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[Hebaton]

I have made my library available to a friend through a URL and correct FW settings.

He can connect, load, even edit the library on his installation of JRiver but he cannot play files from my library.

His system is a Windows 10 machine, Media Center 25 and his playback goes to a Macintosh preamp with integrated DAC.

When he tries to play a file from my library, he gets ASIO error messages and then needs to reset his driver before he can play his own files again. My files, He simply cannot play.

Do I need to install the Macintosh plugin ( driver ) on my machine ?

Thanks

Claude Panneton

[JimH]

If he's connected to your Library Server, your machine serves the files, and there is no need to install any special driver on your side.

What file types are you serving?

[Hebaton]

Serving almost exclusively .flac

[RoderickGI]

Just to clarify, you are running Media Network on your PC, and your friend is loading your Library using your JRiver MC Access Key, correct?

You haven't just set up a VPN or similar so that your friend can open your Library directly, as if it was a local Library, on a local drive, have you?

[Hebaton]

He is loading my library on his Media Center installation. Not using access key, I created a URL in a domain I own, that translates to the correct path (IP:port ) and shared with him full access credentials so he can not only play files but also edit the Library if need be.

SO , it loads, he can navigate it but gets ASIO error messages when attempting to play any of my files. He uses a Macintosh preamp with integrated DAC.  To get back to his main library and have files play ( his local files ) he needs to restart his preamp and initialise the Macintosh driver.

[RoderickGI]

Please confirm your computer is also a Windows PC.

Then I think the first thing he should do is try to play to the speakers on his Windows PC, to eliminate the Mac preamp and DAC as an issue. If that works, solve the audio playback issue separately.

But what you are doing is very non-standard. For example, you can't both have your Library open at the same time. That would break the Library, if not immediately then eventually.

If you had a VPN Endpoint at your end, and he connected via VPN so that he appeared to be on your LAN as far as Windows was concerned, then what you are doing may work for edits and playback. May. But still, you couldn't both have the Library open at the same time.


Does he really need to be able to edit your Library? Actually, does he really need to move files around on your Library, or just edit tags? Why are you giving him edit access?

You should really be using the MC Client/Server capability, then he could play files locally, as his MC installation would use his local settings and the Mac Preamp/DAC driver he has installed. Your MC installation would serve the files via the internet. With that configuration he may not be able to edit tags though. If you used a VPN and he used a Client/Server connection, he may be able to edit tags. But really, editing Library data over the internet, without the correct technolgy to roll back edits when connection is lost or other issue happens, is not a great idea. MC is not a thin Client or commercial database, so it doesn't have the technology to back out partial changes on failure.

If you really want him to be able to edit most aspects of your Library, then using something like TeamViewer would make more sense. But getting audio to play via TeamViewer would have its own challenges, and may not work for Hi Res audio. The Mac Preamp/DAC driver may not work with TeamViewer. But you would have to work through those issues.

[Hebaton]

Not getting what you are saying with server/client setup. in order to play my files to his setup, he will need to navigate my library anyway.
I don't need him to move files around, just be able to play the files and edit tags.

[Hebaton]

OUps, If he sets-up my install as a dynamic Zone instead of loading a library, I guess he could play the files but could he edit tags ?

[JimH]

Please read the wiki topic on Media Server.

[Hebaton]

I don't get it. What I read is basically what I did it seems :
open a port to the server and have a remote Media Center installation connect to it !

The default path is 52199 correct ?
I could change it to something else in the client options of Media server but what difference would it make ?

[RoderickGI]

Your friend needs to use the Access Key method to connect to your MC Server.

You said he didn't.

[Hebaton]

correct, he uses a username/password

[JimH]

He is loading my library on his Media Center installation. Not using access key, I created a URL in a domain I own, that translates to the correct path (IP:port ) and shared with him full access credentials so he can not only play files but also edit the Library if need be.

It appears that you're not using Media Network, but are using Windows networking to share your library.  Try using Media Network on your server and letting him connect using your Access Key. 

[JimH]

correct, he uses a username/password

A windows user name and password?  Or one from MC's Media Network?

[Hebaton]

He is connecting by using a user and password I created in Media Center.
Not Windows networking, MC networking !

[JimH]

Are you both running MC25?

Try sending him a file he can't play, just to see if he can play it on his machine.

Are the FLAC files ordinary 2 channel FLAC?  Or something different?

Try setting audio to Direct Sound on his machine?  It could be an ASIO problem.

[Hebaton]

Most of the files we both have. I sent him several of mine in the past, he was always able to play them. Both using MC 25 both on Windows10 machines. Only 2 channel .flac files, nothing special.

[RoderickGI]

I'm still confused about how you have him connecting. The terminology is confusing. Do this for me.

Without connecting to your special URL or doing anything other than being connected to the internet, have him create a new Library in his copy on MC.
Name it however he wants. i.e. "Hebaton's Library"
Select the "Library Server" radio box in the dialogue.
Have him enter the Access Key for your Library, and then click OK. Don't worry about using HTTPS at this stage. Keep it simple.
If you have Authentication set up in your MC Library, and it sounds like you do, he will need to enter the Username and Password you have set for authentication in MC. He should only have to do that once, then his copy of MC will remember the credentials.

As long as you have port forwarding set up for port 52199 on your router, and your server is running (not shut down or asleep), he should be able to connect to your Library and play files.


Does that work?
Is that what he has been doing up to now?

[Hebaton]

That is equivalent of what we do. Actually, if I have him proceeding exactly like this, he connects to my library just as he does using the URL I created in my internet Domain. A URL is only some way of writing an IP address basically.  SO if I have an MC running on a machine whos Public IP is  x.x.x.2 and have port forwarding configured correctly, weather I use the UDP key provided by MC or a DNS entry ( URL ) it does exactly the same. it translates to x.x.x.2 it'S like GusTav = thismachine.net = X.X.X.2 get it ?
HE connects, he can edit tags, but gets ASIO errors when he tries to play file. even files that are exactly the same as som he has in his main library and that play just fine usually. using the same DAC and settings.

I'M pretty sure it has something to do      with MacIntosh gear and their driver...

[RoderickGI]

I don't believe it is a UDP key, although it does translate to an IP Address. MC does a HTTP lookup to this address when the Access Key is used: http://wr.jriver.com/libraryserver/lookup/[Access Key] to get the IP Address list to try. Certainly using a URL on a LAN allows MC to connect correctly. Also, if he can edit tags, it would seem that he is connected correctly.

Regardless, you could just try using the Access Key method. Not doing so is just being stubborn. It doesn't get a DNS lookup involved, so it may make a difference.

I'm pretty sure it has something to do with MacIntosh gear and their driver...

It may well be. What is his Macintosh preamp with integrated DAC, and driver version, specifically? Maybe someone else has had a similar issue with the same gear.

But if it is the Macintosh gear, it is very strange that local versions of the same files play correctly. I don't think anyone here or from JRiver can help, unless you can identify what is different in playing to the ASIO driver when connected to your Library.


Did you get him to try playing to just the local speakers in his PC, as I suggested a couple of days ago? PC speakers would be the simplest audio device on his PC, so should work. If they don't work, you can probably eliminate the Macintosh gear as a cause.

I'm sure plenty of people have MC Clients on a LAN using ASIO drivers, and that works. His drivers and hardware work locally, just not when files are served over the internet. So I suspect it is something in the network path.

Maybe the MC logs say something about why playback fails?
Maybe something in the network path is blocking some packet types and causing the failure.
Maybe there is something particular about your Domain, your ISPs service or their routing and filtering, the DNS server you use.
Maybe using Wireshark on his PC could identify an issue?
Maybe...

[JimH]

Try opening ports 52100 to 52200. MC uses several.

[Hebaton]

Sorry if I have not been clear about it. I did use the access key, same result. just saying I am sure that is not the issue, just a different way to get the same info !

[RoderickGI]

Okay. Good.  Try the other stuff.