Library Location For JRiver for use by 2 PCs

[TrayZ]

I have been using Sonos so far but due to lack of HD Res, starting to explore new configs with a Laptop with Win 8 + J River.

Also a bit tired of Sonos sound. Music files are in a NAS.

This laptop is audio dedicated for streaming and is connected to a amp with usb dac, but i would like to manage my collection from another computer on the same network.

Is it ok to store Jriver Library in the NAS in one shared folder so that both PCs may connect to it? One for management and one for streaming? Does this make sense or is there a better way to achieve this goal? Anyone to share their experience on this?

Library is medium / large size, around 30 k tracks but still some ripping to do.

Both PCs are wired into the network.

Thanks guys,

TrayZ

[baddog]

Yes this will work fine. You can have multiple machines accessing the same music library on your NAS. Be certain for items such as cover art to either store them as a file (folder.jpg) within the album folder, or as embedded meta data in the music tracks. This can be configured in JRiver.

 

I run the Mac version so bear that in mind. I setup the first instance of JRiver on the first Mac, made sure all the settings were as I desired, then I made a backup of my library. I then installed JRiver on the second Mac and did a restore of the backup of the library settings I did for the first Mac.

 

 

Barr

[rn701]

Yes. The best way to do this is to use the JRiver "Media Network" options.

 

I have a similar setup. I use a Windows desktop PC in the office to rip/download, organize, make playlists, etc. The JRiver library is on that PC. The actual audio files are on another file server PC on the network.

 

Then I have a dinky Windows HTPC for playback in the living room. It has JRiver installed on it, and it accesses the main desktop PC JRiver library.

 

Look at Media Network, select "Use media network to share this library and enable DLNA." (Note: this setup does not really use DLNA, it just lets the second copy of JRiver use the library of the first.) Also enable "Authentication," which will let you sync the remote library (using "auto sync with server" under "Client Options") so updates to the main library appear pretty much in real time on all the sharing PCs.

 

This setup avoids maintaining multiple copies of the library, having to copy it to other PCs, etc.

 

The JRiver license lets you install it on as many networked PCs as you want as long as they are all the same OS. (If you have mixed Windows/Mac, you need one license for each.)

 

Also with this setup, I highly recommend the third party EOS Android app for phone/tablet remote control. It's pretty awesome. I think JRiver has a a similar app for iOS.

[kumakuma]

Yes. The best way to do this is to use the JRiver "Media Network" options.

 

I have a similar setup. I use a Windows desktop PC in the office to rip/download, organize, make playlists, etc. The JRiver library is on that PC. The actual audio files are on another file server PC on the network.

 

Then I have a dinky Windows HTPC for playback in the living room. It has JRiver installed on it, and it accesses the main desktop PC JRiver library.

 

Look at Media Network, select "Use media network to share this library and enable DLNA." (Note: this setup does not really use DLNA, it just lets the second copy of JRiver use the library of the first.) Also enable "Authentication," which will let you sync the remote library (using "auto sync with server" under "Client Options") so updates to the main library appear pretty much in real time on all the sharing PCs.

 

This setup avoids maintaining multiple copies of the library, having to copy it to other PCs, etc.

 

The JRiver license lets you install it on as many networked PCs as you want as long as they are all the same OS. (If you have mixed Windows/Mac, you need one license for each.)

 

Also with this setup, I highly recommend the third party EOS Android app for phone/tablet remote control. It's pretty awesome. I think JRiver has a a similar app for iOS.

 

I do something similar. My music is on external drives hanging off the Mac desktop (the server) in my office. This computer runs JRiver and is the main library. The Mac Mini in my listening room also runs JRiver and I have the server's main library loaded on this client. Music is pulled off the drives attached to the server as needed. I use JRemote on my iPad as a remote. Couldn't be happier.

[TrayZ]

Guys,

Great community, thanks for your quick answers.

I am performing somes tests on the issue and i am happy to see that this setup is used by others and it works.

My initial approach, one single Library on the NAS shared between 2 PCs, theoretically should work, but after i refreshed this library with a new folder of files, the meta data did not upload right, and half of it was missing some data (mainly album data...).

I am now trying to test bplexico approach, making the lib visible to the NAS through DLNA, and sync with the "manager" laptop (so i can stream with only the stream laptop and NAS powered up).

I first did a clone to the NAS, and then synced it.

The problem is that, after 4 hours of sync, i have 50% of the lib sync done when the initial lib was a clone of the first one.

Did not expect this, since both copies where identical to start with!

I will continue to develelop both, but it seems that what would be the preferred solution of a central copy of the lib in ones's NAS is not yet reliable...

[Jabs1542]

Sonos consideration:

 

I have my music split into two main folders; Hi and Lo. Hi is everything above 16:44 and Lo is 16:44 and below (though there currently in nothing below 16:44 - I purged all my MP3 files). I then point JRiver and HQP to Hi and to Lo, but Sonos is pointed to Lo only. This way I don't have Sonos teasing me with files it won't play.

[TrayZ]

Rn701, kumakuma

 

Does this means that for streaming you have to have 3 Pcs powered up? The manager with lib, the file server - NAS and the stremer?

I was trying to avoid powering up the PC manager with the lib...not that simple it seems!

 

I am using JRemote with iOS and happy with it, great, having another PC up for streaming was not my initial idea.

To avoid that, following Barr post, need to backup mai lib to NAS and restore it to the streaming PC everytime i make a change? Not perfect.

 

My sync approach was a complete failure since i did not realize it would copy music files also...

[baddog]

TrayZ - Either approach will work, I have used both successfully. The key difference between the two approaches is that one requires both PCs to be powered up.

 

From reading what you have posted, I think there may be two issues at play.

 

1. You need to ensure that all meta data is stored in the music files and not by JRIVER. So let's take one example, cover art. Depending on what software you used to rip your music files, the cover art might be embedded within the music files themselves, they might be stored in the album folder as a file called "Folder.jpg" or some variation, of if for example you ripped them with iTunes, then they are stored in iTunes database and when you try to use them with something like JRIVER you will have missing cover art.

 

JRIVER allows you to either store and manage the cover art within it's database, or you can configure JRIVER to embed the cover art in the files themselves or save it as a file "Folder.jpg" within the albums folder.

 

You need to ensure that the cover art is stored either in the files or as a file and not managed in a database by either a program like iTunes or JRiver.

 

2. When storing music files on a NAS, JRiver does not necessarily know when the files have changed and it needs to update its library. I assume what you have done is configure the Library -> Import settings in JRiver to "Configure Auto-import" and set the folders to watch on your NAS. Is that correct?

 

And thus I suspect what you are finding is it is not updating the music library you see in JRiver after changes have been made?

 

Also now that I re-read your initial post I see you are still ripping your music. What software are you using to rip the files? And are you ripping them directly to the NAS or to your local hard drive and copying them to the NAS?

 

I think you are really close to having this work properly, because either method will work, there just appears to be a step or two missing in your setup.

 

You should never have to make a library backup and restore more than once, this is really just to share the configuration options you have for JRiver between the two machines, not to share data about your music.

 

Also maybe tell us more about what you mean when you say your synch approach was a failure?

 

Sorry for all the questions.

 

Barr

[kumakuma]

Rn701, kumakuma

 

Does this means that for streaming you have to have 3 Pcs powered up? The manager with lib, the file server - NAS and the stremer?

I was trying to avoid powering up the PC manager with the lib...not that simple it seems!

 

I am using JRemote with iOS and happy with it, great, having another PC up for streaming was not my initial idea.

To avoid that, following Barr post, need to backup mai lib to NAS and restore it to the streaming PC everytime i make a change? Not perfect.

 

My sync approach was a complete failure since i did not realize it would copy music files also...

 

I have two computers powered up. My music is on the drives attached the desktop so the desktop is functioning like a NAS with the difference being that it is also running JRiver. I also have a NAS but I'm currently using it for other things.

 

I am a little confused about your last statement. I'm not sure why music files are being copied. JRiver library syncing doesn't copy any music data, only the data about the music.

[DavidL]

+ 1

 

I have a single library (on a NAS) to which I point my current favourite player. At the moment I'm using Minimserver for remote access and iTunes locally - sometimes both at the same time - having just moved on from JRiver (running on a Mac mini).

[TrayZ]

Sonos consideration:

 

I have my music split into two main folders; Hi and Lo. Hi is everything above 16:44 and Lo is 16:44 and below (though there currently in nothing below 16:44 - I purged all my MP3 files). I then point JRiver and HQP to Hi and to Lo, but Sonos is pointed to Lo only. This way I don't have Sonos teasing me with files it won't play.

 

Thanks for your input. I have the same approach but it annoys me of having/maintaining 2 folders when some of the albums will end up in both of them. This and Sonos 65k song limit is making me search for alternatives.

[TrayZ]

Bplexico, thanks for your post. I will try to respond to kumakuma too relating with my sync problems:

 

1. I fortunatelly have the habit of storing cover art in the files themselves, i will check Jriver options on this to make sure it is Ok.

2. See below

3. I have stopped my ripping now, lately with music bee, because of the low volume i am getting in some cds. Before that i have used Itunes (hate it), DbPoweramp - free version, not that friendly). I will try with JRiver now. Looking at the Replay Gain issue to get it right.

 

Going back to my setup and trying to respond to point 2.

 

1. Central Library in NAS shared by 2 PCs - Prefered Solution

 

I imported more or less 50% of my library locally, cloned it the NAS, and imported some more folders from there. The day after realized that most part of the files did not import the album name, and some albums did not have all the tracks. As JRiver in their wiki advises to use a local fast access "The Library files are not large, and should be stored on your fastest, internal disk in the computer (an SSD if possible)", i assumed this could be a wrong approach.

 

2. Synced Lib

As the Lib structure is not very large, this could work too, but i must have done something wrong.

I have created the Main Lib locally, cloned it to NAS. I made the Main Lib a Server Lib and checked "Authentication".

The idea would be:

i. To avoid problems stated in 1, manage locally the Main Lib

ii. In the end of a "management" session, sync just the lib files with the NAS.

iii. Use it from the stream laptop that 99% of the time would only read the NAS synced lib.

This would be perfect.

Just to check if everything ok, i started to sync the Lib in the NAS with the local one. I thought it would instant, since they where equal (just cloned). But it started really slow, and i let it ran to see what it was doing. When i got back to see what was going on, a couple of hours later, i found it was copying all my files from NAS to my PC! Had some difficulty turning it off...

 

When i have time (next weekend i suppose), i will revisit this sync approach because it should work. I suspect something in the auto-import options might have something to do with it. Anyway, not leaving it alone anymore!

 

For kumakuma, i would really not like to have 2 Pcs on for steaming...

Sound from laptop-->JRiver-->Dac/Amp far superior to Sonos-->Amp but, fair to say, Sonos software is very direct and friendly: Power up Amp, get the ipad and you are on the go! Would like to keep it the simplest as possible.

Must say that JRemote and the Smartlists features are very interesting. Hope i can fix the wole thing quick.

 

Cheers to you all

[Jabs1542]

Thanks for your input. I have the same approach but it annoys me of having/maintaining 2 folders when some of the albums will end up in both of them. This and Sonos 65k song limit is making me search for alternatives.

 

The way I do this no album can be in both folder structures, it's simply based on bit size and sample rate (all above go one way, and all equal to and below go the other). Once I am using JRiver or HQP I never see the difference, they each create their own large single database of music regardless of its location.