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[iflynn]

Perhaps I'm not understanding how this works. I've got MC 11.0.316 on two machines, one of which I'm using as a server (it has all the songs and an up-to-date library) and the other a client. The client PC (on which I'm attempting to store nothing) finds the library on the server PC no problem and plays the mp3s fine, but I find that updates on the server library are not automatically reflected on the client. Does the client store data anywhere? To fix this problem I seem to recall deleting .xml files on one or other of the machines but I can't repeat this and I'm stuck with an out-of-date library when using the client PC.

I'd like to understand how it works to fix the problem once and for all.

Thanks.

[John Gateley]

Switch to the default library and then back to the remote library on the client.

This is an area I'm working on to improve.

j

[iflynn]

I appreciate the instant reply, however that does not work, nor does clearing the library on the client or even deleting the default library on the client.  Obviously old data is being stored somewhere on the client machine. Although the library data is wrong and out of date, if the filename/location has not changed then it still plays fine.

[John Gateley]

What kind of info are you talking about? New mp3 files? New view schemes?

j

[iflynn]

new and renamed/relocated MP3s, changed tags, changed cover art etc. Also new view schemes. Everything, really. I just put a lot of effort into sorting out the data and library on the server and obviously don't expect too have do it again on the client.

[Alex B]

Did you reconnect after making the changes on the server?

A client downloads a copy of the server library when it connects. This copy has modified file names. The only way to update the downloaded copy is to reconnect. On reconnect a new copy of the server library replaces completely the previous one. No changes made on the client side are preserved. You can make permanent changes to the server library only on the server PC.

[Alex B]

I just remembered something:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=26487.msg185595#msg185595

Do you have more than one library on the server?

[KingSparta]

A client downloads a copy of the server library when it connects. This copy has modified file names. The only way to update the downloaded copy is to reconnect.

In this case it would be nice if the server tells the client that a updated database exists and i would think the The mc client would just download the updates to the database (maybe not the whole thing again just the mods to it). then when they are received by the client the client updates the client database.

but how often does this happen? and is it worth the effort?

[zxsix]

It wouldn't be worth it in my opinion.  It's downloading 7.5 MB now before the library opens and displays on the client.
I certainly wouldn't want it doing that in between tracks, or even as a background process while tracks were playing.
I figure I'm either at my main terminal editing the library, or I'm at work or by the swimming pool listening via library server.
I won't be editing at that point and wouldn't care about getting the latest update to clients if someone was.
I wouldn't mind things going the other way and being able to write ratings back to the server though.

[iflynn]

To the various points

1) Yes, I reconnect frequently each time and an older version of the database is downloaded
2) As far as I know there is only one database on the server (which I have now renamed 'default')

Thanks all for your help with this perplexing problem.

[Alex B]

1) Yes, I reconnect frequently each time and an older version of the database is downloaded
2) As far as I know there is only one database on the server (which I have now renamed 'default')

That is very odd. The old version of the database must be somewhere on your system and something else must be very wrong in the way how the server MC accesses data. MC cannot create an older database on the fly without having it somewhere on the disk.

Could you try the following test?

- Make a new empty test library on the server. Import one file. Connect the client. What does the client see?

- Import another file on the server and change some file tags. Reconnect the client. What does it see now?

[iflynn]

Thanks Alex, in fact you were onto a solution which I have now found, maybe points to a minor bug with Media Server.

By default Media Center seems to create its library in User/documents & settings/application data/j river. However soon after installing I decided I wanted a single common database on a separate drive which I set up using Library Manager, no problem. I also deleted the reference to the now redundant original database - so there should in thoery only have been one database.

However Media Server (which remember can run on its own without starting Media Center) was still referencing the original now orphaned databse.

I've deleted these orphan databases under all user names and so far all is well.

Interestingly I spotted the answer when I noticed that on the server PC media server was reporting no accesses by any clients even though the client was running.

To solve the problem Media Server should be configurable to address a specifed database, or it should automatically address the default databse on the server.

[John Gateley]

Library server uses the library currently selected in Media Center. The Media Server mode is just a stripped down version of Media Center, but it is still running Media Center. Is it possible you missed deleting the library someplace?

j

[iflynn]

I had deleted the reference to the users' libraries and replaced it (in Library Manager) with a reference pointing to the correct central folder but I had not physically deleted those libraries which were still present under C:\user\documents & settings etc.