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+---- Thread: 2 XBMC PCs and 1 Database on the shared NAS (/showthread.php?tid=70603)
- Bommy - 2010-09-28 00:11
Hmm, turn Windows Firewall off on HTPC and it just works (also disabled the Recently Added script in Home Screen settings while I troubleshoot), so it's just a firewall issue.
Have now allowed mysql.exe through the firewall and still getting issues. Also re-ran the MySQL setup wizard and ticked the "add exception to firewall" setting, but still not working. So I'm obviously not adding the right thing, but I'll get there.
- Bommy - 2010-09-28 00:26
Got it! Allowed mysqld.exe to as a firewall exception and now I'm rocking. Now I just need to work out the best way to bring my thumbs etc into TVPC. Any chance someone in the know could give me a rundown of my options? Would be very much appreciated.
It would appear that this post has info on how to use symlink - http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=567856&postcount=354
Is that my best option? Won't that put all thumbnails on my remote HTPC and cause my TVPC to be really slow? And how does DDS fit into all of this?
Aaah, XBMC. Every step you crack there's something else to get set up
- Bommy - 2010-09-28 00:39
And every problem is just a bit more searching away from solved
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=612485&postcount=4
Working now and not too sluggish, but any advice on tweaks to speed things up, or how DDS caching might play into this, would be most appreciated
I've found this thread - http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=77142 - which is Linux-based, but details sharing your thumbnails folder with another machine - is this essentially the same as the symlink I've set up? If so, all that DDS does is store uncompressed files for the imagery, which I assume are larger.
Over a network, should I still see a boost in performance? My network is wired Gigabit, but presumably latency is the issue here...
- dora - 2010-09-29 18:18
Bommy Wrote:And every problem is just a bit more searching away from solved
http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=612485&postcount=4
I'm happy that my short instructions helped you.
Can anybody tell me why not using symbolic links for the whole userdata folder instead of using the external MySQL db?
I already asked it in a new thread (http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=612485), but this thread is much more popular
so I'm sorry for asking agian.What are the advantages of using MySQL? because, currently, It looks like it has more cons than pros.
- mwkurt - 2010-09-29 22:54
Hello,
I have made a symbolic link from my Win 7 PC to my Win 7 server pc and it appears to work, with one caveat.
The thumbnails do not appear until either I
a: do a search for the thumbnail using the "info" menu or
b: start the movie and and stop the movie
The backgrounds all seem to be showing up and are working good. Has anyone else using the sym links ran into this problem? Is there any way to get my thumbnails to show up short of going through each of my movies and doing one of the above mentioned remedies?
Another question...after deleting the "Thumbnails" folder on my HTPC computer, and installing the sym link, will XBMC create another "Thumbnails" directory where the deleted one was?
After doing some more checking, I have come to the conclusion that "I don't know what I am doing".
Could someone help me along?
Here are my computer's paths:
My Server PC:
/192.168.1.6/users/server/AppData/Roaming/XBMC/userdata/Thumbnails
My HTPC:
/users/Mark/Appdata/Roaming/XBMC/userdata/Thumbnails
I am trying to link the Thumbnails folder from my "Server PC" to my "HTPC".
I believe that I tried the following:
mklink /d \users\Mark\AppData\Roaming\XBMC\userdata\Thumbnails \192.168.1.6\users\server\appdata\Roaming\XBMC\userdata\Thumbnails
I tried this in a DOS window. Both computers are Win 7 32 bit and both users directories are on the "C" drive.
Is this the correct format for making the links? If not, how would the format go, please?
Thanks,
Mark
- dora - 2010-09-30 07:53
mwkurt Wrote:Hello,
I believe that I tried the following:
mklink /d \users\Mark\AppData\Roaming\XBMC\userdata\Thumbnails \192.168.1.6\users\server\appdata\Roaming\XBMC\userdata\Thumbnails
Try to use double slash before the host ip:
mklink /d \users\Mark\AppData\Roaming\XBMC\userdata\Thumbnails \\192.168.1.6\users\server\appdata\Roaming\XBMC\userdata\Thumbnails
This folder should also be shared so before making the symbolic link to it. Try accessing this folder using windows explorer and see if you can. Create the symlink only after you manged to access it.
- alex84 - 2010-09-30 09:17
dora Wrote:I'm happy that my short instructions helped you.
Can anybody tell me why not using symbolic links for the whole userdata folder instead of using the external MySQL db?
I already asked it in a new thread (http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=612485), but this thread is much more popular
What are the advantages of using MySQL? because, currently, It looks like it has more cons than pros.
This quote is taken from post 2# on the first page of this thread.
Quote:Some advantages of this setup:
Every PC or MAC running XBMC can access that central database even simultaneously (instead of using a local database for each instance of XBMC), avoiding the need to scrape movie info once per each XBMC. Also sharing the info of watched/unwatched movies/tvshows/musicvideos and any other info that XBMC stores in the media library database (like stop/resume bookmarks).
If you dont think that the mysql db is for you, then probobly it isn't, all depends on your needs. For me the mysql db is awsome, been wating for that for a long time now =)
Hope this helps
- dora - 2010-09-30 09:47
alex84 Wrote:If you dont think that the mysql db is for you, then probobly it isn't, all depends on your needs. For me the mysql db is awsome, been wating for that for a long time now =)
Maybe I wasn't clear enough. I also waited for a built in method to make many clients access one database.
Actually, I didn't wait for this feature to become available and I tried to achieve it using symbolic links.
Here are the details:
When using sqlite3 method (currently the default method), the db files are stored in userdata\Database folder (MyMusic7.db and MyVideos34.db).
If you want two xbmc clients to share the same db, all you need to do is make these two files point to the same files on the disk. You can achieve that by using symbolic links. It works even accross the network.
Once you do that, the two xbmc clients share the same db. When one of them updates the db, the other can see the change.
You can also share the whole userdata folder (like I did before the MySQL method became available). By doing that, you share also all your settings, not only the db.
Now, when the MySQL method became available, I decided to give it a chance but it looks like it has some problems, like the thumbnails cache and user profiles.
My question is what are the advantages of the MySQL method over sharing sqlite db files using symbolic links.
I still didn't get an answer for this question.
- mwkurt - 2010-09-30 13:04
Dora,
Thanks for the help with the links, I'll give them a try when I get home.
On another note, a couple of the advantages of using mysql are the ability to have watched flags synced across the different computers on your network. If you watch a program or movie on an extender in the living room, if you go to the bedroom and cruise through your library, you can see that you have already watched this movie. Another advantage is the ability to watch a video on one pc, stop half way through, go to another pc and resume from where you left off on the first pc. Of coarse you may not care about these two things, so they may not be that big of a deal.
Thanks,
Mark
- dora - 2010-09-30 18:51
mwkurt Wrote:On another note, a couple of the advantages of using mysql are the ability to have watched flags synced across the different computers on your network. If you watch a program or movie on an extender in the living room, if you go to the bedroom and cruise through your library, you can see that you have already watched this movie. Another advantage is the ability to watch a video on one pc, stop half way through, go to another pc and resume from where you left off on the first pc. Of coarse you may not care about these two things, so they may not be that big of a deal.
I've just made an experiment with sharing all the user data between two xbmc machines using symbolic links and the results are:
1. The watch flag is being shared between the two machines
2. You can continue watching a movie on the second machine from the same point you stopped on the first one.
I don't know anything about making a symbolic links on a mac but my guess is that it is possible.
so... here we go again... what are the advantages of MySQL over sharing userdata folder by using symbolic links?
I can see the potential and flexibility of external db server but currently I can see no advantages.