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Author Topic: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries  (Read 3008 times)

swinster

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What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« on: November 16, 2010, 05:56:53 pm »

I posted this as a tag on to a previous question but I think it deserves its own post.

Has anyone got a full list of what CAN and CAN'T be done from a remote client to a shared library? Does such a list exist? If not, I think it would be a useful addition to the Wiki. At least in that way people will understand what can and can't be achieved remotely, however they set up their library server.

For instance, I'm trying to do something that think should be achievable in that I wish to rip a CD from a remote client into the shared library on a remote server and make sure all the tag a correct, then update the cover art but I'm finding this more difficult than I expected with some odd results. The files are stored in a shared folder accessible via UNC convention, and the cover art should be stored in the same folder (as set in the Options on the client).
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glynor

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2010, 06:03:10 pm »

I think it is still a work in process.  When it is "done" I'm sure they'll help with documentation.
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Jaguu

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2010, 02:50:30 am »

The current state is documented here:

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Library_Server_Sync
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2010, 02:25:40 pm »

Cover art is not mentioned. Is there something that needs to be done with regard to this?

From the client, if I select an Album, Cover Art --> Get from Internet, I see the cover art dialog and when I click the Save Cover Art button, the box closes as per normal with no error. However, the Cover Art does not get saved in the shared directory and consequently is also not updated in the library.

As said, on the client I have "Tools --> Options --> File Locations --> Cover Art", set to save the cover art in the same folder as the file AND include in the file tag. I believe this is also set to the same thing on the server, but I'm guessing this make no difference (unless actually operating form the server).

I'm guessing that although the files are on a UNC Share (i.e. \\server\music\artist\album) and this location can be seen in the file location tag, as the file is referenced through the library, the client cannot resolve the actual location of the file. For instance, if you try to "locate" the file (either in MC or external using Explorer) get a response say that "m01p://server:52199/MCWS/v1/file/getfile?file=xxxx" does not exist.


Whilst not "officially" supported, I don't see why you couldn't rip to the share, these additions should then be updated on the server, but the cover art is still an issue.
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #4 on: November 17, 2010, 03:11:39 pm »

An interesting question although linked to Cover Art saving no directly linked with this problem - Now that I have gone with the standard file music file format when it comes to ripping with MC - APE - does this particular format support saving cover art within the tag?
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JimH

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2010, 03:14:29 pm »

An interesting question although linked to Cover Art saving no directly linked with this problem - Now that I have gone with the standard file music file format when it comes to ripping with MC - APE - does this particular format support saving cover art within the tag?
Yes.
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2010, 04:27:06 pm »

In that case, what is going on with an inability to save cover art from a client attached to a library server either in the folder or in the tag?
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2010, 05:40:06 am »

Anyone got any idea why cover art can't be updated in this senario - is this something that should be able to be done or not?
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2010, 03:58:30 pm »

Still queering why I can update Cover Art on the library server from a client. Any ideas?
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Matt

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2010, 08:11:06 am »

Still queering why I can update Cover Art on the library server from a client. Any ideas?

Not currently.

The client doesn't upload new content to the server (files or cover art).  This might be a nice addition to v16.
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raldo

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2010, 09:15:39 am »

Still queering why I can update Cover Art on the library server from a client. Any ideas?

This works for me.

The "Image File" tag is synced from server to client so if you keep the images in a "known location", for example on a server share, you'll see the art on the server and on other clients.
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #11 on: November 26, 2010, 12:08:49 pm »

This works for me.

The "Image File" tag is synced from server to client so if you keep the images in a "known location", for example on a server share, you'll see the art on the server and on other clients.

Interesting - this is exactly what I though I had done, and why I asked the question previously about APE files and there support for cover art in tags.

Raldo, Is it possible for you to post an example configuration for you server and client?
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raldo

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #12 on: November 26, 2010, 02:58:22 pm »

Raldo, Is it possible for you to post an example configuration for you server and client?

Well, I made sure the Cover Art is set to be stored "In a Specified folder" and that the folder is set to my server share, both on the server and the client.

Do your other tags synchronize properly? I had problems in the beginnig since "Enable Autentication" wasn't ticked.

Do you see the "Image File" tag being populated on your server when you assign cover art on a client (or vice versa)?
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2010, 08:12:35 pm »

O
Well, I made sure the Cover Art is set to be stored "In a Specified folder" and that the folder is set to my server share, both on the server and the client.
Yep, this is what I have set.

Do your other tags synchronize properly? I had problems in the beginnig since "Enable Autentication" wasn't ticked.
Yep, if I update say genre, this is applied immediately.

Do you see the "Image File" tag being populated on your server when you assign cover art on a client (or vice versa)?
Ah ha. This might be the root cause of the problem. Even though the client is set to save the cover art in the same folder as the "same folder as the file" and also to "store the image in the file tag", I can see the image IS actually stored in the server share correctly, but the image field is populated with with a folder path that refers to the LOCAL machine - i.e. "C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 15\Cover Art"

If I load MC full program on the server, the cover art updates immediately.

I "may be" that if I leave the client open for a long period of time - say 15-20 mins, then the file tags eventually update to the show the jpg in the same folder as the file, but this is a long time to wait. Essentially I have only seen this happen in the time it has taken to write this email including various test on multiple clients.
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #14 on: December 04, 2010, 08:50:44 pm »

Update - I specifically deleted any jpg's in the album folder AND remove cover art from the same album in the library, then got new cover art from the internet, just to see what is happening.

The Cover Art is downloaded immediately to the local store even thought MC is set to save the file to the same folder as the album. The tag on the file is updated to hold to local file path name, yet nothing actually happen with regard to the cover art on the album. After approximately 10 mins, the jpg eventually shows up in the Music folder share on the server, and the first of the album file tags are updated to show just the file name - no path info. The cover art can then be seen on the first file.

After approximate another 10 mins the rest of the album files are updated to show the file name, no path info. Eventually all files show the cover art.

I can't help thinking that this is a little to long to replicate the changes. Cover art is only a couple of hundred kilobytes, if that. I would expect it to be immediate.
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swinster

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Re: What can and can't be done when working with remote libraries
« Reply #15 on: December 04, 2010, 09:25:38 pm »

In addition, a lot of the album that show up with no cover art, yet there is a cover art file in the folder, seem to indicate a path that relates to "D:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 15\Cover Art".

I believe the "D" drive relates to a previous install of Windows, although I'm pretty sure I had MC set up to save to the folder and add to the tag in the same way that I have now.
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