ITunes on multiple computers with shared external library?

Hey guys. I thought I might pick everyone's brain here. I just purchased a MacBook Air with just 128GB SSD but that should be fine as far as local storage. I have an iTunes library that is over 350GB and it grows everyday so even the 256GB storage wouldn't have been enough for me. I have multiple computers and also have an iPod, iPad and iPhone. They all sync via my MacBook through an external hard drive right now and this is the only computer I currently sync to.
Since I have a Mac Mini as well as a iMac, I want to see if there is a way that I can wirelessly share the external hard drive with the itunes library in it and all the computers would be hooked up to it going off that one source and itunes library. I buy music from not only itunes so I import music all the time to itunes and also want to make sure that it will update to the computers that are connected to the library automatically as I wouldn't want any inconsistency's when I need to sync one of my devices to one of my computers.
I hope there is a way to do this, and if there is can you please help me out and explain or point me in the right direction at least to where I can find out about this?
It would be much appreciated. Thank you!

iantoole wrote:
Just a thought. Should I somehow open iTunes on MBP2 using MBP1's Library file??
both Macs can access the same library file, however, only one at a time !
to do that, you would ideally have the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music folder) on the external. then, on one Mac after the other, launch iTunes while holding the option key, click on +choose library+ when prompted, and select the iTunes folder on the external.
or, you could have two separate libraries and keep those in sync using third party tools such as Syncopation, TuneRanger or SuperSync.
for purchases from the iTunes store, you could set up _*Home Sharing*_ - it can be configured to automatically transfer new purchases to home shared libraries.
Can I create a script to have MBP1 always save the iTunes Library file on the shared hard drive?
no need.
JGG

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How to use iTunes on multiple computers with an external hard drive.

I am trying to use two computers, one Macbook and one mac mini, with the same itunes library. I have searched and found info on doing this, but it was older info and I am pretty sure that what was suggested does not work. I can not get itunes to recognize the library files on the external drive, it will however recognize the media. This would be fine, except the mac mini is being used as my media center and I update things on the macbook. The thing that I am having a lot of trouble with is the home movies section. Of course all my movies are not "movies" so I have sorted through the "homemade" tv shows and movies, but when I switch computers, all this info goes away. Why can't it follow the media? I have had pretty good luck with keeping the cover art, but when I label the file as a movie or mark it as watched, this info is not transferred. In some of the other answers people had given about this, they said itunes should ask where to go if the external drive was disconnected. When I do it this way, itunes will just make a new file when the drive is unplugged. I have about a thousand movies and I have changed info on these files twice now (thanks for adding home videos apple!), and it looks like I will be doing it for a third time, I just don't want to do it a fourth time on the other computer. Any help would be great. To break it down to the basic form, I would like to have an external drive that will sync file info between two or maybe more computers. Is there a better solution?

Make sure the copy to iTunes media folder is unchecked.

ITunes on different computers with one external harddisc

The iTunes music folder is on an external hard disc. It should be used on two Computers. And the contents of the librarys should be the same.
Though the iTunes music Folder is set to the external disc,iTunes is not able to find the files. Why ?
- If the external folder is imported all files appear twice ...

If you're using the command in the Advanced preferences to set the iTunes Music location, that doesn't transfer the music unless you use the Consolidate command, and never transfers the iTunes library files, so a different computer will have a completely different set of library files.
To have a common set of library files and content, you need first to be using iTunes 7. Drag the entire iTunes folder (containing the iTunes library fles as well as the iTunes Music folder) to the external hard drive.
Then hold down the Shift key while launching iTunes. You'll be given a dialog box where you can select the iTunes library you want to use. Navigate to and select the iTunes folder in it's new location. Move the hard drive to the second computer and repeat.

Question about upgrading iTunes multiple computers with shared library

Greetings,
I have a question about upgrading to the current version of iTunes.
Currently, my household uses 3 Mac computers (2 Powerbook 17in laptops and a Mack Mini). We are all (currently) on system 10.4.11 (with iTunes 9.2.1). Between the 3 computers we have a shared iTunes music and video library on a networked high capacity hard drive.
We recently purchased an iPad. In order to make it easy for updates and to use media from our iTunes shared library I decided that we should upgrade the systems on our home computers to Snow Leopard. I have ensured that all the computers have at lease 2 Gb of RAM and adequate hard drive space.
The only possible problem I see is that one of the Powerbook laptops uses the old Motorola processor. (This is one of the last Powerbooks to use that processor.) I don’t think this computer can be upgraded to Snow Leopard.
My question is, if I upgrade 2 of the computers (and iTunes in the process), will I still be able to access the shared iTunes library using the older computer with the older system and iTunes? Will the upgrade process change the iTunes library in such a way that the one older computer will no longer be able to properly access that library?
Are there any other problems I might encounter having a mixed system/iTunes environment?
Thank you,
Tim

iantoole wrote:
Just a thought. Should I somehow open iTunes on MBP2 using MBP1's Library file??
both Macs can access the same library file, however, only one at a time !
to do that, you would ideally have the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music folder) on the external. then, on one Mac after the other, launch iTunes while holding the option key, click on +choose library+ when prompted, and select the iTunes folder on the external.
or, you could have two separate libraries and keep those in sync using third party tools such as Syncopation, TuneRanger or SuperSync.
for purchases from the iTunes store, you could set up _*Home Sharing*_ - it can be configured to automatically transfer new purchases to home shared libraries.
Can I create a script to have MBP1 always save the iTunes Library file on the shared hard drive?
no need.
JGG

Problem with automatic downloads on multiple computers with shared storage

I have a main Windows computer I use to rip my CD's, download Digital Copies from DVD's, buy iTunes movies, and sync my iPhone/iPad. My iTunes library points to a shared location on a MediaSmart Windows Home Server as "\\mediasmart\itunes\music". I have turned on automatic downloads on this computer so it downloads music/apps/books if I buy something on one of my other devices.
I also have iTunes installed on the above mentioned MediaSmart Windows Home Server to serve content to my Apple TV's throughout the house and I point the iTunes library to the same location as the above Windows computer - which is local to the MediaSmart server - as "d:\itunes\music". I do this because the main Windows computer is also used as the main system for the house - quicken, AnyDVD, etc. and I don't want to impact performance on that computer if I decide to watch a movie on one of my Apple TV's. Anyway, to avoid having to manually copy music and books to the MediaSmart server, I enabled Automatic Downloads. In short, it works as advertised. Now, if I buy a song on the main Windows computer it gets automatically downloaded to the MediaSmart server and added to the iTunes library in the Purchased playlist - which is exactly where I want it to go. However, I just noticed last night that I now have multiple copies of those songs that are "Automatically Downloaded".
As an example, on the main Windows Computer I recently bought the song Gasoline. It was placed in a folder named "\\mediasmart\itunes\music\kicking harold" and the song was named "01 gasoline.mp4". Then....within a few minutes the MediaSmart iTunes automatically downloaded the song Gasoline and placed it in "d:\itunes\music" BUT named the song "01 gasoline 1.mp4". I figured iTunes would be smart enough to actually check for the physical song before re-downloading it and creating another copy of it.
Is there anyway to fix this or some setting I am missing? I hope the above makes sense.
Thanks for any assistance.

GoHerdIBG wrote:
As an example, on the main Windows Computer I recently bought the song Gasoline. It was placed in a folder named "\\mediasmart\itunes\music\kicking harold" and the song was named "01 gasoline.mp4". Then....within a few minutes the MediaSmart iTunes automatically downloaded the song Gasoline and placed it in "d:\itunes\music" BUT named the song "01 gasoline 1.mp4". I figured iTunes would be smart enough to actually check for the physical song before re-downloading it and creating another copy of it.
Is there anyway to fix this or some setting I am missing? I hope the above makes sense.
Yes it makes sense, and no I don't think you're missing some obvious setting. I think iTunes needs to gain some optimisation in this area. For instance if I make a purchase on my iPad I see iTunes downloading an independent copy instead of letting the download complete on the iPad and then copying it over to the PC via Wi-Fi. Hopefully these issues will get tidied up as iTunes in the Cloud meets the real world, though it probably wouldn't hurt to add your feedback.
tt2

I have just upgraded my laptop from vista to windows 7, I have all my music on an external as the library is to large for hard disk. I have downloaded Itunes 11 but cannot fathom a way of getting my new itunes to connect with my external library.

Question: I have upgraded my windows vista to windows 7, I have all of my itunes music stored onto an external due to the size of content, so in vista all of my music in itunes had a path to F (external library). But now I have upgrade to windows 7, I cannot get itunes to recognise my library from my external. I have tried to connect external and open itunes with shift key down with both suggestions but to no avail. please help, all I want is to keep my library on external not on hard drive. I have also gone to preferences/advanced and made sure the external drive is chosen. This seems so complicated and I thought it would have been easy...

At a guess you followed the process in HT1364 - iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder which would have moved the media folder to a new path of your choice. This process leaves the library database files back in the original location of <User's Music>\iTunes. Often people assume that all they need is now on the external drive and wipe the internal drive, or discard their old computer, before backing up the all important iTunes folder. If you have a backup of your user's profile folder from before the upgrade the iTunes library folder should be in there somewhere. Restore it to <User's Music> and your original library should pop back into existence. The external drive would need to have the same drive letter that it had previously.
A more effective way to relocate the library is to move the entire iTunes folder to the external drive, then hold down shift when starting iTunes and keep holding until asked to choose or create a library. You would then choose the file iTunes Library.itl in the iTunes folder on the external drive. If this is the way you moved the library before then that is how you should now reconnect to it. Changing the media folder in preferences doesn't change which .itl database file is opened, nor does double-clicking on an .itl file directly.
If you no longer have the original .itl file then you will have to build a new library and import the media to it. If you need to do this I would recommend you create a new library at F:\iTunes, then move your existing media folders inside F:\iTunes\iTunes Media before importing. This will avoid the creation of duplicates and make sure the library is in the correct shape going forwards.
If you have an iPod or iOS device my scripts ImportDevicePlaylists and SyncStats may well let you recover ratings, play counts & playlists from the device.
When you've fixed up your libray you should consider getting a second external drive to backup to.
tt2

Music and Video on Nas in folders but how do i set up itunes on multiple computers to see and use these files and create libraries?

Music and Video on Nas in folders but how do i set up itunes on multiple computers to see and use these files and create libraries?
So i have had a itunes set up on my old PC, bought a NAS and copied the folders over to the NAS, i did this incorrectly and so then even when i told the old PC to use that folder it saw all the songs but wasnt able to play the songs as it was looking in the incorrect place.
So now i want my Mac as well as my PC and others to all use the music, videos etc on the NAS they are in itunes friendly folders (as they were compiled this way by the itunes on the old PC.
When i tell the mac to use the itunes library.itl file it sees the song list (about 100gb) but cant see any songs, so i have removed this file to another location for now with the hope to set up a new file and then get it to see the songs on the folder from the NAS.
Can someone tell me how to do this for all the Mac's and PC's on my network as i really want one master library that all use and add too.
Thanks for your help in advance.

I have the same question but I am using two pc's

Itunes on multiple computers and icloud

I have itunes 10.4.1 on my home computer and on my work computer (both on same account). Is it possible to transfer downloads on one computer to the other using icloud?

is it possible to use icloud to sync my itunes on multiple computers (imac and macbook air)?
Yes. On both Macs open System Preferences > Store. Make sure Music is switched on.
And for "sharing" read here > iTunes: Setting up Home Sharing on your computer

Is it possible to use Adobe Illustrator in multiple computers with the same account?

Hi guys,
So our company is a small designing tile company,
we wanted to purchase the Adobe Illustrator and was wondering if it was possible to use it in multiple computers with one account, as we have two computers that are frequently use for designing, or do we have to buy two separated Adobes Illustrators for each computer?
Thanks

From the End User License Agreement (EULA):
2.1.3 Portable or Home Computer Use. Subject to the restrictions set forth in Section 2.1.4, the primary user of the Computer on which the Software is installed under Section 2.1 (“Primary User”) may install a second copy of the Software for his or her exclusive use on either a portable Computer or a Computer located at his or her home, provided that the Software on the portable or home Computer is not used at the same time as the Software on the primary Computer.
So, while it CAN be installed on more than one computer, they may not both be in use at the same time.
--OB

ARD won't save multiple computers with same IP and different port!

I'm trying to access multiple computers over the internet behind a firewall with port forwarding.
I can access each computer, but ARD won't save the IP address and port (in IP Address column of ARD 3.1) of multiple computers with the same IP address. It will only save ONE. I've tried 'add by address', adding a list for each computer or adding a list for all those computers. Nothing has worked. ARD will actually change the first computer's IP address to 0.0.0.0
Example: Static IP address
Computer 1 xx.xxx.xxx.xxx:51 (public port 51 is forwarded to port 5900 on computer 1)
Computer 2 xx.xxx.xxx.xxx:52 (public port 52 is forwarded to port 5900 on computer 2)
Computer 3 xx.xxx.xxx.xxx:53 (public port 53 is forwarded to port 5900 on computer 3)
Has Apple really overlooked this or am I missing something? Isn't this how most people would remotely manage multiple Macs offsite?
Thanks

ARD cannot do this as you're asking. If your
workstations get their addresses from an NAT device
rather than being "real", the ports also need to be
forwarded in the router to the workstation's internal
IP address. ARD uses port 3283 for the reporting and
updating function, so if your Macs are getting their
IP addresses through NAT, since you can only forward
a port to a single workstation, you can only get
reports, push package/files to etc. for a single
workstation.
ARD uses the VNC protocol for observation and
control, though, and there are a range of IP
addresses for that protocol, starting with 5900. ARD
uses 5900 by default, so that port would be forwarded
to the first workstation. You would, I believe, need
to install VNC servers on the systems (since the ARD
client cannot listen on any port other than 5900
while VNC servers can be set for other ports such as
5901, 5902, etc. You would then forward 5901 to the
second workstation (and on to 5902, 5903, etc.). You
can then use the following information:
Remote Desktop 2: How to specify a port number
for a VNC client
to connect.
The only other options are: 1) to run the ARD
administrator on a workstation on the network, and
then take control of that system from outside, either
via VNC or another copy of ARD, or 2) set up a
virtual private network (VPN) so that when you
connect from outside, your admin system is officially
part of the local network.
Hope this helps.
That definitely helps. I have ARD installed on my MBP and on a workstation on the LAN. I have used ARD from the MBP to control ARD on a workstation on the local network, but it can get a little tricky. I already have VNC setup on all the workstations. I used to use COTVNC prior to purchasing ARD 3.1.
I guess what I'm really asking is...
How do I add a list of workstations and save the settings (same IP address for each workstation with different ports?) to control/VNC via ARD?
I simply want a list that shows each workstation, so I can control/VNC them using ARD offsite.
Name: Computer 1 IP Address: 123.123.123.123:5901
Name: Computer 2 IP Address: 123.123.123.123:5902
Name: Computer 3 IP Address: 123.123.123.123:5903
I don't want to have to manually type in the IP address into ARD every time.
Will ARD simply not add another computer to the list if it has the same IP address but different port number as a computer already on the list? I haven't been able to find a way to make ARD do this.

How do i link itunes between two computers with different Apple ID's

how do I link itunes between two computers with different Apple ID

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Can multiple Itune IDs be associated with the same iTunes library?

Refer to this article:
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203

ITunes on multiple computers

I am purchasing a new iMac and I am keeping my old 17" MacBook Pro (it's 4 years old). Right now I am keeping my iTunes on an external HDD. I have it connected to my MacBook Pro via firewire 800. The reason I originally put iTunes on the external HDD was because I was running out of HDD space on MacBook Pro (it's only got a 120GB HDD). I have an older Apple Airport Extreme.
My question is when the new iMac arrives how do I use my external HDD (with iTunes still on it) with the new iMac. My other question is, right now when I try to access iTunes (without external HDD attached) it asks me to either create an iTunes library or choose an existing one. I realize it's because my external is not hooked up, but once I get the new iMac and get my library working with it, should I just create a new library on my MacBook Pro? Also is it even possible to have one iTunes account on multiple computers?
Or would it be easier to hook up the external HDD to the airport extreme via USB and change the path on the new iMac? And that way both computers could access the external HDD, even though the USB connection would be a lot slower then the Firewire 800.
Thanks in advance
Message was edited by: BillyJack

Use the external as you do now. Whenever necessary start iTunes with the option key held down so you can direct it to the correct library location on the external. Shouldn't be necessary to do this too often other than the first time, and maybe not even then if you successfully migrate all your settings from your old machine to the new first.

Copying Between iTunes on 2 computers with same Apple ID

I use 2 computers with the same apple id for iTunes. My main iTunes acct is on a computer with no cd drive. When I import cds onto the secondary computer, how can I get those albums to iTunes on my main computer? Family Sharing doesn't seem to help since both computers use the same ID. I can select my main library on my secondary computer, but can't seem to get the secondary library to merge with the primary one. Thanks!

No, it won't cause you problems.
(124314)

How can I make multiple computers share one iBooks library?

I have several computers with which I sync my iPad. I loaded a bunch of PDFs into iBooks onto my iPad from one of them *but* the PDFs do not show up in the iBooks library on the other computers. If I click on "Sync Books" on one of hte others it asks me if I want to remove all the existing books on the iPad which I most certainly do not. How can I keep the iBooks library in sync on these multiple computers?

Books and pdfs aren't synced. Bookmarks, highlights and collections can be synced across devices. pdfs downloaded onto an iPad can be transferred to a computer when connected using the USB cable.
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ITunes on multiple computers with shared external library?

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