iTunes on a Shared Server

[ee99ee]

I have multiple computers, both Mac and Windows that run iTunes. How can I store all of the music AND THE INDEX on a file server? If I add something to the library on one system, I want it to show up on all of them.

Currently I have moved the music data over, but I can't seem to figure out how to move the index over so when I add it to one it shows up on all.

I would also like to be able to have concurrent uses of iTunes; in other words, I be on one system, my friend on another or whatever, and when things are added they show up without having to restart iTunes (which I assume would be required to recache the index, if it even does it that way...).

-Chris

 

[MacFan25863]

This tutorial may be able to help you. It's for setting it up for mutiple users on the same computer, but the same principals apply for mutiple computers.

 

[balamw]

You could also run mt-daapd and access your iTunes library as a network shared library...

http://wiki.mt-daapd.org/wiki/Quickstart_Macosx

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[ee99ee]

Think there will be any issues with multiple users accessing the index at the same time? That tutorial assumes the users are local, thus only one at a time would access it. Or is that what the mt-daapd gets around?

-Chris

 

[balamw]

Think there will be any issues with multiple users accessing the index at the same time? That tutorial assumes the users are local, thus only one at a time would access it. Or is that what the mt-daapd gets around?

-Chris

The tutorial that was linked gets around this by not sharing the index, only the actual library. It says that you must manually add new content to each of the "shared libraries".

You could also just use iTunes on one of the machines and share the library over the network. This is what I actually do, my main library is on a Dell PC and it is shared to the iBook and iMac. mt-daapd just replaces the built-in iTunes network sharing.

Downsides: You can't modify network libraries from within iTunes on the client machines

Upsides: No limitations on number of computers accessing the shared server, uses far less resources than iTunes, changes to the shared library automagically propagate to the clients.

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