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[JustinChase]

I and another person at work are listening to the same music database, on the work server.  It is mainly songs ripped via ripcast, and sometimes they have glitches or atrifacts in the songs.  I want to be able to note this fact in the tag info so if I end up ripping the same song at a later time, I know whether or not the version I have is good.  I have a custom field where I mark either Artifacts or Good, so I know the status of the song.

The question is this...

If we are both making this notation to the library, how do we see/know what the other has marked.  In other words, I mark 20 songs in a day, and he marks 20 songs,  how can I get my library to reflect the changes he made in a day, and vice versa for his library?  Should I back up my library, delete all songs, and reimport?  Will this keep all of my rating info, but bring over the updated tag info, or is there a better/easier way, or no way to do this?

Any ideas?

[John Gateley]

Hi Justin,

If you are using Media Server, neither set of changes will be saved (for now).

If you are using Windows File Sharing, there is a good chance you will corrupt the database. (You may be OK if you only edit different files, but probably not, don't count on it).

We are working on a solution to this problem, but I don't know when it will come out.

j

[JustinChase]

It's a Linux Box, so no media server.  I actually just have the files stored in a shared folder, and we each have imported from that shared file.

I suppose from what you are telling me, I should just make sure only one of us is changing tags, then the other should be able to re-import once in a while to see the new tag info?  Will this updated tag info still work with a backed up and restored library for the one not actually making the changes?

As far as the solution to this problem, would you say "maybe soon" or "not anytime soon".  I promise not to hold you to anyting.

[John Gateley]

Yep - be very careful about two people changing stuff at the same time.

The solution is "maybe soon", but it would only be through media server.

j

[JustinChase]

And media server will work on Linux soon also, right

I'll have to move the files to a different machine to host with media server then, once it's solved.

Thanks for the prompt attention.

[John Gateley]

All you need is to have the first windows machine get the database from the Linux server, and then run Media Server on that machine. The drawback is each packet goes through the network a few times (instead of direct from the linux machine to the second machine, it goes from the linux machine to the first machine and then to the second machine).

j

[gpvillamil]

Justin, a quick question:

Are you putting your MP3s on the Linux file server, and keeping an MC library (.jmd) on each local machine? Or are you putting the MC library on the file server, and opening it twice? I ask because you said something about re-importing.

If it is the first case, then if you change the tags on an MP3 file the changes will be written to that file.  However, MC will not pick up the changes until you "Update database from tags". Naturally, two users trying to write tags to the same MP3 FILE at the same time will cause problems.

In the second case, if two users have opened the same MC library, you will probably have issues with corruption. Not a good idea.

[jleerigby]

..And if 2 users play the same track at the same time won't that update the 'Last Played' data and therefore cause a corrupt database?  

[gpvillamil]

Does "Last Played" get written to the file tags? I haven't seen this happen.

[jleerigby]

I don't know but it would certainly get written to the database.  

I share the database across 2 PCs but never concurrently.  It sounds to me like the safest solution is for user 1 to point directly at the library (can update tags) and run Media Server and user 2 would be the Media client (cannot update tags).

I'm no expert on Media Server so perhaps someone else can confirm this but reading between the lines this sounds like the best way for Justin to share the same library and allow one person to update tags without corrupting the database.

[Jonas]

Yep - be very careful about two people changing stuff at the same time.

The solution is "maybe soon", but it would only be through media server.

That sounds great!  I'd really love to be able to do updates from my living room computer without having to transfer the database files back and forth semi-manually using backup/restore.

[JustinChase]

Justin, a quick question:

Are you putting your MP3s on the Linux file server, and keeping an MC library (.jmd) on each local machine? Or are you putting the MC library on the file server, and opening it twice? I ask because you said something about re-importing.

I'm not sure I understand the question (how would I open it twice?) I have moved the actual mp3s to the Linux server, and have a library on my machine pointing to those files.  The other user has "imported media" from the Linux server, so he also has a library on his machine, but the mp3s are still on the server only.

It sounds like I can just have him stop writing info to the tags, and I can "update data from tags" to get any changes he made updated to my library, he can then "update data from tags" to get my changes in his library (and not make any more changes), and then run a media server session, to which he can connect (which will allow him to see any changes I make to tags?), and someday MC will allow multiple users to update?

Am I missing anything?

[salsbst1]

The solution is "maybe soon", but it would only be through media server.

Great to hear that.  Thanks!

[glynor]

I don't know but it would certainly get written to the database.  

I share the database across 2 PCs but never concurrently.  It sounds to me like the safest solution is for user 1 to point directly at the library (can update tags) and run Media Server and user 2 would be the Media client (cannot update tags).

I have a very similar setup to what the parent poster described.  All of my media files "live" on a Linux box (with a RAID5 system) that is shared to my PC's with SAMBA.  The way I have it set up is that the MC library "lives" on one of the Windows boxes and is shared (through Windows File Sharing).  The other PC loads the shared MC library directly.  The key is (I have found) to enable Offline Files on the windows boxes and mark the MC Library share as an offline share.  That way, if you do happen to make changes to the library at the exact same time, Windows will ask you which copy you would like to keep next time you sync.  I set the box that hosts the library to always keep the local version and the box that doesn't to always keep the network version.

Now, I use both Windows boxes myself, so it is extremely rare that there would be updating going on on both machines at the same time (that would be a neat trick).  I do often RUN both copies of MC at the same time however and have never had a problem with corrupt databases.  Updating on both machines at "similar" times (within a few minutes of each other) has happened though without incident.  I often play different files on different machines at the same time.  I've never had reason to play the same file at the same time on both machines, so I can't speak to that.

Just to be sure though, it is trivial to write a shell script on the linux box that automatically copies the MC Library over to a safe non-shared location every night.  That way, if you do screw it up, at least it is only a little screwed up and you don't have to re-import everything.