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[DWAnderson]

I have noticed the following behavior with version 12.0.380:

I have a PC running Media Center Server which runs 24/7 and downloads podcasts automatically. Other PCs share the library of the server PC and play the downloaded podcast using Media Center applications running on those PCs. Unfortunately, the library accessed by these other PCs does not seem to reflect newly downloaded podcasts unless I close and restart the instance of Media Center running on the server PC.

Note that this behavior occurs whether the remote PCs access the server's library by loading the server's library file as their own or if they access the server's library by accessing Media Center Server.

Help please.

[DWAnderson]

Bump

[Matt]

Library Server does not automatically re-update the library.

[DWAnderson]

Library Server does not automatically re-update the library.

I believe, it always did until recently. If not how do changes in the library get communicated to PCs that access the Library Server?

In any event, reading the library files directly doesn't reflect the updated library either, not just accessing the library via Library Server.

But perhaps I misunderstand your response. Do you mean that changes in a library due to podcasts being downloaded, CDs being ripped etc. do not get written to disk or reflected in the library Library Server is serving until MC is terminated? If so, that would also be a recent change.

Please explain. Thanks.

[John Gateley]

Library Server does not inform clients when changes have been made to the library, so if it downloads podcasts, the clients won't know about them unless they ask for the library again.

It sounds like your Library Server Media Center might be running in read-only mode. If you are accessing the library from multiple places, even for debugging purposes, this could easily happen.

j

[DWAnderson]

This is not an issue of the clients not getting the updated library while they are connected, although I note that was not clear from the original post.

Media Server is running 24/7, clients connect and disconnect at various times but all seem only to be served the library at the time Media Server first started running. As noted in the initial post, the same behavior applies when I just have the clients read the library directly from the network share where it is stored instead of via Library Server.

However, when I access MC on the server itself, I see the library with all updates since it was started. But in order to get the client PCs to be able to use/see this updated library, I have to restart MC on the server.

MC on the Server should not running in read only mode as no alert dialog comes up when I run it and no other PCs have the library open. Also, if that were true when I close and reopen MC on the server, (i) the library shouldn't be showing the new changes to the library, those should have disappeared when I closed MC running on the server, and (ii) it should not be automatically downloading podcasts.

Not knowing how MC is architected makes it hard to guess what the problem might be, but it is as if (a) the MC on the server is keeping changes from downloaded podcasts in memory and not writing them out to disk, while (b) Library server is reading the older library from disk rather than the version that the server MC has in memory.

[John Gateley]

I need some info:
1) Start Library Server MC. Turn on Logging for Sharing Plugins.
2) Connect to the Library Server from a client.
3) Open the log, look for "Zip file:" and see what file name is there. Note the size, date and time of the file.
4) Wait for a podcast to download.
5) Reconnect from the client.
6) Open the log, look for the Zip file again (there may be many at this point, look for the last one).
7) Check the size, date and time of that file - is it different?

j

[DWAnderson]

Yes, the name, date, size and time are different.

[John Gateley]

Very strange... I'll take a closer look tomorrow. In the meantime, what happens if you add a file, or change a tag on a regular audio file, then reconnect from the client. Is that change visible?

j

[DWAnderson]

No that change is not visible-- either when connecting to the Library Server or reading the MC Server library directly from its network share.

[DWAnderson]

I note this problem is still present in 12.0.386.

[John Gateley]

I didn't get to it today, I will monday...

j

[DWAnderson]

Thanks.

A little more data: When I connect to the UPnP server with my Soundbridge I do not have this problem.

[John Gateley]

I tried - it worked fine for me. The next step is detailed step-by-step instructions on how  you reproduce the problem.

Also, the UPnP server uses a very different interface to the library.

Let me know...

j

[DWAnderson]

What additional detail do you need?

[JimH]

He's asking for a step by step description of what you do.

Also include the build you're using.  388 is out now.

[DWAnderson]

Using build 386:

1. Run Media Server on Server PC
2. Wait for new podcast to download (or make change of change other tag information on an existing file)
3. Connect with Remote PC to Media Server (connection is made on port 2003, no password)
4. New podcast is not shown in library on Remote PC (nor is change to other changed tag information on an existing file)

[John Gateley]

Just to make sure I'm testing the right thing: could you replace step 2 with "download a podcast manually"?

What I mean is to go into a podcast where you don't automatically download all episodes, choose one that isn't
downloaded, then download it...

j

[DWAnderson]

I tried manually downloading an older extra podcast earlier today using the Server PC running Media Server. I was able to access it from remote PC connecting to the Library Server.

So I did some more experimentation and determined that the problem only seems to occur after I hit what would normally be the Close Program "X" in the upper right corner of the MC window on the server. I am running MC on the server with the  /MediaServer switch set, so this doesn't terminate MC, just reduces it to the tray icon-- but I get the problem with the library no longer being served correctly or updated that I have described above. This problem continues even when I "Show Media Center" from the tray icon.

Let me add more specifics to see if you can reproduce the problem:

-- I am running MC on the server with the  /MediaServer switch set when I run it. The Z skin is being used.

-- I am running MC on the server with the library on a network share (on the same server)

-- I add a new pocast Mugglecast (featured on the Podcast home page in MC)

-- I manually download the most recent episode.

-- I start up MC running on the remote PC and connect to the library being served by Library Server running as part of MC on the server PC (library server operates on Port 2003)

-- When I look at podcasts on the remote PC I see the Mugglecast Podcast listed and that one episode exists.

-- I close MC on the Remote PC.

-- I cick what would normally be the Close Program "X" in the upper right corner of the MC window on the server

-- I use "Show Media Server" from the MC tray icon on the server.

-- I manually download the second most recent episode of Mugglecast.

-- I reconnect the Remote PC to the Library Server. The second downloaded Mugglecast episode is not there.

Please let me know if you are still unable to recreate this issue.

[Matt]

Thanks for the help.

In build 391:
Fixed: When using Media Server, background tasks like the scheduler or library saves would not occur.