More > JRiver Media Center 28 for Mac
Moving from external drive to NAS
barryo:
I want to move my Media Center (files and library) from an external drive to a NAS, and access it as is (same Audio, Playlists, Cover Art, etc.). Please help me find the relevant instructions.
I hope I can accomplish this with a simple change to the location of the library that was on the external drive, but I can't see how. (I have successfully and done this simply with my iTunes library.)
I have: M1 Mac mini; Synology DS920+ NAS.
I have copied all files from WD external drive to the NAS, preserving the folder structure. I have used Connect to Server to connect to the NAS from the Mac mini. (As I did to successfully move the iTunes library.)
When I restore the MC Library Backup from the copy on the NAS, it (of course) still has the external drive as the start of the paths for all files. I can't see how to proceed.
Would very much appreciate help.
JimH:
Please read the wiki topic called Moving Files.
HaWi:
--- Quote from: barryo on December 12, 2021, 01:02:17 am ---I want to move my Media Center (files and library) from an external drive to a NAS, and access it as is (same Audio, Playlists, Cover Art, etc.). Please help me find the relevant instructions.
I hope I can accomplish this with a simple change to the location of the library that was on the external drive, but I can't see how. (I have successfully and done this simply with my iTunes library.)
I have: M1 Mac mini; Synology DS920+ NAS.
I have copied all files from WD external drive to the NAS, preserving the folder structure. I have used Connect to Server to connect to the NAS from the Mac mini. (As I did to successfully move the iTunes library.)
When I restore the MC Library Backup from the copy on the NAS, it (of course) still has the external drive as the start of the paths for all files. I can't see how to proceed.
Would very much appreciate help.
--- End quote ---
I would recommend to "manually" copy/move your files to the NAS using Finder. That way you know the structure and where it goes. Then use [Rename, Move, & Copy Files...] / [F6] to just point the library to the new location. Make sure you understand how this works before you execute. Maybe try with a small subset first.
I have done this many times and when done right, it is quick and efficient.
You could also start with [Rename, Move, & Copy Files...] after selecting every track and let MC move the files but I find this a bit scarier because I don't trust my knowledge of MC enough.
Good luck
blgentry:
It sounds like you are about 90% done already. This is good. :)
Your NAS should show up as a path under /Volumes. If your share on your NAS is called "Music", then you should see /Volumes/Music/ and under that should be all the shared files on your NAS. To verify this you can use the Terminal and cd into /Volumes and have a look. Or more likely you will use Finder. In Finder use the Go menu and use "Go to folder". Type /Volumes and you'll see if it's mounted there or not. It should be.
Once you have found the proper path, then you need to tell MC that you have moved your files there. This is done with the Rename, Move, and Copy Files tool. RM&C is very powerful and can look a little intimidating. Take a few minutes, do some experiments, and you'll become comfortable with it fairly quickly I think.
The mode you want to use is "update database only". In this mode the operations you do only update MC's internal database. They don't move or copy any files. Just change the locations where MC thinks each file is. A vague outline of this is:
0. Make an MC database backup.
1. Select some files (maybe an album or two)
2. Open RM&C with Tools > Library Tools > Rename, MOve, and Copy files
A. Mode: Update database
B. Directories: uncheck
C. Files: uncheck
D. Find & Replace: Checked
Find what: /Volumes/OldExternalHD/Music
Replace with: /Volumes/NASMUSICFOLDER/
You'll need to choose the Find and Replace carefully and use the paths on your system for your old external drive and where the NAS music files are mounted in /Volumes.
Notice that the RM&C window shows a preview of what it's going to do before it does it. Adjust your Find and Replace parameters until you get what you want. Then try it on your test group of files. If it works, GREAT! You can do the rest. If not, restore your backup and try again.
Good luck!
Brian.
barryo:
My MC is now pretty much set up on my NAS, thanks to the great advice from Brian (blgentry), HaWi, and JimH. The small number of audio albums that didn't connect properly had incorrect paths recorded on my saved library, which would have been updated beforehand had I followed the additional directions given by RoderickGI (linked in the Moving Files wiki topic referenced by JimH).
So thanks very much indeed to all these thoughtful community members.
I know MC caters to a sophisticated IT community, but I still do wonder if this kind of issue suggests that it'd be in MC's interests to provide the kind of seamless GUI aids (a la iTunes) that would allow low-level users like me to keep using MC in our ignorant way (but nonetheless attracted by its much more powerful and flexible features) ...?
Cheers
Barry.
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