My Story - Syncing XBMC's completely (including addons)

Hi,

I've been running the same approach for several months now too across RASBMC and several Windows installs.

1) Addons directory is synched across multiple XBMCs syncback/rsync from the my NAS keeping things local not synching via Dropbox. There is a master version saved on the server which also includes...

2) MySql server with Videos and Music databases (all XBMCs as usual MUST be using the same database versions, i.e. the same XX in MyVideosXX).
Setting up the Mysql server on my server (DNS-345 Sharecenter NAS) was complicated but eventually worked with funplug 0.7 and the relevant version of Mysql supplid in Uli's repository - a google serach will get all of that information for you.


2) I also synchronise the userdata/database directory in the same manner as the addons directory.

I decided to give only one desktop PC delete rights, i.e. if something is deleted from any other version of XBMC it will be put back on the next Sync, if it is deleted from the "Master" it will be deleted from the rest - otherwise the sync rule is standard replace with the newer version.


3) Path substitutions in advancedsettings.xml -

I tried MANY different <substitute> in advancedsettings.xml and finally just left the sources.xml substitute (also contained on the server).

I wanted to do the same for guisettings.xml - but I cannot seem to get the substitute code right. The reason I wanted this was to have all the versions looking the same, same skin, same settgins in the skin, custombackgrounds etc etc. Any thoughts anyone?

4) Housekeeping

I keep a copy of the current required advancedsettings.xml on the server too for easy access, but I do not automatically sync this file across installs.I will copy this file directly across when a new install is in place.

Happy New Year!

Cian

(2013-01-10 14:55)ciantm Wrote:  Hi,

I've been running the same approach for several months now too across RASBMC and several Windows installs.

1) Addons directory is synched across multiple XBMCs using "Syncback", i prefer not to use Dropbox and keep things local. There is a master version saved on the server which also includes...

2) MySql server with Videos and Music databases (all XBMCs as usual MUST be using the same database versions, i.e. the same XX in MyVideosXX).
Setting up the Mysql server on my server (DNS-345 Sharecenter NAS) was complicated but eventually worked with funplug 0.7 and the relevant version of Mysql supplid in Uli's repository - a google serach will get all of that information for you.


2) I also synchronise the userdata/database directory in the same manner as the addons directory.

I decided to give only one desktop PC delete rights, i.e. if something is deleted from any other version of XBMC it will be put back on the next Sync, if it is deleted from the "Master" it will be deleted from the rest - otherwise the sync rule is standard replace with the newer version.


3) Path substitutions in advancedsettings.xml -

I tried MANY different <substitute> in advancedsettings.xml and finally just left the sources.xml substitute (also contained on the server).

I wanted to do the same for guisettings.xml - but I cannot seem to get the substitute code right. The reason I wanted this was to have all the versions looking the same, same skin, same settgins in the skin, custombackgrounds etc etc. Any thoughts anyone?

4) Housekeeping

I keep a copy of the current required advancedsettings.xml on the server too for easy access, but I do not automatically sync this file across installs.I will copy this file directly across when a new install is in place.

Happy New Year!

Cian

I tend to copy the guisettings.xml to each device and then change anything that is required for each device afterwards.

@T800 - Yes, that's what I have been doing too but problems arise with the RASBMC as XBMC automatically rewrites guisettings.xml on closing, and once RASBMC is switched on it is loaded up straight away not allowing time to transfer the file and therefore overwriting any changes that you may have made to the guisettings.xml while it was running on the next reboot/shutdown.

I can ssh and stop the service using initctl stop xbmc, that should work - but it is a complicated way of keeping settings in line vs the automatic file sync approach.

Cian