server (that way he can still benefit from Theater view); add the Mac as a client; and eventually test his QNAP to run as server (but I'm not guaranteeing anything on this one, as the QNAP install is new, not sure if there is a lot of testing using MACs as clients for this yet).

I really wanted to confirm that there would be no problem with the MAC as a client for control and admin (able to tag from the client interface via the MAC and not having to do everything from TeamViewer that is.), maybe linking zones ...

[blgentry]

I also avoid ALbum Artist (Auto) anyways,

Why?

; and eventually test his QNAP to run as server (but I'm not guaranteeing anything on this one, as the QNAP install is new, not sure if there is a lot of testing using MACs as clients for this yet).

Call me a curmudgeon, but I think MC on QNAP as the actual application server is a horrible idea.  It's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.  Why would you tax the hardware of your NAS server and make it compete for resources when computers are so inexpensive?  People have enough problems with Windows and Mac machines *consistently* playing everything correctly.  Why try to force low end hardware to do that job *and* it's original job at the same time?

Brian.

[mwillems]

Why?

Well, these days I avoid it because it's broken cross-platform unfortunately.  Compilations that correctly appear as a single "Multiple Artists" album on my Windows server appear as twenty different albums on my linux clients using the exact same view scheme  

I figured out it's because of a difference in the way Album Artist (auto) gets calculated on Linux (specifically related to the whether the album is "complete" in MC's calculation), and manually setting the Album Artist tag fixes the issue.  It got fixed once in MC 20, but reappeared a few builds later, and it's a long enough standing issue that I now manually set my Album Artists everytime.

See here for someone hitting the issue on Mac:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=102119.0

And repro steps here: https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=93006.msg642462#msg642462

[Arindelle]

Why?

This the first time I would have to deal with the OS issue, but besides that, I can dig up some expressions that this has caused me issues with. I get irrationally reticent about  about anything auto that I don't automate myself, no auto tagging, or analysis or artwork searches ... too slow, bad scrapping but I admit I go overboard totally  .. I manually sync my clients and server too, and I manually run "autoimport" and my backups to for that matter.  And as the standard Tag is Album Artist everywhere. To me the (auto) is just a way for lazy people to not tag the field correctly. So that makes me even more of   a "curmudgeon" than you Brian!!  

I also sense that there is something else under the hood for grouping using Album Artist (auto)/Album instead of album and a unique record ID -- as it write 2 tags to a file -- but I'm probably mistaken, and of course who cares right

Call me a curmudgeon, but I think MC on QNAP as the actual application server is a horrible idea.  It's a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.  Why would you tax the hardware of your NAS server and make it compete for resources when computers are so inexpensive?  People have enough problems with Windows and Mac machines *consistently* playing everything correctly.  Why try to force low end hardware to do that job *and* it's original job at the same time?

Some people who need a NAS (or have one before they new better), don't want a second machine on to playback from a third,and can't be bothered with learning how to WoL and magic packets and things. I agree though that most people shouldn't use a NAS unless it used for external access. I got rid of mine and just use PCs on my LAN ... lots faster/and cheaper - and one of them acts as a NAS with 7 drives in it so Im' not necessarily pro-NAS, but I can see where it would be interesting to a lot of people. I think using them as renderers is really not a good idea though, regardless.