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Library Server & read only clients

Shared media folders & a local library on each PC

Shared library (the new option)

More than one system (of 1-3)

Other (please explain)

[Alex B]

So far I have tested MC12 mostly on a single PC. I have occasionally tried Library Server and recently also the new shared library system with two of our PCs, but I think it is about time to start testing this properly.

As I have explained a few times I have pretty much stopped using Library Server with MC11.1 because of the known limitations. LS is good if you use it for listening to standard music files and don't need to edit library data, create playlists, burn CDs, synch portables, watch full length movies, play special file formats like APL/CUE, etc... on the clients. For us, the limited playback only functions of LS are not enough.

My solution has been to share the media folders on the server and use local libraries on each PC. I copy the latest library data and thumbnails to each PC daily. This works, but is awkward and from time to time we have lost some playlists or other library edits because someone forgot to follow our "rules" and the library duplicate process overwrote the changed data.

The new shared library option is interesting. It would make the library duplicate process unnecessary and allow one of the PCs save changes (the first started MC instance), but as I said, so far I have only tried it quickly.

How do you use MC on a home LAN? Please share your experiences.


Edit: I forgot to number the poll items. (1-3) means the first three.

[Robert Taylor]

What's the new shared library option? I hadn't heard of this before...

Ahh I just read about the new "first client in gets read-write access" library server. Interesting..I will be trying this out soon for sure...

[Alex B]

What's the new shared library option? I hadn't heard of this before...

Ahh I just read about the new "first client in gets read-write access" library server. Interesting..I will be trying this out soon for sure...

Actually, it's just some additional code, not quite a "server". It makes possible to use the same library files with more than one PC. You can share a library database folder and point a library to this folder on each PC. Naturally you need to make sure that all PCs can use identical media folder paths.

More info:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=36306.0
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=36426.0

In the following post I explained how I changed my media base folder from D:\Music\ to X:\ so that all PCs can use this X: drive letter and an identical copy of the same library:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=36686.msg250275#msg250275

[dcwebman]

I use Shared media folders & a local library on each PC. I have a server that stores the media. I use my computer to update and then save the library to the server. The others in the house restore the library and hence have the latest. The rest of my family is too non-technical to even think of giving them the chance for write access. I could probably use Library Server but just never got into really using it.

[raym]

I use Shared media folders & a local library on each PC. I have a server that stores the media. I use my computer to update and then save the library to the server. The others in the house restore the library and hence have the latest. The rest of my family is too non-technical to even think of giving them the chance for write access. I could probably use Library Server but just never got into really using it.

This is exactly how I do it also. All other alternatives just aren't flexible enough for me. Each client runs a simple script (on startup and/or on demand) which grabs a local copy of the latest library (and thumbnails) from the server. I only copy the important jmd database files and leave behind the ones which maintain Playing Now and Last Played counts etc that way this stuff is not overwirtten. I use another script to export all local playlists and copy them up to the server. From there, OTTO is used to import these into the master library. As each client has their own copy of the library, I don't care if they screw anything up. It can all be fixed with another click of the update script and I just use standard XP file security settings to control user access to the media.

I do all tagging and library updates in my household so that's why this centralised system works for me. I guess it would require a lot of re-thinking if you wanted to allow each and every client the ability to do this.

[dcwebman]

raym, sounds pretty good. I just use the Backup/Restore Library and don't care if the others get my counts and such.    I should, so is there any way I can get a copy of your scripts?

[glynor]

dcwebman, I use a very similar system, and posted my scripts over here, including instructions:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=35978.0

[dcwebman]

Thanks glynor. I knew about your scripts but it sounded like more than the simple stuff I was needing. I will check them out though.

[4BYE]

Hello,

I use Library Server for all my music (3x 300GB). I'm starting with images now but that's giving me problems when loading the thumbs. Also playing DVD files isn't working on the other computers.

When laoding the Library from the main computer into the other I get big problems.
So the only option right now would be having a seperate library for each computer.
But this takes to much time and work.

So I'll wait for Library Server to work for all media types...