Two questions:
1. Do both PCs see the files in the same disk locations? Meaning, does each media file have the same drive letter, path, and filename on the City House PC and on the Beach House PC?
2. Does, or can, the City House PC stay on and online 24/7?
If the answer to question #1 is yes, or you can alter it to make it into a yes, then you can accomplish what you want with relative ease. The best method probably depends on the answer to question #2, and your preference.
Manually Sync ChangesIf you basically abandon the City House PC (shut it down and turn it off) when you switch to the Beach House, then this is probably the simplest solution. Basically, you're going to make one PC the "master library" and only use it for a period of time, switching back and forth by restoring a
Library Backup.
0. Sync the media files from the City House PC to the Beach House PC (as you are doing now with a file sync tool).
1.
Back up MC's Library on the City House PC when you are getting ready to go to the Beach House.
2. Restore the backup onto the Beach House PC.
3. Go to the Beach and use it.
4. When you return home, back up MC's Library on the Beach House PC.
5. Boot the City House PC back up and restore the backup onto it. Re-syncing files back the other way as well if needed.
6. Shut down the Beach House PC until next year.
Use the Sync Library ToolMC's Library Manager has a tool that can be used to sync two MC Libraries over the network, including making copies of files as is needed. This will work best if the two copies of MC are on the same LAN (as otherwise copying the files back and forth will be slow as molasses). I don't have a lot of experience using this tool, but I can explain the basic concepts.
1. Each computer has its own
Library. It will probably also work best, like question #1 above, if the files on both are in the same spot (though I think it can somewhat manage this for you, depending on how you have it set up).
2. At least one of the PCs, and probably both, will need to have MC's Media Network features enabled. Whichever one you want to sync the information FROM (the one that has the "good" information you want to bring over) needs to have it enabled, anyway. Copy down this PC's Access Key. You also need to enable Authentication if you want the Sync to be able to modify this copy of the Library.
3. Start up the PC where you want to sync the information TO, and get it on the network. Before doing anything else, open MC and make a
Library Backup. That way you can "undo" in case you mess something up.
4. Use the
Library Manager to select your Library, and then click the
Sync Library button.
5. Enter the Access Key you recorded in step 2 in the Library Server box at the top of the Sync Library dialog.
6. Under
Actions, if you check
Merge Playlists, it will merge the Playlists for both copies of MC (making them match on both PCs).
7. If you want MC to sync the files (and make them match on both PCs as well) check Merge Files and make sure you set the File Locations options carefully. It uses the settings under Options > File Locations by default. If Merge Files is unchecked, then the File Locations "section" of the dialog is ignored (if you just want it to merge the playlists).
8. You probably want Conversion set to
Don't convert audio.
9. Click OK when you're ready to proceed, and it will do the merge. If Merging Files, it can take a long time.
Note: I don't use this, so I'm going by a few tests and limited experience.
Make the City House PC the Server and Use the Beach House PC as a ClientThis is almost certainly the way I'd recommend you do it, but it depends on having an always-on PC at the City House. It also could be troublesome if your internet connection isn't stable or reliable at both locations, or if your PC might crash at the City House (and it is a pain to drive back and fix it).
But, assuming you can do it in a reasonable fashion (it isn't crazy-far to go back to the City House, or you go back home regularly anyway, and can remotely access the PC there via something like Team Viewer if needed anyway), then this would probably be the best option.
1. Set up the City House PC as your Media Center "server" (enable Media Network).
2. Enable
Tools > Options > Media Network > Authentication. This is required in order for the Beach House PC to be able to make changes to the Library (tag files, create Playlists, etc).
3. Set up Port Forwarding on your home Router or Gateway device, so that requests on your public IP address's "MC Port Number" always get forwarded to the City House PC. You'll need to look for instructions for your particular network device. MC's default port is 52199, but it can be set to whatever you want via
Tools > Options > Media Network > Advanced > TCP Port.
4. You'll probably also need to
open up the port in the Windows Firewall.
5. Copy down (or email to yourself) the Access Key from the City House PC.
6. On the Beach House PC, open MC and add a new Library via the
Library Manager.
7. Choose Library Server as the type and enter the Access Key from step 5.
8. Click OK to load it. Enter the Username and Password you set when prompted.
Now, when you launch MC on the Beach House PC, it will connect to the City Home PC and use its copy of the Library for everything. It won't have to stream you the files because they're stored locally in the same exact spot (so MC will automatically use those instead). This way, since it is using the Library served by your City House PC, the two will never get out of sync in the first place. The big downside to this approach is that you can't really import new files from the Beach House PC. To import new files, you'll have to manually copy them over to the City House PC somehow, and let Auto-Import pick them up. There are also some limits on things you can do or change from the Client Side (you can make new Playlists and Smartlists, but you can't alter the Media Views in your Library from a Client). You also can't use Rename, Move, and Copy Files from a client copy of MC.
What will work best for you will depend on your particular circumstance. A hybrid approach might be the best option as well. On my Laptop, I access my Home Server's Library via Media Network most of the time, but I also have a Local Library on the laptop for when it can't get online, or when I want to do more "advanced" library management (and I update this periodically by using the Manual Sync method described first above).
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Topic: Sync Playlists between two Servers (Read 2166 times)