Is there a way to synchronize an iTunes library between two or more Macs?
I'm assuming that if I pointed iTunes on all the Macs to a database file on the network share, that all the computers could update this and the changes would be seen on each computer.I would not be using iTunes on more than one computer at a time, so there would be no issues where one computer makes change X and the other makes change Y and one overwrites the other etc.Ideas? I don't want to mess up a system that already works, but this is preventing me from using my spare old Mac as a media center PC connected to the lounge room TV - I'd want to be able to see the same iTunes library as on my main Mac.
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M$3 Answers
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/apple/mac-music-server
There are software solutions like TuneRanger or work-around solutions based on sharing the library or setting up a media server.
You are probably right by anticipating problems when changing your working configuration. :-) However, synchronizing your iTunes library is possible.
similar question:
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/apple/mac-music-server
TuneRanger:
http://www.acertant.com/web/tuneranger
syncOtunes:
http://homepage.mac.com/oligrob/syncOtunes/syncOtunes.html
http://oreilly.com/pub/a/mac/2006/08/22/synchronize-itunes-libraries.html
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M$You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
This kind of strikes me as better than the solution I came up with myself up above, because the iTunes DB is still locally on the machine, so iTunes will gracefully fail to play music instead of freaking out and creating a new blank library if I were to launch it while not connected to my own network...
Well I don't know the technicals of how it works, but essentially the program runs on your computer, and after you specify the file you want synced, it uploads that file to its servers. You may then download the file you uploaded to a different computer (which must also have the Live Mesh client). You place the file you downloaded in the correct place, and from there, the live mesh client looks to see anytime the file being synced is changed. Anytime it detects this, it will save those changes first to it's web client, then download and save them to the other computer.
Ok so that was long and a bit confusing, but hopefully I at least got the basics across.
I can't say whether or not it plays nice with a Mac, and it is still in Beta. However, in their system requirements it does show that it works with "Mac OS X version 10.5 (Leopard) or later". So this should be promising. I've only heard stories of how Microsoft programs run on Mac, so you'll either have to test it or ask someone who has.
Mac aside, the service itself works great. I trusted it with 700 music files and it hasn't lost, deleted, or done anything out of the ordinary to them. Hopefully I haven't spoken too soon lol
Interesting. How would this work exactly - does it play nice with a Mac? I'm not anti-microsoft when their software works, but it's hard not to have a little bit of hate when for example their mac MSN client is so behind the windows client, etc.
http://www.mishare.com
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I consider an iPod a Mac just like I consider a Zune to be a full blown Windows PC. And that is, not at all.
Clever little device, though.
The device is great!
Ok - I just tried what I thought and it does, in fact, seem to work exactly as I expected it would. Is there some sneaky catch I'm missing - is the library file somehow computer specific (I doubt it, I've copied the same library file over about 4 installs now on 3 different computers) or some other little snag like that?
If I understand the question correctly, then this is the perfect software for the job:
http://homepage.mac.com/oligrob/syncOtunes/syncOtunes.html
It seems natural that you could just move your iTunes music database to the shared network drive, but it's (just a bit anyway) more complicated than that.
rob, just wondering why i can't just move "iTunes Library" and "iTunes Music Library.xml" and other related files to the NAS and then point all the computers at that one library file after setting the media directory to be Shared:iTunes Music
The pointers to the media files will be the same on each computer: pointing to the NAS, as that's where all the media is.
The only problem that I can see is that Album Artwork, iPod Games and iPhone Apps will only be stored on my main computer - but that's where I'd be syncing iPod/iPhone anyway.
Other thing would be keeping all computers iTunes version in sync, so having the same version number on each, which I'm happy to do.
Oh, and loading iTunes while away from my network would be a no-no as well, but it already is since there's no music on the machines themselves.