scanning dual boot files
#1
Hi I have searched for an answer but havent been able to find one.

I have just installed oelec v5 on a Rpi to access the media folders on my desktop. Trouble is the desktop is dual boot, so I point the pi at the files in windows it scans builds the db and shows my movies in the library. Then I switch to ubuntu and try to do the same but it wont add the files, when I click on a thumbnail it says the file no longer exsists and asks if I want to remove it (because windows isn't running)

I dont want to have to remove everything and re scan to the library every time I switch os.

Am I missing something (thats hopefully right in front of me!)

Thanks
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#2
That won't work.

As far as I understand you have windows and Ubuntu in a dual boot on your desktop. Then you boot up windows, shared folders for the network and pointed the RPI to use those shares with a specific path Kodi looks for.

Even if you create SMB shares on the ubuntu system, the path will differ from the one you first had with the windows machine. So Kodi will look for the path it has as you added the sources, won't find it (as expected) and then tell you that the file is not longer available and if you want to remove it from the library.

Well, the file is ofc available, but not atm as you are on a different system. So you either boot windows to watch your movies of you decide to use completely ubuntu to create the shares and use that. You can't mix it.

Maybe there is some way, but I guess that needs experienced network and Linux knowledge I don't have.
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#3
What you can do is to use different profiles in Kodi.

So you first have to mount the windows partition at startup in Ubuntu, create the network shares and add those to a different profile on your Pi. You could name the profiles "windows" and "ubuntu" for example. And every time you decide to use the specific OS on your desktop, you have to switch the profile. Every profile has it's own db. If you don't use different profiles you will have duplicates of the movies in your main db in Kodi. Different path means different location. So the movie will be added twice in your library. So I would decide to use different profiles in your case.

In general I wouldn't use different OSs on a file hosting machine. I would use one OS and let it as it is. Or make sure only use one OS while you want to watch your movies
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#4
I'm no ubuntu expert, but I think this is possible - and hopefully relatively straightforward.

The objective is to make the paths the same from windows and ubuntu.
In windows when you share a drive or folder you give it a name.
eg I have films in H/Video/Films.
I've shared the H drive with a name - BigRed3 (it's my 3rd 3TB WD Red, not very imaginative).
So I can access that drive from anywhere on the network using just the IP address of my pc and the name of the share.
In kodi the entry in sources.xml would be:
Quote: <source>
<name>Set - Films</name>
<path pathversion="1">smb://192.168.1.2/BigRed3/Video/Films/</path>
<allowsharing>true</allowsharing>
</source>
So the objective is to make ubuntu serve those films with the same path.
For that you'd need to look at smb.conf - this is where it gets a bit ropey, I'm not familiar with ubuntu but it should be pretty much the same as other linux distributions...
So in smb.conf I'd have an entry something like this:
Quote:[BigRed3]
path = /media/BigRed3
available = yes
browsable = yes
public = yes
writable = yes
root preexec = mkdir -p /mediaBigRed3
The details for ubuntu might be not quite right - you'll need to have a look at the structure of smb.conf - but by doing that the files will be given the same smb share path as from windows - so I (you) could use the same source in kodi.
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#5
edit: delete because it might be nonsense Wink

I'm not sure anymore...so ignore me please.
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#6
Maybe I'm missing something David - the path to the files in ubuntu isn't the same as the path in windows.
But as long as the share name is the same it doesn't matter.

eg I've just tried with a usb drive - plugged it in windows and it's drive T.
But I've shared it as Toshiba2TB - so over the network I can reach it using 192.168.1.2/Toshiba2TB.

Then I plugged the same drive in my revo running openelec. It mounts at /media, but it can be shared from 192.168.1.26/Toshiba2TB by sticking
Quote:[Toshiba2TB]
path = /media/Toshiba2TB
available = yes
browsable = yes
public = yes
writable = yes
root preexec = mkdir -p /media/Toshiba2TB
in samba.conf.
Obviously the IP's are different - different machines - but the share is the same.

Is ubuntu different somehow? It's a while since I've used it, but pretty sure it works the same way.

Edit: Just seen you've deleted - I'll leave this up anyway, maybe someone more familiar with ubuntu can confirm or call me a twit.
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#7
Just make the path look the same whether it is being served by windows or linux.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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#8
wow Thanks so much for the quick responses :-) much nicer over here than most of the bimmer forums I've been on lol

The paths/share name "should" be the same regardless as the files are all stored on externals connected to the pc, I'm not very knowledgeable to be honest am learning on the fly!

I will try the different profile option first as it looks the easiest and makes sense (in my head at least!)
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#9
If those are external HDDs with their own power supply, so why not plugging them directly to the Pi? Why such a hassle if things could be that easy? Do you share those HDDs to more then one Kodi client?
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#10
(2016-01-15, 11:51)randombitti Wrote: wow Thanks so much for the quick responses :-) much nicer over here than most of the bimmer forums I've been on lol

The paths/share name "should" be the same regardless as the files are all stored on externals connected to the pc, I'm not very knowledgeable to be honest am learning on the fly!

I will try the different profile option first as it looks the easiest and makes sense (in my head at least!)

The paths definitely aren't the same. Linux and windows give the drives different addresses (eg windows 'c' drive doesn't exist in linux - the drive is still there but it might be 'sda/1' or something similar).
The share names can be the same, but only if you make it so. That means getting into smb.conf in ubuntu and making the share name match the share name in windows.

Profiles will work, but you'll be duplicating everything and watched status will be different for each. You'll also have to scan on both profiles every time you want to update your library.
Sorting out the paths might need a bit of thought on your part, but once done it will just work.
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#11
(2016-01-15, 12:09)David1977 Wrote: If those are external HDDs with their own power supply, so why not plugging them directly to the Pi? Why such a hassle if things could be that easy? Do you share those HDDs to more then one Kodi client?
They dont have their own ps,

I just want to be able to watch the content from the front room regardless of which os my son is currently gaming on
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#12
look at the path of a movie in the info screen, it'll be something like smb://hostname/sharename/directory/anotherdir/filename.mkv

Now you have to make it look identical when served by linux. In other words, the hostname and sharename need to be the same. You can set all this in smb.conf.
If I have helped you or increased your knowledge, click the 'thumbs up' button to give thanks :) (People with less than 20 posts won't see the "thumbs up" button.)
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