Okay, i've been looking all over for a simple answer to this problem for a while and haven't found a solution that doesn't involve paying for third-party software or a lot of seemingly unnecessary hassle. I posted this question on Apple's site too but haven't gotten any answers there yet either. I'm sure you guys can help though. Here's my situation:
I have an older 12" PowerBook G4 and a brand new MacBook Pro. I also have a Time Capsule and a 30 gig iPod, but i'm not sure whether they will be helpful or not for my situation. When i got my MacBook Pro, i let Leopard transfer all my info, so now both computers have the same login information, music library, iPhoto library, etc... But not for long, naturally. I want to use my MBP at home primarily and will spend most of my time on it, but i will also frequently be out and will be taking my PowerBook along as it is both more portable and less of a concern if something happens to it. What i want to do is to set things up so that my iTunes library (including playlists, ratings, and other metadata) is kept synchronized across both computers (perhaps via the Time Capsule?) and that any changes made on either mac will at least eventually be mirrored on the other without causing duplicates or loss of any files. I don't need to keep separate versions or sizes of iTunes libraries either; the hard drives are each large enough to hold the entire thing.
On a side note, the iPod only needs to be able to sync from the MBP, i think, though it would be nice to have the option to sync from either. Sadly, its not large enough to hold the whole library, so i cant use that to go back and forth or anything.
Also, i wouldnt mind if the library were only stored on the TC and the PB, since the MBP should be able to access the TC 99% of the time, but in that case the PB would have to compare its own library and metadata to that of the TC, while im not sure how the MBP would store its iTunes database on the TC and not its own drive. I imagine that, with the current implementation of iTunes at least, it would have to be all on the MBP and the PB, with the TC version merely a backup. In most cases, i should be able to reach both my TC and my MBP from the road over the internet, but i still want to have the library on the PB hard drive for when i dont have a connection.
I wouldnt mind a master, slave type setup either, with the MBP being the master, since with the only working optical drive and a faster connection, it will be doing most of my importing- but its important that the playlists and everything are the same and it sure would be nice if i didnt have to remember not to make any changes from the PB. I don't plan on buying any music from the iTunes store and my entire library is DRM free, so that won't be a problem. Both systems are running the latest versions of all software and operating system (though i hear this may change with Snow Leopard...?)
And while were at it, doing the same or similar to my iPhoto, iCal, Addressbook, Documents, etc. would be nice. Perhaps something can be done with the entire Home folder that would accomplish all of this? Im not sure if the fact that one is Intel and the other is PowerPC would put a hitch in that method though. There are some settings, such as the totally different trackpads, etc. that will not be the same, plus ill be using a lot of programs solely on the MBP, which is why cloning the drive is not an option.
Id like to find a way to set this up using just Automator and maybe some Applescripts if possible, but if i do have to bend and go third-party, it would need to be solid.
I know my situation is unique (Ive found a lot of people trying to synchronize libraries, say, with a spouse, etc. WITHOUT syncing the metadata- or people wanting different libraries on different computers to feed into the same pool, but those are very different cases, obviously) but im sure there are plenty of people out there with several different macs of their own who could benefit from this solution. Any help you can give towards this would be appreciated. Thanks!
I have an older 12" PowerBook G4 and a brand new MacBook Pro. I also have a Time Capsule and a 30 gig iPod, but i'm not sure whether they will be helpful or not for my situation. When i got my MacBook Pro, i let Leopard transfer all my info, so now both computers have the same login information, music library, iPhoto library, etc... But not for long, naturally. I want to use my MBP at home primarily and will spend most of my time on it, but i will also frequently be out and will be taking my PowerBook along as it is both more portable and less of a concern if something happens to it. What i want to do is to set things up so that my iTunes library (including playlists, ratings, and other metadata) is kept synchronized across both computers (perhaps via the Time Capsule?) and that any changes made on either mac will at least eventually be mirrored on the other without causing duplicates or loss of any files. I don't need to keep separate versions or sizes of iTunes libraries either; the hard drives are each large enough to hold the entire thing.
On a side note, the iPod only needs to be able to sync from the MBP, i think, though it would be nice to have the option to sync from either. Sadly, its not large enough to hold the whole library, so i cant use that to go back and forth or anything.
Also, i wouldnt mind if the library were only stored on the TC and the PB, since the MBP should be able to access the TC 99% of the time, but in that case the PB would have to compare its own library and metadata to that of the TC, while im not sure how the MBP would store its iTunes database on the TC and not its own drive. I imagine that, with the current implementation of iTunes at least, it would have to be all on the MBP and the PB, with the TC version merely a backup. In most cases, i should be able to reach both my TC and my MBP from the road over the internet, but i still want to have the library on the PB hard drive for when i dont have a connection.
I wouldnt mind a master, slave type setup either, with the MBP being the master, since with the only working optical drive and a faster connection, it will be doing most of my importing- but its important that the playlists and everything are the same and it sure would be nice if i didnt have to remember not to make any changes from the PB. I don't plan on buying any music from the iTunes store and my entire library is DRM free, so that won't be a problem. Both systems are running the latest versions of all software and operating system (though i hear this may change with Snow Leopard...?)
And while were at it, doing the same or similar to my iPhoto, iCal, Addressbook, Documents, etc. would be nice. Perhaps something can be done with the entire Home folder that would accomplish all of this? Im not sure if the fact that one is Intel and the other is PowerPC would put a hitch in that method though. There are some settings, such as the totally different trackpads, etc. that will not be the same, plus ill be using a lot of programs solely on the MBP, which is why cloning the drive is not an option.
Id like to find a way to set this up using just Automator and maybe some Applescripts if possible, but if i do have to bend and go third-party, it would need to be solid.
I know my situation is unique (Ive found a lot of people trying to synchronize libraries, say, with a spouse, etc. WITHOUT syncing the metadata- or people wanting different libraries on different computers to feed into the same pool, but those are very different cases, obviously) but im sure there are plenty of people out there with several different macs of their own who could benefit from this solution. Any help you can give towards this would be appreciated. Thanks!
