[hippojay]

XonX (Which can be pronounced as "X-on-X" or Zonk if you like...)

Updated: 3rd May 2011

Current release - Version 0.3.4
https://github.com/downloads/hippojay/pl...-0.3.4.zip

What is it?

XonX is a small addon which helps turn your XBMC server into a central media server(ish). Have a single XBMC instance scrape the library, then read that library on multiple XBMC clients.

• Browse movies and metadata from multiple XBMC instances
  
• Play media via the addon...
  
• Supports XBMC authentication (but you will lose fanart for some reason)
  

Known Issues:

• Seeking on http delievered files doesn't work (bug logged: http://trac.xbmc.org/ticket/11524)
  
• Watched status and resume time not updated to central library
  

What do I need to do?

• From your central XBMC server, add all sources
  
• On central server, scrape all media into the library
  
• On central server, enable HTTP access in Network Settings
  
  
• On client XBMC, load addon
  
• start addon and browse your media
  
• Select to play on client...
  

How does it work?
The addon uses the JSON-RPC interface to send and recieve messages. This interface is quite fluid in nightly builds, but I have tested this against 10.1.

At the moment I have only tested this with SMB shares and local server media. As JSON-RPS is still being improved for 11.0, then any suggestions could help further that work..


I doubt I'll spend much time updating this addon - as I don't utilise the library functionality of XBMC. It was more of a PoC to compliment my other non-XBMC media server. So if you want to look at the code it's here:

https://github.com/hippojay/plugin.video.xonx

Change log
0.3.4 - Fixed TV Shows - added XBMC authentication (but you will lose fanart for some reason)

0.3.2 - Fix non-ASCII in local filenames

0.3.1 - play server media remotely

0.3 - fixed issue with different JSON responses from 10.1 and Pre-11..

0.2 - inital release

[twotone8]

nice work! i can't wait to get home and test this out.

as of now i've been using freefilesync to automatically sync my portable xbmc folder before and after each use, but that's a bit of a pain.

[dvverga]

This sounds awesome.

Does it work if you used a scraper outside of the xbmc one to scrape your media and store it locally in the movies folders?

[twotone8]

anyone given this a try yet? i've been away from home, but i'm hoping this is a better solution for synching libraries than learning mysql or using portable mode and synching the xbmc file folders each time.

[dvverga]

This sounds awesome.

Does it work if you used a scraper outside of the xbmc one to scrape your media and store it locally in the movies folders?

I tried it today and it seems to be working, but honestly I am not entirely sure.

I followed the instructions for the server side then went over to the client and installed the plugin there on my apple tv 2. Once it was installed I configured the plugin to the address of my server and began adding smb shares. It saw all of my media (which it did before) and went through a long process of scanning it all to add it to the library. I don't think it is rescrapping, actually I am pretty sure it is grabbing it from the server since the fanart and everything updates quite slowly (most likely due to the apple tv 2 itself)

I don't know why but for some reason I feel like I am missing something with this.

I've got xbmc running on my server right now though I am not sure it has to be.

[tboooe]

gotta give this a try. I wonder if this would be faster than running from a mysql db?

[dvverga]

gotta give this a try. I wonder if this would be faster than running from a mysql db?

Its hard to know unless someone has tried both, but if you do decide to give it a shot, please report back and let us know how it works for you.

[hippojay]

Guys - this plugin won't keep two copies of a library in sync. It reads and displays the contents of a single library and allows you to use it. In effect you have a full configured central XBMC server and thin clients that then read that data.

So on the client end you don't need to configure a library(*) or add sources. Simple install the plugin, point to XBMC server and run.

(*) not sure about the version on the ATV2, but you do have o scan in a single piece of media in order to activate library views. This is an XBMC requirement, but is changing for 11.0 (Eden) and is already present in nightly builds.

[hippojay]

Update to version 0.3: Issue with different response messages from diff version of XBMC. Would cause addon to terminate.

EDIT: Can't stop tinkering - Version 0.3.1..
Added the ability to play media remotely via HTTP API using the VFS.. Can't seek though for some reason...

[sb206]

The script works not for me
. After start i can search but then it says script failjure. Please help

[hippojay]

Any particular place or listing? It might be that I've just assumed the English alphabet and some characters are causing issues..

If you could turn on debug mode within the XonX addon, run it and get a failure and then attach/pastebin the XBMC.log, I'll be able to track it down.

[topfs2]

Update to version 0.3: Issue with different response messages from diff version of XBMC. Would cause addon to terminate.

EDIT: Can't stop tinkering - Version 0.3.1..
Added the ability to play media remotely via HTTP API using the VFS.. Can't seek though for some reason...

I'm not 100% sure if we support the seek stuff in http, if you can't get it to work then I'd suggest file a bug report and we can take a look at fixing that, we want to support it for sure.

[hippojay]

I'm not 100% sure if we support the seek stuff in http, if you can't get it to work then I'd suggest file a bug report and we can take a look at fixing that, we want to support it for sure.

Thanks - I'll do some more testing and file a bug if needed.

I was kinda surprised that it worked to be honest and is a bit of a security hole!

(for instance I was able to read C:\autoexec.bat, so I guess I can read anything that I can find [assuming I know its location] which reduces the risk. it would probably be better if access was restricted to items in sources).

[topfs2]

Thanks - I'll do some more testing and file a bug if needed.

I was kinda surprised that it worked to be honest and is a bit of a security hole!

(for instance I was able to read C:\autoexec.bat, so I guess I can read anything that I can find [assuming I know its location] which reduces the risk. it would probably be better if access was restricted to items in sources).

lol, yeah we allow way to much in the webserver. You are more than welcome to add that as a feature request to. We really should as you say restrict it to only be sources and xbmc addon folders (for images etc in webinterfaces).

[sb206]

Here is my chrashlog

http://pastebin.com/5X3KL1m8