Sharing an iTunes library with my Synology NAS

[GIZBUG]

Is it possible for me to have all my music on my Synology DS213 NAS, and have my computer and my wife's computer both use that library?

Right now, I am linking my itunes library from my PC to my NAS, but her Mac, I have music locally on it, and wondering if it would be more beneficial to just have 1 library between both of us.
We both have separate apple id's for the apple store though, not sure how that would work.

 

[priitv8]

Main problem with this approach is not the Apple ID, but the fact, that iTunes library database can't be used (esp updated!) by two computers concurrenlty.
Provided that you keep the database (iTunes Library.itl et al) also on the NAS share, you can have both machines see, use and update the same library, but not at the same time. The downside - you will have to manually manage the resource contention.
If you keep separate database files on both machines, you will only create a mess, guaranteed.
But having the Home Sharing enabled on both machines makes it very easy to access the full content of both local and shared libraries from both ends.

 

[GIZBUG]

So if I personally have a pc, and my mac air, with my library on my NAS.....

My PC is set to have my media location on the nas (keep itunes organized, consolidated files). Also have home share enabled.

On my mac air, the best practice is to use homeshare? Even if both pc and mac air are using the same apple id? Only downside here is when running on the mac air now, i can not star a song / rate it when it's playing.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Not the perfect solution...but you could use iTunes match.

 

[sgjohnston]

What we have done is store all of the music on the Synology, and then import this into individual iTunes accounts on our MacBooks. It's a bit involved, but is more robust and works better than the other attempts at this I have tried.

1. Create a new profile in iTunes to allow you to manage the actual library on the Synology. If you are ripping CDs (like I was), then you have to make sure that the iTunes advanced option "Copy files to the iTunes media folder..." is set. Also, change the iTunes media folder to the location on the Synology that you want to use.

2. Import the music, etc, that you want. Using "Keep organised" will result in a well structured directory of music.

3. On each Mac that you want to actually use the library (if the same one as you used in steps 1 and 2, then create a new iTunes profile) make sure that the media folder is set to eg the default, in your Mac home directory, and that the "copy file to iTunes media folder..." option is *not* set.

4. Then use File>Add to library, and select the Synology directory with all of your media. This will add the media to iTunes, but will not copy it to your Mac (the media files remain on the Synology). iTunes is remarkably good about ignoring imports of the same thing, so if you want to add a new item, you can just import everything again and it will zip past anything that you previously imported.

5. If you want to say rip a new CD, then you open the iTunes profile that you used in step 1, rip it, then change back to the normal profile and re-import everything into your library.

Using this method, the original media files (requiring large amounts of space) are kept on the Synology, and the library itself, which is sensitive to concurrent access, is kept just for you on your own Mac.

Stuart

 

[priitv8]

Using this method, the original media files (requiring large amounts of space) are kept on the Synology, and the library itself, which is sensitive to concurrent access, is kept just for you on your own Mac.

Isn't it so, that using this (shared media folder, separate libraries) approach, the newly imported items appear only on the iTunes, where import was performed?
This, of course, will present no problem, if the individual libs shall not be kept in sync.
If they shall, you need to perform the same import on every iTunes, preferably using Home Sharing copy.

 

[sgjohnston]

Yes, you have to File>Add to library with every iTunes library, to get new music added.