[krunar]

Hello all,

first post here so be kind
If my question has already been answered and i missit on the search please forgive me and point me the solution.
On my homenetwork i have 1 win2003 server where i store all my movies, 1 pc vista ultimate and one laptop vista ultimate, where i want to use the XBMC.
From what i understand i have to install the XBMC on each machine i want to use it and add the sources from my win2003. So far everything is working.
The problem is that in each pc i have to rescan library in order to get the information. Is there a way to have one common library for all users in the network and ig yes...how to achive this?
In addition...in my pc i installed the XBMC (as administrator)...scan IMDb and got everything working fine. When i logof and login with another user (simple user) i dont see anything (not the sources or the media info. Is there a way to make one common library for all users in the same pc?

I am guessing its something with the profiles...but i can get those working

thank you in advance and forgive my long post

PS
one more strange thing...when i add a new profile while login as admin..the profile is unde user/<name>/bla bla bla...
When i added as simple user..its uner Program files..
With each account i am not able to see the profiles created by the other one

[Maxim]

When running XBMC using the default switches (IE: None) it will store everything in the profile directory for that user. Very similar to what unix/linux community has been doing for years. You can run XBMC in portable mode which will store everything where the exe is. This will allow all the users on one system to share the same db.

Share the db on the network is much more complicated, though theoretically possible.

I know not one single solution of how to do it that would be easy and work for all platforms.

Search the forums, this question has been asked before.

[natethomas]

That's an interesting point, though. At present the installer has the ability to put the library in any folder it wants. For the sake of convenience and because Windows wants us to, we put it in the user directory.

What if, upon initial install, we put that directory on a network drive where we also keep all of our files? And then, with each new install, we told the new install to look to that drive for the library?

The problem I see with this, beyond the fact that I'd have no idea how to code it, is that it has the potential to be INCREDIBLY slow and laggy. It would never work over a wireless network.

[sho]

Sure such a hack would be possible (and probably is today, one guy even nfs mounted the library iirc).
For this to work without a hitch, some sort of locking would probably have to be implemented.

What I can recommend today is this:

1. Set up the library on one XBMC instance to your liking.
2. Export to individual nfo files with fanart and thumbs.
3. Scan the library on the other clients.

That way you will have "your" data in all libraries across your environment.

If you use the -p switch, all users should have the same library and profiles.

[ar_groundzero]

I am currently using a program called Handy Backup to sync movies and settings between 2 environments. The software allows me to do a one way sync on my movies and a two way on my settings.

[krunar]

At present the installer has the ability to put the library in any folder it wants. For the sake of convenience and because Windows wants us to, we put it in the user directory.
What if, upon initial install, we put that directory on a network drive where we also keep all of our files? And then, with each new install, we told the new install to look to that drive for the library?

Maybe i am doing something wrong here...but in the initial install or in the creation of a new profile i dont have the ability to choose just any folder i want.

I am currently using a program called Handy Backup to sync movies and settings between 2 environments. The software allows me to do a one way sync on my movies and a two way on my settings.

This is what i planning to do..using goodsync

Btw..on my machine..the XBMC (window) shortcut had already the -p switch and i was forced to remove it in order to make it portable!!

[natethomas]

Maybe i am doing something wrong here...but in the initial install or in the creation of a new profile i dont have the ability to choose just any folder i want.

Oh, I don't mean WE have that ability. I'm just saying if the devs wanted to, they could change the installer to grant that ability.

Btw..on my machine..the XBMC (window) shortcut had already the -p switch and i was forced to remove it in order to make it portable!!

[/quote]

Which version are you running? All recent builds make the -p switch install the library in your "Program files" folder, while removing the -p switch installs the library in your user data folder.

If that ISN'T what happens, you need to install the Babylon alpha or a recent SVN.