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Author Topic: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows  (Read 4104 times)

mattkhan

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Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« on: December 11, 2014, 06:27:47 am »

I have a fileserver containing all media that exposes a bunch of network shares. These are mounted as network drives in windows & as cifs mounts in linux. I have a Windows HTPC that is the "master" jriver library & I now have a linux workstation also running jriver. I want to be able to use the linux box for playback independently of the windows box so I thought library server sync would be the way forward. However this still doesn't work & I see the library seems to have a bunch of windows paths in there.

What is the right way to do this?
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Hendrik

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2014, 06:32:31 am »

The "path" is always the path as it is contained in your library, if the library server is a Windows machine, those will be Windows paths, and this cannot be changed.
For generaly playback, this is not a problem, as MC will just stream the file through the library server and playback will work regardless.

This may not qualify for the "independence" you were looking for, but I'm afraid there isnt a solution for that in a mixed environment.
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mattkhan

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2014, 07:02:31 am »

OK I see so this means that the only solution is to build an independent library from the metadata stored in the tags?

Do you have a plan to fix this? It seems like it would be more of a problem for video (as then they would fight over the sidecar files if you built a separate lib)
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Hendrik

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #3 on: December 11, 2014, 07:07:33 am »

The solution is to stream through the library server.
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mattkhan

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #4 on: December 11, 2014, 08:47:35 am »

OK so there is no support for a disconnected server in a cross platform setup. This works in a windows only environment doesn't it?
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Hendrik

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2014, 09:19:22 am »

The server still needs to be reachable for the library server functionality to function at all. The only advantage a pure windows (or potentially pure linux) setup has is that it can directly access the files without streaming. But if the library server is not reachable at all (ie. offline), many of the functionality is quite crippled.
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mwillems

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #6 on: December 11, 2014, 10:03:19 am »

OK so there is no support for a disconnected server in a cross platform setup. This works in a windows only environment doesn't it?

Like Hendrik said, what you're describing only sort of works in a windows environment with mapped drives.  If the server is offline/unreachable, playback will work, but basic library navigation tasks get kind of touch and go in my experience, and of course syncing back play counts and other changes doesn't work at all (and will hang things if you leave auto-sync on). 
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mattkhan

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #7 on: December 11, 2014, 10:08:12 am »

I think I am just misinterpreting the name then, "library server sync" says to me that it is a distributed (master-master) sort of relationship whereas it is actually a client-server relationship.

I don't really get what the point of this feature is though, why doesn't it just directly submit library changes to the server?

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mwillems

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2014, 10:31:26 am »

Maybe we're talking about different menu options?  The only place I'm seeing the text "library server sync" in MC 20 is in the description of the authentication options and there it's referring to the normal library server/client sync operation (check out the wiki: http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Library_Server_Sync).  Although I seem to recall that in prior versions there was an option with the name "Library Server Sync" (or maybe it's in 20 and I can't find it)?

The closest thing I can find is the "sync library" function available under library manager (not to be confused with the "Sync Changes with Library Server" option)?  That basically copies all files and plylists from one library to another (syncs them), which probably isn't what you want (although with mapped drives that might work in a single OS ecosystem).

I don't really get what the point of this feature is though, why doesn't it just directly submit library changes to the server?

They offer both manual and automatic syncing because some people don't want automatic syncing enabled as a protection against accidental client-side file deletion.  It also gives you a way to "force an update" when the auto is taking a minute.
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mattkhan

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2014, 10:48:11 am »

I'm referring to that 1st wiki page. I think I just read into that page what I wanted the feature to be rather than what it actually is  ;D

Obviously the feature I want sounds like a great one though :) I probably should just shift my jrmc server to my actual server (which is on 24/7) though then I have to create a windows vm ...
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aoqw76

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Re: Library Server Sync Linux <-> Windows
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2014, 09:50:27 am »

Hi, doesn't have to be a windows mv, you can use mc for linux as the master library and have all other computers (windows or linux) as clients to the master library. That's how I use mine. Any changes - new tracks, or meta data edits - are auto synced through to the clients when they connect; or you can use the sync option to update back to the master. Eg change meta data on windows clients will update back to the linux master library.
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