How do I sync multiple itunes libraries across a network?

[Fugu]

I know some of you are really good with software and iTunes type stuff.

 

So I have two laptops- one sits with stereo gear and serves music to the stereo, and is run primarily through the apple "remote" app off my iphone on the wifi. Very cool to sit on the deck and via wifi queue up whatever I want and access my whole library. Problem is that machine is old and dying and not trustworthy and slow...

 

So my main library is on my new, improved laptop, the one that can handle syncing iphone and ipod. I can access the libraries from both machines via sharing on the wifi- but not via the remote app.

 

So from remote, I cannot access the music on laptop #2 through laptop #1 - I'd have to go touch laptop, and, well, I'm not putting down my beer and going inside to do that.

 

So what I want is an app that will look at laptop #1 and laptop #2 and move files between itunes to make them have the same libraries-

 

This will also serve as a handy backup, and make it so that if I rip a CD into the good laptop, it's automagically sent over to the old laptop that's been relegated to being a big jukebox.

 

It's about 50GB of music. I'm just finishing cleaning up all the files and archiving to an outboard USB HD, so both will start with matching libraries- so I'm looking for maintenance, not migration here if that makes sense.

 

I see an app called "Tune Ranger"- anybody use that? The reviews I'm looking at are 2 stars out of 5 with some complaints....

[Fugu]

Oh, by the way, one machine runs Vista, the other Win XP....

 

There are a handful of apps to do this on Macs, all I find for PCs is Tune Ranger.

[pbbeck]

I have been using Mac since 1984. At work, I am the Mac guru that everyone comes to to solve their problems. To date, I am unaware of any app or utility that syncs iTunes libraries on different machines. Apple has done a great job developing push syncing through MobileMe, but I believe they will never develop a iTunes syncing solution due to copyright and DRM concerns. it also irks me that there's no simple way to sync iPhoto libraries!

 

[Fugu]

Can you connect Laptop #2 to your wireless network? If so, then just add its library to your Remote app (in the Settings screen.) Then, simply switch between the libraries in your Remote app.

 

Yes, I can switch between controlling them, but only laptop #1 is wired to my stereo.

 

laptop #2 is not near enough to be easily connected to the stereo with a patch cable (and sometimes it's out on the deck, or in the kitchen, or the garage, or the bedroom....)

 

I also really prefer laptop #1 to handle all the music- that way if I'm working on #2 and it needs a restart, or it hangs, or it is doing something processor intensive... my music isn't borked.

 

 

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

At one time I was able to get my wife's laptop to show the library on my desktop. Assuming you can "see" the other library across the network do it like this:

 

File>Add File to Library>

Navigate across the network to the directory in which the music is stored on the other computer.

Add.

 

Once the files are "imported" you can play the music on the remote computer. The other computer, of course, has to be on to play the music and iTunes shows broken links if you try to play the music while it's off. They don't sync though, so if you want to hear the music vice-versa you have to do the same on the other machine.

 

The idea that I've been toying with is buying a network drive that plugs into the router, and pointing both computers to the music library there. The router is always on and both machines will be using the SAME library vs. having to sync two.

[OoPEZoO]

Boney......thats exactly what I was thinking. I originaly had my music on an extrnal USB drive. I then moved all the music back to a internal HDD. iTunes still went went out tried to access the files from the USB drive and just told me they weren't there. I ended up having to highlight my whole library in iTunes, delete it, then do the whole "File>Add File to Library>" thing to redirect iTunes to the new music location.

 

Then I had the same thought as you about the network drive. Transfers would be slower (which is why I moved mine back to the HDD in the first place), but I don't see why it wouldn't work. That would let you access the music library at anytime from anything you can connect to the router. Lots of possibilities there. Now to start the research to find the hangups

[Fugu]

I understand all those workarounds. I have ways to do this all manually, using network drives, etc. that's what I've been doing. I'm sick of having to do it the hard way.

 

I'm looking for something automatic and idiot proof, so that if I chuck a CD in a machine and rip it, it's just on the other machine.

 

If I download something to my phone, the next time I sync, that song goes into my itunes, and then gets pushed into the itunes on the other machine...

 

 

[OoPEZoO]

That would be a great program/app if it was available, but I don't know of anything that would do it.

 

I don't think the network drive would be "the hard way", in fact.....I actually think it would be pretty slick. The original setup might be a little bit of a pain, but after that is should work great. You could run iTunes on as many as 5 computers on your network with them all accessing the same music library on the network drive. Then anytime you downloaded, ripped, or synced from any computer it would all be identical because you are running them all from the same library that is on the network drive.

 

EDIT: Something like this LINK

 

It would make anything you put on the drive 100% accessable by anything wireless as long as it and your router are powered. It would make one hell of a good multimedia dump location for MP3, video, pics. The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to pull the trigger and play around with this.

[Fugu]

Yeah, then set up a scheduled backup of that somewhere else but it's all throttled by the network.

 

So I'd be waiting for laptop to access network drive for information then waiting for the laptop to send that back to me via the network...

 

If I could get what I want working, it would be faster.

 

I hate lag.

 

Playing with the trial version of Tune Ranger right now (fully functional 30 day trial).

 

I'm waiting on a job offer letter that I'll be accepting so when that happens, This likely will be less of an issue for me.... I'll have real stuff to focus on. :-)

 

[Fugu]

This Tune Ranger software is OK. Will report more once I've used it some. Doesn't appear to be an automagic option, but it's a one button solution once set- then it will make the libraries match, without deleting stuff.

 

If I want stuff deleted, I can tell it how to look, and then as a safety net there's a setting to make it delete to a file- like a super duper recycle bin, so if you find you deleted something by accident, you can retrieve it indefinitely.

 

 

[ghaverkamp]

If you're willing to pay for it and don't mind your stuff living "in the cloud," I've been pretty pleased with DropBox doing file syncing between machines.

 

My guess is that active iTunes apps would not take kindly to the library changing underneath, but if it's just a matter of keeping the libraries in sync across machines, anywhere on the 'net, then this should work.

 

For a high-speed wireless network, much less a wired network, I would be surprised if you see much lag if you stored your libraries on a single NAS device. Even the highest quality rips are pretty sanely sized. But, I could have a vastly different tolerance for lag than you.

[Allen Rowand]

To date, I am unaware of any app or utility that syncs iTunes libraries on different machines.

This will work on Macs:

http://www.martian.com/SlingShot.html

 

Sorry Fugu, don't know of a Windows solution.

 

Allen

[pbbeck]

Boney and Keith,

 

Of course you know that iTunes (and iPhoto), by default, check the last known location for a library file to open. I wonder if you know about option-launching. If you hold down the OPTION key while launching iTunes, the program launches, but prompts you to specify which library to open. The same is true for iPhoto. You can keep multiple libraries in separate locations, and switch between them by option-launching.

[OoPEZoO]

what is the "option" key? Is that a MAC thing?

[Jeepster]

what is the "option" key? Is that a MAC thing?

Yep, a Mac thang. It's the second key out from the space bar/second key in from the ends

[OoPEZoO]

what is the "option" key? Is that a MAC thing?

Yep, a Mac thang. It's the second key out from the space bar/second key in from the ends

 

That would explain why I have never heard of it. I've always been a PC user. My iPhone was my first step into the Apple world. Love the phone and its capabilities, but HATE HATE HATE the proprietory crap and software that comes with it.

[pbbeck]

Oh... I forgot. They now make iTunes for that other OS. Maybe ALT-launching does the same thing in Windows. You know the ALT key? The one you hit along with CTRL and DELETE several times a day. :-)

[OoPEZoO]

Oh... I forgot. They now make iTunes for that other OS. Maybe ALT-launching does the same thing in Windows. You know the ALT key? The one you hit along with CTRL and DELETE several times a day. :-)

 

Not my PC......that only happens with the machines you buy from stores or computer companies that are loaded down with propriatory crap. I build my machines myself and they usually last me 4-5 years of happy operating until I decide to build a new one. I did buy a DELL once......it lasted 6 months until I bitched loud enough to get a full refund. I've built every other computer I've ever owned since Jr. High.

 

 

[Fugu]

Tune Ranger could not have been slower.

 

As in it was going to take something like 24 hours to sync 50GB.

 

So I moved stuff manually and while that was moving I added some artwork in for albums.

 

Well that made Tune Ranger want to re-sync every song I added artwork for.

 

Another year? Forget it. Uninstalled it. I guess I'm running manually with the aid of a networked drive. Bah.

 

 

[pbbeck]

Oh... I forgot. They now make iTunes for that other OS. Maybe ALT-launching does the same thing in Windows. You know the ALT key? The one you hit along with CTRL and DELETE several times a day. :-)

 

Not my PC......that only happens with the machines you buy from stores or computer companies that are loaded down with propriatory crap. I build my machines myself and they usually last me 4-5 years of happy operating until I decide to build a new one. I did buy a DELL once......it lasted 6 months until I bitched loud enough to get a full refund. I've built every other computer I've ever owned since Jr. High.

 

 

That's cool. But you have to admit, it was a good comeback!

 

Don't get me started on Dell.

[OoPEZoO]

That's cool. But you have to admit, it was a good comeback!

 

Don't get me started on Dell.

 

Yeah.....I tried my buddies MAC a few years ago while in college, but I ended up just swearing at it because it wouldn't let me tweak it the way I wanted it. I'd be all over a MAC if it was somehow user customizable/serviceable. I also hate relying on anyone or anything to fix my issues. That goes for my cars, motorcycles, and computers. If I can't work on it and/or fix it myself, I don't want it.

[vizhip]

Don't get me started on Dell.

 

No... typically you are finished if you started on a Dell... )))

 

Course... I did find that some Linux versions run nicely on a Dell... )))

 

Regards -

-Bob

[sgendler]

There's a free utility available for pretty much any OS (though it is installed by default on linux/unix and OS X) called rsync which is designed to allow easy synchronizing of two directories or drives. I don't know anything about setting up rsync on windows, and building the command which executes the synchronization isn't really a job for amateurs, but a search for "itunes rsync" on google seems likely to turn up instructions. Failing that, try offering up $30 to someone on craigslist to come and set you up. Anyone with a little rsync experience on the OS in question can probably do the job in 5 minutes plus however long it takes to install the software.

 

I've got a potentially better solution, though. There is an open source music server package called "slimserver" which is designed to interface with a small hardware box you plug into your stereo. The hardware is designed to be as simpmle as possible, with all the work done on the server. The interesting thing for you, however, is that there is software emulation of the hardware that you can run on any machine and any operating system. The beautiful thing about slimserver is that because 100% of the smarts are in the server instead of the hardware, it is possible to interact with the server via a web browser and control the hardware remotely. If you run the slimserver software on your good laptop, it can access your entire itunes library. You can have your slow laptop launch the slimserver client once, and then you will always be able to control that client from any web browser that can access your good laptop. It sounds more complicated than it is. Basically, it exposes a nice web interface that allows you to select which player you want to play music from, and then you can browse the library to control which music to play, volume, etc. Even better, it is also capable of streaming audio from a number of music services like rhapsody and most internet radio stations.

 

The company which makes slimserver was bought by logitech a few years back, but to the best of my knowledge, the software is still open source and freely available.

[Fugu]

Very interesting. Logitech wants $300 for what's now called squeezebox

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeezebox_network_music_player

 

 

I'm trying to do this with Itunes. I think I have it going in a state where I can live with it.

 

Now that the main libraries are up and running and working, I added some CDs yesterday, fairly painlessly, and every night it will back up to the network drive.

 

Syncing the files isn't so much the issue, it's syncing the iTunes app. Just because the files are there doesn't mean iTunes knows it. For now I'll have to continue to tell it to go look.

 

 

Oh, and by the way guys, you can SHIFT boot iTunes and it will ask what library to use- pretty cool.

 

There are lots of hidden shift things in iTunes. The update for my iphone never wants to download and install directly using iTunes, always hangs. So i download the file directly, and then in iTunes, SHIFT click the update button, and it asks the location of the file to update with.

 

Apple likes to hide this sort of information away for some reaspon.

 

 

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

Apple likes to think that everything they build is intuitive and does not need instructions. They're wrong, but that doesn't stop their smugness.

 

For the record, I really like my iPhone... If they'd only make freaking manual for it, it would be that much better.

[pbbeck]

Apple likes to think that everything they build is intuitive and does not need instructions. They're wrong, but that doesn't stop their smugness.

 

For the record, I really like my iPhone... If they'd only make freaking manual for it, it would be that much better.

iPhone User Guide for iPhone OS 3.0 Software

 

 

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

 

 

[pbbeck]

Well I'll be darned! Apple released iTunes 9 today. It includes a new Home Library Sharing feature that allows one to sync content on multiple computers. I just downloaded the update on both my macs at home. When enabled, Home Library Sharing shows you content on the remote library and can be set to show and import only files that don't exist on the local library. It was all very easy.

 

I can't speak for windows. I don't know if the iTunes update is available for Windows users yet, but it's worth investigating.

[Firefight911]

I can't speak for windows. I don't know if the iTunes update is available for Windows users yet, but it's worth investigating.

 

It is and it has the same features. All up and running on my PC here. Both iPhones are also updated with 3.1.