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[YannisA]

Greetings to all,
I used to keep my files (audio / pictures / video) on WHS for security reasons (duplication etc).
Now, I decided to install MC14 on WHS and then run the Library Server on it, so each pc in the house can read the one and single library, that is hosted on the WHS.
That worked like a charm, while I was logged on the WHS as a "user" running the MC14. Each pc could find the library server and "import" the library from WHS.
However, when the Windows Home Server is at the logon screen ("press Ctrl+Alt+Del to logon") and MC14 is not running on it, home computers fail to discover the Library Server...
As you know, the WHS computer usually is a headless, out of site pc, running 24/7, just waiting for a user to access it through remote access and, ensures that every night, it will back up all home pcs...
I thought that this (the Library Server), could run as a service upon system's startup. It seems this is not the case or, what I'm missing?
Thanks for your feedback.

[JimH]

Running Media Server on startup is what you want.  It's in the options for startup.

[YannisA]

I thought that this (the Library Server), could run as a service upon system's startup. It seems this is not the case or, what I'm missing?

Well "by system's startup", I mean the stage just before logging on (the Ctrl+Alt+Del window). At this stage, although enabled in the Options > Startup, nothing is run and the Library server is not discovered by the clients..

[TunaOnToast]

I run this setup aswell. WHS and MC 14 + Library Server with multiple clients connecting to that.
What you can do is to get the addin Any Service Installer. You can then run MC as a service and it will start up without having to log on to the WHS console and it will keep running if you log off the console.

[park]

The only downside with running MC as a service is that there is no way to show media center if you want to do something inside it.

Another route would be to set up a user that gets logged in automatically when the whs starts up. Then make sure Media center is set to load at startup too, and you should be all set.

[YannisA]

I run this setup aswell. WHS and MC 14 + Library Server with multiple clients connecting to that.
What you can do is to get the addin Any Service Installer. You can then run MC as a service and it will start up without having to log on to the WHS console and it will keep running if you log off the console.

Yes I know this software. Thanks!

[YannisA]

The only downside with running MC as a service is that there is no way to show media center if you want to do something inside it.

Another route would be to set up a user that gets logged in automatically when the whs starts up. Then make sure Media center is set to load at startup too, and you should be all set.

Well, i never use the Windows Home Server to show MC14. I only use it to just have my media files in a centralized and safe place (have enabled duplication just in case a HD fails).
I need to access the media files and the library (and make changes to it, tags, thumbnails etc), from clients.
So what is the program that should be run as service on the WHS?

[park]

mc14.exe

It's in the system32 folder in the windows folder.

But if you want to make any changes to your viewschemes, you won't be able to do that from the clients. Nor create new viewschemes. Or apply cover art to files. All these things can only be done by directly accessing the library, so you'll need to stop the MC service on the server and load your library directly on MC on one of your machines.

[YannisA]

... Nor create new viewschemes. Or apply cover art to files. All these things can only be done by directly accessing the library, so you'll need to stop the MC service on the server and load your library directly on MC on one of your machines.

I use to embed cover art in the files themselves and also sava e "folder.jpg" in "the same folder as the files". Wont this be possible? Strange.

[JasonJoel]

Correct, can't do that. No cover art updating from the client is a key feature that prevents me from using the Library server.

Also, I think it should run as a service out of the box, but that has already been mentioned.

Jason

[nwboater]

Since WHS is a 'Server', I'm wondering why we want to use the 'Library Server' feature of MC? I have set it up in WHS and it works, but I keep reading of some limitations. Why not just have each client version of MC use the same 'Shares' in WHS? Are there some potential conflicts? Might there also be limitation this way?

Rod

[JasonJoel]

You could have all the clients using separate DBs and pointing to the same shares. Works fine.

The downside to that is you can't (easily) share smart playlists and views, and the library scans for each client which adds overhead. If that is OK, then you might as well just have separate DBs.

I like to do a lot of the administrative legwork for my wife, and make things like smart playlists for her to use. That is the main driver for our desire to use the Library server.

In the meantime, we are using a network stored single DB, and pointing both clients to it. The downside is only one person can use MC at the same time, which is annoying, but workable for us.

Jason

[nwboater]

Jason, thanks for the quick response. Guess it's a matter of deciding which trade offs to accept - darn, I hate to have any of course!

Just discovered another problem. When I set up my WHS machine I imported all the music files from my desktop PC to the Music Share. When I set up the Library Server on the Clients the whole library was there with Album, Artist, Genre, etc information.

This morning from my desktop PC (Client) I ripped some CDs. I had setup on my PC that rips should go to the WHS Music Share. On my PC everything showed fine: Genre, Artist, etc. I then checked the Library on the WHS machine (I presently have a monitor, etc. connected). All of the new rips are listed under 'Unnasigned' They don't show under Artist or Genre or Album.

I then restarted MC on the WHS machine, and everything stayed the same. I then restarted MC on the Client and its Library became the same as the WHS one with the new rips under 'Unassigned'.

Am I doing something wrong, or do I need to do the rips on the WHS machine if I continue to use Library Server?

Thanks,
Rod

[nwboater]

I just reread the Wiki on Library Server. It said:  "But any changes you make on the client are not saved on the server until you select Library Sync... from the Library menu selection." So guess I should have done the Library Sync on my PC. Too bad I restarted MC on my PC - looks like I lost all the Artist, Album, Genre info. Re-rip time. But this time I'm only going to do one and fully check it out!

Rod

[nwboater]

The only downside with running MC as a service is that there is no way to show media center if you want to do something inside it.

Another route would be to set up a user that gets logged in automatically when the whs starts up. Then make sure Media center is set to load at startup too, and you should be all set.

After reading of many difficulties using a Client to perform MC tasks in WHS here is what I have just done. Instead of working on the Client version of MC it seemed that many of the difficulties could be eliminated if I could directly work on the WHS copy of MC. Since I want to run WHS headless that seemed impossible.

Then I came across a WHS Add In called Advanced Admin. Besides a lot of great features that allow you to do most anything in your server from the Console Screen it gives you access to the WHS Desktop. Now I can run the Server MC from my desktop PC. Fortunately when I built my Server I installed a DVD/CD drive in it. Also my Server is located near my desktop. So now I rip directly to the WHS library. (I previously was able to rip from my client and then Sync the Libraries, but doing it directly on the Server feels better.)

For those having problems with Embedded Art, this solution should work. And for any other changes in MC. I have only used this for Music, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for most any activity in MC.

The only difficulty I had setting this up was to get MC to run through the Advanced Admin. When I tried to start it from the Advanced Admin Console it said a version of MC was already running. This is because I have it set to start the Media Server Service on the WHS copy of MC on WHS startup (Tools, Options, Startup, Windows Startup, Media Server). I had to open Task Manager From Advanced Admin (another handy feature!) and stop MC14.EXE. Then I could run MC. On subsequent logons this has not been an issue - not sure why.

Hope this helps someone.

Rod