One library, multiple MACs.

Hi everyone,
I wonder if there is a way to "share" a library among multiple computers. I know I can share a librasy and see it on another comuter but that is not exactly what I mean. I'll explain:
I have three MACs. My MacBook Pro, the wife's iBook and a Mac Mini. We have out library of photos on the Mac Mini and we can see it from any machine, but to upload new pictures we have to do it on the Mac Mini.
I am wondering if I could have the library on a "server" and have all three MACs use that library as the local library, so I can upload pictures to it from any machine.
The Mac Mini resides in a closet and has no display right now, so it is kind of inconvenient to upload new pictures, and I would like to have the photos on an IP Drive that I have hard wired to my network so that out Tivo box can see the pictures fast, right now it is all wireless and rather slow to display.
Thanks,

I'm thinking that you would need either a FW drive attached to the mini OR a partition on the mini's internal drive. This additional drive (or partition) would need to be set to "Ignore Ownership" (from Finder, highlight the drive and choose File/GetInfo). Put the library there.
The reason that I'm suggesting this solution is because that's what I do to provide total and complete equal access among several users on the same computer.

Similar Messages

Best Practice: One Library, Multiple Macs ?

Despite searching, I've yet to find a definitive answer to this one - so any advice would be appreciated....
Having downloaded the trial, I very much like Aperture, but my decision to purchase and continue using it hinges very much on whether or not I can access the same library from multiple machines.
Here is the scenario:
My 'studio' currently has a Quad G5 (soon to be upgraded to a MacPro), with ample Firewire storage, including 2 new 500Gb Western Digital MyBook drives. I now also have a MacBook Pro to allow me to work away from the studio.
So far, I'm using one of the 500Gb drives to hold everything I need - 'work in progress' documents, images etc. etc. with this being SuperDuper! smart updated daily to the second drive. This allows me to take drive 1 away at night and work from home, our go out of the office with the MacBook Pro and have all my media to hand, and 'synchronise' upon return the next day or whenever.
I think what I'd like to be able to do, is set up Aperture on the G5 and get all my images sorted and stored into a new library (out of iPhoto and various Finder folders etc) stored on FW Drive 1 along with the rest of my stuff. This would semi-automatically be backed up to FW Drive 2 as mentioned above.
However, I want to be able to access this library with Aperture on the MacBook Pro when I'm not in the office - will this work? I appreciate that I'll need 2 licenses of Aperture (one for the desktop, and one for the laptop) but my concern is whether or not both copies of Aperture can use the same library....... I wonder if the Aperture prefs would prevent this from working or screw it up completely.
If this ain't gonna work - what other options do I have !?
MacBook Pro 15" Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Not sure this will help but this is what I have decided to do.
System: MacBook Pro and a G5. Storage: 2 Western Digital 160 GB USB 2.0 Passport Portable drives, 1 OWC 160 GB Firewire 800 (for back up of my internal drive on my MacBook Pro), and 5 500GB Western Digital MyBook Pro FW drives (attached to my G5). One Aperture library resides on my MacBook Pro internal and a yearly (like 2006) Aperture resides on 1 500 GB WD MyBook Pro
In studio, I shoot wirelessly and transfer by ftp to the MBP and using Aperture Hot Folder move the images into Aperture to show the client at the end and during the shoot. They are managed, but sadly the files are not named by studio convention. Once the client leaves, I delete the temporary project, and reimport the pictures, renaming the pictures using the studio format and they are managed. At this point the picture reside on my internal drive of my MBP.
I do the majority of the clean up of the images at this point (contrast, exposure, saturation, sharpening, leveling, blemish corrections, etc, keywording). Once done, I export the project to my primary WD Passport drive and then using the old fashion network strategy of walking, take the WD Passport drive to the G5 and import the project in G5 library converting them to referenced files so I have Finder based architecture for all my RAW files.
Once I know the the files are on the G5, I go back to my MBP and convert the managed pictures to referenced pictures in the process moving them off my internal drive and on to the WD 160 USB 2.0 drive in a Finder based architecture. This keeps my library on my MBP pretty small and allows me to carry 160 GB worth of pictures that I can work on at any time or place. [Actually, I will probably pick up a 3rd 160GB Passport soon, like this weekend, so I will be able to carry 320 GB of pictures with me.
Now it gets nasty because I have two sets of pictures, one on my MacBook Pro and one on my G5. Again using old fashion strategies, I decided that the work flow could only go one way... from MBP to G5 and never (or very rarely) the opposite direction. The other nasty is how to deal with changes made after the first transfer of the project to the G5. The vast majority of those changes go through Photoshop and by default they become managed files. So for a particular project when I start to do additional editing, I bring those images into an album (let's say "Selected pictures") for that project and edit away. Once I am really done, I generate a new project (Original project is 070314 and the new project would be 070314 Update) and I drag the album to the new project. The nice thing is the primary pictures remain in the original project when I move the album. I then export Project Update consolidating images and import that into the library on the G5. Lastly, I relocated masters of the managed files to the WD Passport drive. I pay the penalty of having a few replicates of a couple of pictures and the architecture of my G5 library is not identical to my MBP library, but I have all of my primary images plus CS2 changes available to my MBP and my G5.
OK..... my library on my MBP internal is backed up to the OWC drive using Superduper so I always have a current replicate of that library. The library and pictures on the 500 GB WD Mybook Pro are backed up 2-3 times per week to a second 500 GB WD MyBook Pro.
In case my GS fails, I can address the library by simply attaching my MBP to the firewire chain and double click on the library icon. This forces Aperture to open the library on the 500 GB WD Mybook Pro drive. In case my MBP fails, I can boot my MBP or G5 off the OWC drive.
Principles: A one library solution will never work, because eventually, even with referenced images it will become too large for a single drive. So start now with a strategy of smaller libraries structures. I use a yearly system, but others are possible. My yearly system consists of my library plus referenced images on one 500 GB drive plus a second drive to which I back up. If I run out of space, I will buy two more drives, perhaps moving TB drives.
Don't try to store very many images on your internal drive of any computer. Develop a methodology of keeping the images on external (FW or eSATA) drives where capacity can be readily expanded.
Keep your MBP library pristine by regularly moving managed files over to referenced files on a bus powered portable drive.
Make sure you regularly back up both systems.
Hope this helps.
steven

One Library, 2 Macs Questions

Hello all,
I've got a PowerMac G5 and a PowerBook G4. I like to keep my iPhoto library synced between the two of them. Until recently, I simply ran Synchronize Pro after a trip or import or edit session, etc. and all was good. I've two questions about this method now, and I'd like some feedback.
1. I've started using Photocasts, and I like them (although they're buggy atm). Does anyone no if you can maintain one Photocast from two separate Macs? I think probably not, as this would ultimately confuse the .Mac account, but I'm not sure how to turn off the Photocast on one Mac, while keeping it on on the other using this synced library method.
2. I got a new 5g iPod for Christmas, and keep all (roughly 5,000) photos on it from my iPhoto library. The iPod is synced to my desktop which has lots of hard drive space, but not to the laptop. The iPod photo cache folder is over 4 gb itself, and I don't want to keep it on my PowerBook since it's useless there. I delete it without problems apparently, but then of course it re-syncs every-time I do a sync with the desktop. Has anyone come up with a better solution for this given that the iPod can only link to one Mac?
Overall, I'm trying to come up with the best method for the desktop/laptop sync scenario, given the new technologies of Photocasting and the iPod photo. I've done a great deal of work with my library in terms of organization, dating, keywords, etc. and wish to maintain that across both Macs. Your feedback and suggestions is greatly appreciated.
All the best...
KBeat
PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5, PowerBook G4 Al 15" DL Mac OS X (10.4.5) iLife '06. iWork '06. 60 Gb 5g iPod.

Hey guys,
Thanks for the replies. Keeping the library on the network isn't a practical solution, as I want the photo library with me when I travel, which is often (and where I usually do my photography). That is, however a great method for sharing one library amongst various Macs in one household or a small office.
The library manager program seems interesting, but I couldn't find any specific information related to Photocasts or iPods looking through the documentation on their site. Currently, I have one library that is identical on both my PowerBook and my desktop. I created it on the G5, and copied it over to the PowerBook. This worked fine in the past, and with Syncronize Pro, keeping them identical was easy. Until iPhoto 6 and the iPod photo that is, it was easy. When I copy or sync the library now, it shows both Macs photocasting the same albums to the same .Mac account, which seems to cause problems, especially when updating. Apple hasn't addressed this directly, but they've posted a KBase article saying to only manage your iWeb sites from one Mac, and the technology is very similar, so the problems would seem to be the same.
I think with photocasting and the ipod photo, the libraries need to become totally independent of one another, so only one Mac updates my Photocasts & my iPod (only problem with the iPod is the cache being a wasted 4 GB of space on the PowerBook), but the photos on each library should be the same. So I'm more or less trying to duplicate my G5 iPhoto library to my PowerBook, keeping the keywords, names, edits & originals, dates, etc. but not moving the Photocasts and the iPod Photo Cache. When I return from a trip, I want to move the new photos with all their info from the PowerBook back to the desktop. Does that all make sense?
If iPhoto Library Manager can achieve this, my money is happily theirs, however I couldn't find definitive answers.
Thoughts?
PowerMac G5 Dual 2.5, PowerBook G4 Al 15" DL Mac OS X (10.4.5) iLife '06. iWork '06. 60 Gb 5g iPod.

One library; multiple Apple IDs (used to purchase)

I am sure this has been answered in the forums, but I have looked and looked and can't seem to find a definitive answer, so I thought I would ask.
To simplify (as it's a little more complex than this, but for this question, it doesn't matter), we have one iTunes library which is shared between me, my wife and my two sons (four Apple IDs total), all on one account on a machine. We each purchase things on our iOS devices and sync them to the one library. We are all authorized to use everything across our devices from the library.
My question revolves around adding iTunes Match. I am interested in adding this to my Apple ID so I can have access to my music wherever I am. The others don't really need this.
If I were to subscribe, would it affect their abilities to sync with and use the music and media already in the library? What other pitfalls may I find?
Thanks in advance!

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(45337)

One Mac, One Library, Multiple Accounts.

I recently introduced an iMac G4 into my family as their new primary machine (Mine is still my trusty PowerBook), and I have a bit of a problem.
The prior computer (a Windows XP PC) had a fairly large (14.5 GB) music collection. All the files are simple mp3 files, so there's no DRM to worry about in this equation. I copied them over onto an external drive and then imported them into iTunes (my user's Library). The thing is, this is a consortium of everyone's music, and each person in my family has their own user account. Is there any way to make one central iTunes library that can be accessed no matter what account they're using?
Or do I have to copy over these 14 gigs onto each person's individual accounts? I'd rather not, because then as music is added, it would be a pain to keep everyone's music synced across multiple libraries on the same machine. Plus, it would be a huge waste of space.

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(40173)

One library, multiple users

I am relatively new to mac. I have a laptop, a library of close to 300GB of music/podcasts/movies/TV shows, a macmini connected to a TV/Monitor and a 1TB NAS by la cie connected to an Airport Express router. I would like my NAS to store my iTunes content and to have both the MACMINI and MACBOOK access the library wirelessly... first question is: Is this possible. Second question is, should the NAS be set up with the Apple Server or the windows server. Right now for some reason I cannot access the share I created on the NAS if i only enable the Apple Server. Next question, after upgrading to iTunes 7, I noticed that when I download new music, a folder with the name of the album is created, the new music download is not stored in the artist folder, or the existing album folder that is stored in the Artist folder, is this correct. And lastly, when I moved all of the music to the new NAS Share, and then deleted the library on iTunes and reset the iTunes storage preferences and dragged/dropped the library from the new location, a bunch of songs now appear with an exclamation point. I am not sure if my system is working, and now I have to go and individually indicate to iTunes where songs are located, and I am afraid I lost music in the migration. How do I best use my network and music? How was iTunes intended to be used in a house with multiple computers and one account... HELP I am in over my head!

I am relatively new to mac. I have a laptop, a library of close to 300GB of music/podcasts/movies/TV shows, a macmini connected to a TV/Monitor and a 1TB NAS by la cie connected to an Airport Express router. I would like my NAS to store my iTunes content and to have both the MACMINI and MACBOOK access the library wirelessly... first question is: Is this possible. Second question is, should the NAS be set up with the Apple Server or the windows server. Right now for some reason I cannot access the share I created on the NAS if i only enable the Apple Server. Next question, after upgrading to iTunes 7, I noticed that when I download new music, a folder with the name of the album is created, the new music download is not stored in the artist folder, or the existing album folder that is stored in the Artist folder, is this correct. And lastly, when I moved all of the music to the new NAS Share, and then deleted the library on iTunes and reset the iTunes storage preferences and dragged/dropped the library from the new location, a bunch of songs now appear with an exclamation point. I am not sure if my system is working, and now I have to go and individually indicate to iTunes where songs are located, and I am afraid I lost music in the migration. How do I best use my network and music? How was iTunes intended to be used in a house with multiple computers and one account... HELP I am in over my head!

One Library - Multiple Computers

I searched a little bit on here, but couldn't find a good solution. Hopefully you can help me out.
Here is what I currently have:
- iMac
- 2 MacBooks
- Time Capsule
- Apple TV
- iDisk
- Drobo
I want to store my iPhoto library and iTunes library in a single place where all the computers and Apple TV can access them.
I thought the Time Capsule might be the best place, but I can't figure out a way to backup the Time Capsule. I tried SuperDuper and CCC, but the Time Capsule isn't mounted (even though I was able to make it show up on my desktop) so it isn't an option for the source disk.
I've read on here that iDisk will be too slow.
I thought about connecting the Drobo to the Time Capsule via USB and storing the files on there. The benefit to this is the Drobo doesn't need to be backed up b/c it duplicates the data itself.
I thought about getting a Mac Mini as using that as a media server to store the files and then I could use SuperDuper to backup the Mini.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

BG:
If you have the library on an external HD that has ownership set to be ignored you should be able to reliably have all users use that library. The only caveat is that *only one can open and use it at a time*. It's explained in this Apple document: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198
I don't know if you can daisy chain a FW hard drive off of the Time Capsule, have it formatted for OS X Extended (Journaled) but if you can you might be able to have the library on such a HD. If the Time Capsule has a port for another drive to be connected and you have the drive you could test it out while keeping your original copy of the library on your own Mac until you're sure it works OK. Also ask in the Time Capsule forum on this.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
Note: There's now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

Windows 7, one computer, one library, multiple users

I installed iTunes 10.0.1 (64 bit) on a new computer running Windows 7.
1. I copied my old iTunes library from an old computer.
2. In iTunes, I changed my iTunes media folder location to C:\users\public\music\itunes\itunes media
3. I selected th copied files, then dragged and dropped them into the itunes window.
All good so far. Now I can see and play my old tunes on my new computer. But... this is a home computer with multiple users. When I change users, I can start itunes, but when I change the iTunes media folder location to the same location as the install user's location, I get nothing. It's like iTunes can't see the data at that location.
Can anyone help with this? Is there a different way to do this? My goal is to have all users on this computer share one iTunes library (we all use the same store account). What am I missing?
Thanks in advance,
Dave

+... but when I change the iTunes media folder location to the same location as the install user's location, I get nothing. It's like iTunes can't see the data at that location.+
When you change user B's itunes preference to use C:\users\public\music\itunes\itunes media as their itunes media folder, that part worked, right?
You need to add the "C:\users\public\music\itunes\itunes media" folder to their itunes database file (itunes Library.itl). Each windows user has their own database file.
The itunes library content is not the same as the itunes library database.
Make sure everyone's preferences for "Copy files to itunes folder" is NOT checked, or you'll end up with duplicate files.
Message was edited by: Katrina S.

One Library - 2 Macs ?

Switching from iPhoto to A3
Is it possible to have my imac and macbook pro use the same library ?
I can store the A3 library either on my imac or a network raid storage drive (minimac server)

MacDave1967 wrote:
Is it possible to have my imac and macbook pro use the same library ?
I can store the A3 library either on my imac or a network raid storage drive (minimac server)
Aperture v3 now does have some supported methods for managing Libraries on multiple computers. From within Aperture under the Help menu search for "Merging Libraries." Experiment thoroughly with dummy Libraries before selecting and using a merge methodology on your real Library.
You could use the same Library if you kept the Library on an external drive and only connected one computer at a time to the Library. However I strongly recommend against this because it will decrease performance unless you have an eSATA connection. In general The Aperture Library should always be on an internal drive.
Also note that Aperture is a single-user app, so under no circumstances can you have Aperture running on two computers connected simultaneously on a network. Multi-user versions of images management apps (e.g. Cumulus, Portfolio, etc.) tend to be very expensive.
IMO best by a lot, especially with mobility-hardware computers like MBPs and iMacs, is to use a Referenced Masters Library with Masters referenced on external drives via FW800 or eSATA; however Referenced Masters usually do still work adequately with Masters accessed on externals via slower methods like FW400 or USB.
Remember to back up Masters separately from Vaults, which only back up the Library itself when using a Referenced Masters Library. I very strongly recommend that such backup be performed before import into Aperture or any other images management application.
HTH
-Allen Wicks

One library, Multiple Windows Accounts. Help Please!

I have two windows user accounts on one computer. Each user has a separate ipod. I want to keep all music files in one place if possible. Currently all music is in iTunes music folder located in shared files. Each user has their own iTunes folder, iTunes music library, and the iTunes library in their directory. I thought each user account would be able to access the shared music files and rate the songs, etc., without disrupting the other users iTunes. Everytime one user uses Add file to library or use Add folder to library, the other user gets a ! next to the song and gets an error saying the song cannot be found do you want to search for it. I cannot figure out how to fix this or if it is even possible. I thought it was by the instructions on the iTunes website: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer. Any information would help thanks.

Turn off 'keep iTunes folder organised' and 'copy to iTunes folder' in Edit\Prefs\Advanced in both accounts, and see if that helps.

One Library, 3 Macs ?

Hi,
We have 3 macs at home. How would we go about sharing the same iTunes library among them ?
Any advice appreciated !

check this read.
also, there is _*Home Sharing*_.

Multiple Macs one library

I'm not a Aperture user, I'm just trying to figure out which program to use. I tried iPhoto, I've used iView for several years (but don't really like it), I looked at Adobes program, and now I'm playing with Aperture.
There is however one thing I haven't figured out yet. Can I use one Aperture library on two Macs? I can see how I would normally use a MacBook but once in a while I would like to be able to use a MacPro, is there some way this can be done (note: not at the same time)?

First off, whatever you do is just keep the vault on a separate external drive.
A vault is simply a non-directly usable backup of the Aperture library that would need to be used to rebuild a library. (actually there is a way to change a vault into a library, but that is a bit over the top here....)
A simple way for using two computers and one library would be to have the Aperture Library on a FW800 drive. Just plug it into whichever computer you want to use at the time.
A second way (if you insist on having the library on the slow MacBook Pro internal drive) would be to use Target Disk Mode to mount the MacBook Pro hard drive onto the MacPro and use the library from there.
A third way (if you insist on having the library on the slow MacBook Pro internal drive again) would be keep the library on the MacBook Pro, ethernet the two computers together and mount the MacBook Pro's hard drive on the MacPro, then open the Aperture Library with the MacPro. Just be sure to NEVER use the library on both computers at the same time. The problem with the final way is it is the slowest way, but still usable.
My choice would be #1.
Finally you could go with SATA drives and cards for the fastest speeds but this is an expensive option.

IDVD burning one project on multiple macs? where are project contents?

How do I burn one project on multiple macs? I have a idvd project I created in keynote, added music to it in Garageband, exported to quicktime, and now is in iDVD burning just fine. However I have tons of these dvd's to make, I would like to put all my mac's to work.
last night i tried to share the file, and it is just an alias when i drag it over from the macbook it was created on to my imac. the file says it is in use and locked, since the macbook that created it is burning it. If I wanted to brun on the imac, I had to wait until the macbook was done.
is there a way around this? What if I copied all files I used to make the idvd project to my imac or any computer i wanted to burn on? woudl it hen allow two macs to be burning the same project?
I figured I could do this just like on my PC, drag the file over and voila...no such luck, its like if i had dragged a shortcut over to another pc...if the first one is using the file, its locked. Basically how do i get to the actual contents of the project, so I can also bring them over and hopefully it will allow me to burn on multiple macs at the same time?
my next solution if that didn't work was to start copying dvd's using popcorn on the other macs while the macbook continues burning through idvd.
Any opinions on how i can duplicate a dvd fast...need alot of copies!

Also as to where the files are.
I-DVD project bundle: This is the file created when you save the project.
• [user]/Library/iDVD/Favorites: This folder is located in your home folder.
• [root]/Library/iDVD/Favorites: This folder is located at the root of your disk.
• /Network/Library/iDVD/Favorites: This folder is on a network system specifically
configured by your system administrator for this purpose. (This is not the same as
having a server networked into your computer.)

I would like to use one library but with multiple ipods, but because they are my kids Ipods, and they each have their own gift cards, I'd like to be able to add money to their "profiles" without them having their own account - what is the best way

So here is my delima - I want one Ipod account - because I only want one library - since we all like the same music - but my kids, who have their own IPODS, have gift cards, who want to be able to keep track of their balance without the other child affecting the balance - meaning - each gift card should be seperate and not totalled to the single account - Beacuse the library is fairly large, having three libraries of large amounts would be a waste. I would also like to restrict their purchased to the gift cards only and not my credit card on file. Does this make sense? Once this is resolved, I'm assuming they would use their own playlists to copy their favorites to each Ipod. Or would I set up an account for each child - which I dont want to do, because I dont want them having access to my Credit Card, and only gift card balances. With multiple accounts, I'm assuming that would also build seperate libraries? We also have multiple computers, but I share the library to those computers -
What is the best way? I'd like to be able to add credit to a specific child (birthdays, etc) without the other child being able to access that credit. For simplicity sake.
We are new to IPODS and lack any MAC skills.
Thoughts?

Not going to happen the way you want it to.
When you add a gift card balance to the Apple ID, it's available for the Apple ID.
Probably best to create unique Apple ID's for each... this will also make things easier in the future as purchases are eternally tied to the Apple ID they were purchased with.

Accessing a single itunes library from multiple macs using a NAS???

hi, at the moment i have a imac g5 holding all my itunes library files on its hard drive. i'm about to buy another mac to locate downstairs, and also have itunes on my windows laptop.
i am thinking of moving the itunes library to a networked attached storage device, something like the buffalo terastation. does anyone have experience of this? does it work well over a wireless network? (802.11g)
how easy is this to set up, and make each mac point to the library on the NAS device? are there any problems with ripping cds to the NAS device, or multiple macs accessing different songs at the same time?
what would i need to do on each mac to make if see the library if i moved it to the NAS?
sorry for the questions, but i know what i want to do, just not quite sure how to do it!
thanks, andy

hi,
sorry i haven't tried this. i've now resorted to
buying a mac mini, attaching an external firewire
harddrive and using itunes sharing. still means i
have to have the mac mini on all the time, so not
ideal. i decided not to buy the nas for the time
being. i'm still interested in hearing if it works on
other peoples systems tho!
There are others who have done something similar in that they created a shared folder on one computer and opened access to that shared folder to all other computers. The result was that only one computer could listen to the library at a time. I would assume the same thing would be true if using a NAS due to the file locking iTunes imposes. Anybody want to take a ride to the Apple Store and see if one of their reps have done it??

One library, multiple MACs.

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