Sharing the Library with others - conflicts?

If I store my iTunes media on a network attached storage drive (NAS) and rather than sharing it via my iTunes, different computers use it directly, does this cause any conflicts?

If by "use it directly" you mean different users using the same iTunes Library file (the essential directory file that defines what an iTunes library is), then be aware that only one user can access a particular iTunes Library file at a time. So, there can be no conflict.
If you mean that different users would rely on their own iTunes Library file and that these library files would call on the same folder of music files, then there is a possibility of a conflict in the sense of things like one user deleting a music file that other users expect to remain in their libraries. However, all users could operate their separate library files at the same time without any problem.

Similar Messages

Sharing iTunes library with other users (on Vista)

I'm posting this for my sister who just purchased a new computer running Vista. She's set up a user account for herself as well as one for each of my two nephews. We've successfully moved over her iTunes music folder from her laptop and can now access it and listen through her account.
However, we'd like to set it up so that my two nephews can also listen to the music from their user accounts. My oldest nephew also has a shuffle that would sync to it.
I've found a link to information about sharing, but I still need to clarify a few things.
Here's the link:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93195
On this page, it describes how "to share your music with other accounts on the computer" and also how "to listen to another account's music files".
Exactly how are these two things different? I'm pretty sure that I probably want the first of the two, but I'm not positive.
And once we successfully set this up, would we have to sync the shuffle via my sister's main account or could it be synced from any of them?

Let's answer your second question first ...
And once we successfully set this up, would we have to sync the shuffle via my sister's main account or could it be synced from any of them?
Any of them.
... and your first question second.
Exactly how are these two things different?
The first part - sharing your music with other accounts - makes the music available to the other users on the computer.
It is then up to the other users to decide whether or not they want to make use of the available music, hence the second part - listening to another account's music files - which, as the article says, must be repeated "for each account that is listening to shared music."

Question re. sharing iTunes library with other user accounts

I have seen this document:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
I want to share one library with four users on my account. I'd like for any music purchased or ripped to this computer to end up in User 1's iTunes library, and for Users 2, 3 and 4 to have access to User 1s library just as User 1 does.
When I follow the directions for "Listening to another account's music files" in the above referenced document, it tells me to navigate to User 1's library through the dialog box that pops up after User 2 clicks "Add to LIbrary".
The problem is, when User 2 is doing that, and User 1 has put the iTunes library in ~user1/public, as the directions suggest, that dialog box won't allow user 2 to access User 1's Public folder.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance...
Chris

Another long description in store here...
iTunes has two main elements. One is the library.itl database file. When you open iTunes it is this that you see. It contains what music is in a library, playlists, date added, playcount, etc. It is this that is really the library. The other element are the media files. When you tell iTunes to play a track it checks in its library file which music file is associated with that track and goes and plays it.
Now you say, "for Users 2, 3 and 4 to have access to User 1s library just as User 1 does." Do you really want User 4 to be able to go and delete or rename tracks, or change the playlists? This can be done if you really want it. Or do you want each person to keep their own library [file] and share media? Even that has disadvantages as a person might still be able to rename a file or even delete it for all. At least everybody would have their own playlists, ratings, etc, though a person could delete a file and then it would appear as a broken link for others. To be honest, iTunes isn't great for sharing.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Exactly what you want to do will involve different setups so before going into detailed insructions it would help to know which ones to provide. Here's an sampling:
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203 - relocating iTunes' media folder to a shared area but leaving separate library files - extra tip at https://discussions.apple.com/message/17331189
Chris CA's instructions on sharing one iTunes music library between multiple user accounts - https://discussions.apple.com/message/8974074 - Multiple users using a single library file - similar post at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3753008
iTunes Home Sharing now works between users on same computer - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3865597 The problem with HS is I think you then end up with multiple copies of files, one for each user. At least they cannot damage another's collection though.

Sharing Aperture Library with Other Computers on the Home Network

Hello,
Forgive me if this question has been asked before, if it has, I missed it.
I have a mac on which I have Aperture and have taken the time to edit all of our family photos (cropping, color management, red eye reduction, etc.), so, after having done all of this, my wife, when showing her friends photos and such, would like to be able to have access to those photos on her mac laptop. But, I called Apple on this and their tech support guy made it sound like the only way to do this would be to create a web gallery for each set of pictures. And, I have to say, that solution seemed a bit extreme for sharing pictures within a home, not to mention the logistics for creating web galleries for tens of thousands of photos. So, the other option that occurred to me was that I could export all of the pictures into a directory and then have her iphoto import all of those pictures, however, there are two problems with that: 1) she is not up to date with new photos that have been added to Aperture and 2) the subfolder structure isn't preserved (i.e., it's just a huge mass of photos not a groups organized according to event).
So, my question is: does anyone know a better more practical way to do this? I would think it would be something that Apple would foresee and have a fix for but maybe not.
Thank you very much,
Ken

+"Single User License. This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on one Apple-labeled desktop computer and one Apple-labeled laptop computer so long as both computers are owned and used by you."+
I own an iMac and I pretend to buy an Apple laptop as secondary computer for my home, just after vacations, as now I have some more important expenses that should deliver new set of photos into Aperture library.
iMac is in use by me, and my wife, and kid. I assume that it will be legal to install copy of Aperture on my new laptop. So I will end in same situation as you are today. In my opinion it will be legal to use Aperture on both computers, as both are in possession of my family, and at least in my country we are somehow single entity (we pay common taxes from our joint income etc.) - it depends on the marriage settlement, however we've choose it that way.
In this case I'll simple export library and import it on my secondary computer. I own my iMac, and I'll own my Macbook Pro. At the same moment my wife own them as well. I'm not sure about your situation, but it might work for you. The questions is, is it really legal?

Does home sharing allow me to share my iTunes library with other users on the same imac

Does home sharing allow me to share my iTunes library with other users on the same imac?

Apparently so (as long as each user operates out of a different Mac User account).
After setting up home sharing in the various different user accounts on the Mac, you need to have iTunes open in the account that you want to Home Share from.
Now use fast User Switching to get into the account that you want to Home Share to. Launch iTunes in there. The library in the other account should appear as shared for you.

How do i share my itunes library with other users on the same mac

I'm trying to share my itunes library with other users on the same mac. I have tried moving my library to a public folder but when the other user logs in they can't see it in the public folder?

Presuming you moved the entire iTunes folder to the shared folder the other users need to start their iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and select the iTunes Library.itl file in the shared folder. Only once should be necessary. Note that any changes anybody makes will be seen by everybody, so you have to trust each other a lot.
If all you moved are media files each user will have to add those files to their iTunes library.
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203 - relocating iTunes' media folder to a shared area but leaving separate library files - extra tip at https://discussions.apple.com/message/17331189 Chris CA's instructions on sharing one iTunes music library between multiple user accounts - https://discussions.apple.com/message/8974074 - Multiple users using a single library file - similar post at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3753008 Suggestion by Turingtest for multiple users and one library - http://discussions.apple.com/message/9117622 - use smart playlists and tags to isolate groupings.

Sharing my iTunes Library with other Users on my computer?

...hi guys! Nice to find this friendly commumity!
I wonder if any of you have worked out how to share the library across other users on the computer yet?
I share a PC with my girlfriend, and all of our downloads on iTunes are from our CD collection. But as I installed iTunes on my user account, she can't get the songs now!
When she opens iunes from her user account, it's a blank library!
Please help!
Thanks chaps,
Kerr
Message was edited by: heinzeman

Chris CA wrote:
Move the entire _iTunes folder_ located in *My Documents/My Music*/ to a Shared directory. Make sure to set this folder for read/write permissions for all users.
I set my permissions as follows OS 10.4.X:
first under the original owners login, change all permissions to read & write, then change 'group' to wheel. Then change the owner from the user to system (I applied to all within ~ may not be necessary).
Start iTunes holding the Shift key and select *Choose existing library* then pick the iTunes library file you moved into the Shared directory.
In iTunes 7.5, you'll need to hold the Option key and then pick the /Users/Shared/iTunes/iTunes Music
Quit iTunes and log out of your user and let her log in.
Start iTunes holding the Shift key and select *Choose existing library* then pick the iTunes library file you moved into the Shared directory.
Now she needs to File -> *Add folder to library* and pick *My Documents*/My Music*/*iTunes*/iTunes music*.
This will add all her music to the common library.
Once this is complete, she can delete *My Documents*/My Music*/*iTunes.
Do this for all users. Any changes made by one will be seen by all.

Sharing Aperture library with another user on the same mac

Hi
I just upgraded to Aperture 3.3, on a MBP running Lion (10.7.4) - I am trying to share the library with my wife so that each of us can retain our separate accounts and preferences and be able to edit/print/add pictures to the library
I've seen some other posts, suggesting creating a separate directory outside of /Users which I've done: I've created /ApertureLib and moved the library there. I made sure I set permissions for owner, group and others to read/write/execute
When i try opening the library through my wife's account it tells me that "the library is being used by (null), you must first quit (null) to use this library"
I added sticky bits, tried to set ACLs, no dice...
any suggestions?
Thanks!
PS: all of the image files are actually stored on a NAS box and mounted via AFP. I tried moving the Aperture library to the NAS box but the performance was atrocious. so I kept the library on Macintosh HD and just reference the picture files from the NAS share.

PS: all of the image files are actually stored on a NAS box and mounted via AFP. I tried moving the Aperture library to the NAS box but the performance was atrocious. so I kept the library on Macintosh HD and just reference the picture files from the NAS share.
That is the safest solution. The Aperture library should reside on a local volume, MacOS X extended formatted. Your NAS probably is neither local nor formatted MacOS X extended, see
Aperture: Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library
I am trying to share the library with my wife so that each of us can retain our separate accounts and preferences and be able to edit/print/add pictures to the library
Aperture is a single User program. Only one of you can use Aperture at a time. So you hvae to quit Aperture in your account, before your wife can launch it from her account. Also make sure that iPhoto is not using the library.
One big problem with sharing a Library are permissions and ownerships. When you make changes to an Aperture Library and add images, you are the owner of the added images. The safest way to share a library therefore would be to put it on an external volume or onto a separate partition of your hard drive. Then you can set the "Ignore ownership on this volume" flag and share the data with out permission problems. To set this flag on a volume, select it in the Finder and use "File > Get info" from the Finder's main menu bar (or press cmd-I).
Regards
Léonie

I just downloaded 950 photos on iPhoto and deleted them off my camera and now under last import there is only 4 photos and i can't find the others?? There is a whole bunch of blank events in the library with no photos in them all with todays date? Help!!

I just downloaded 950 photos on iPhoto and deleted them off my camera and now under last import there is only 4 photos and i can't find the others?? There is a whole bunch of blank events in the library with no photos in them all with todays date? Help!!

Yes - you need a min of 10 GB just to operate - with just 1 you certainly can lose photos and other critical things - you need to make space immediately - probably by moving your iPhoto library to a volume formatted Mac OS extended -
Moving the iPhoto library is safe and simple - quit iPhoto and drag the iPhoto library intact as a single entity to the external drive - depress the option key and launch iPhoto using the "select library" option to point to the new location on the external drive - fully test it and then trash the old library on the internal drive (test one more time prior to emptying the trash)
And be sure that the External drive is formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) (iPhoto does not work with drives with other formats) and that it is always available prior to launching iPhoto
And backup soon and often - having your iPhoto library on an external drive is not a backup and if you are using Time Machine you need to check and be sure that TM is backing up your external drive
LN

How to share administrator iPhoto library with other users on same iMac?

How to share administrator iPhoto library with other users on same iMac?

This is the part I'm referring to:
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
The library stays in the Pictures folder for this.

How to share iMovie library with other accounts without duplicating files?

I'm looking for information on how to share an imovie library with other accounts on the same computer without duplicating files. If I copy imovie files to the shared folder each user is required to import the files to their library which duplicates the files. It would be nice if imovie had the option of including events/projects shared in the share folder. Is there an option to change everyone's default library to a shared folder? Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you!

The easiest way to do this would be to atach an external drive. The external drive should be formatted as Mac OS Extended (journaled). If you have a drive that is formatted some other way, you can reformat it using Disk Utility. It can be Thunderbolt, Firewire, or USB, but Firewire or Thunderbolt will give best performance for video.
Now you need to move the projects and events over to the external drive. This must be done from within iMovie.
In iMovie, click VIEW/EVENTS BY DISK.
Now, in the Project Library View, hold down the command key while dragging the small icon for each project to the small icon for the external drive. Now select one of these projects and click FILE/CONSOLIDATE MEDIA. This will enable you to move associated Events, Photos, and Music to the external drive. Repeat for all projects.
If any events are left over at the end of this, because they are not used in any of your projects, you can move them to the external drive by working in the Event Library list. Hold down the Command Key while dragging the small icon for the Event in the Event Library List to the small icon for the External Drive. Repeat until all the Events are moved.
Now you can edit these movies on any user account.
For future clips that you import from a camera, be sure to select the external drive as the location.

Sharing Aperture library with iPad: a little annoyance...

When editing a photo with a 3rd party plugin (or Photoshop), Aperture creates a 2nd version in TIF or JPG. This image is stacked with the main image. 9 times out of 10, the image edited should become the primary image I want to see, with the RAW (or original master) becoming a backup in the stack.
I wish there was an option for iTunes/iPad to sync only the top image of the stacks within a giving event. If anyone knows of a way to do this currently please let me know.
Thanks!

PS: all of the image files are actually stored on a NAS box and mounted via AFP. I tried moving the Aperture library to the NAS box but the performance was atrocious. so I kept the library on Macintosh HD and just reference the picture files from the NAS share.
That is the safest solution. The Aperture library should reside on a local volume, MacOS X extended formatted. Your NAS probably is neither local nor formatted MacOS X extended, see
Aperture: Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library
I am trying to share the library with my wife so that each of us can retain our separate accounts and preferences and be able to edit/print/add pictures to the library
Aperture is a single User program. Only one of you can use Aperture at a time. So you hvae to quit Aperture in your account, before your wife can launch it from her account. Also make sure that iPhoto is not using the library.
One big problem with sharing a Library are permissions and ownerships. When you make changes to an Aperture Library and add images, you are the owner of the added images. The safest way to share a library therefore would be to put it on an external volume or onto a separate partition of your hard drive. Then you can set the "Ignore ownership on this volume" flag and share the data with out permission problems. To set this flag on a volume, select it in the Finder and use "File > Get info" from the Finder's main menu bar (or press cmd-I).
Regards
Léonie

Help, somehow I have a "Shared" ltunes library with a stranger.

Help, somehow I have a "Shared" ltunes library with a stranger. How did this happen?? How do I get rid of it? Is it through the cloud?

James Fernald wrote:
Help, somehow I have a "Shared" ltunes library with a stranger. How did this happen?? How do I get rid of it? Is it through the cloud?
People who live in a dorm sometimes see 30 names there!
Go to Preferences > Sharing, and un-check "Share My Library."

Sharing 1 library with 2 iPods on 4 PCs and a NAS drive - possible?

Anyone managed to do anything similar to my setup as per subject line?
I've only just got an iPod so please tell me if I'm looking at this the wrong way but...
The idea is that all my music (CD ripped mp3s) is stored on a NAS drive on my home network. I create a library for my iPod on the NAS drive so any new CDs I rip on my PC also go straight onto the NAS drive. My GF connects her iPod to her PC which picks up the same library off the NAS, similarly when she rips CDs it'll update the same library. When I use my laptop or media centre PC they'll also pick up the same library off the same NAS drive.
Is this all too simple? Am I missing something? i.e. only one iPod per library allowed, or only one PC per library allowed? What would happen if both me and my GF connected to the library at the same time?
A lot of questions, I know, many many many thanks for anyone that that can answer some of them.
cheers

Sounds mighty tricky, but possible. Exactly the kind of thing I would waste days working on!
Is the music all stored on the NAS drive?
I would try and have a single library. You could create two playlists to handle the iPods and stream music to the other PCs. This way any music additions etc. would only have to be done once. In this case I would keep the library with the music on the NAS drive.
Alternatively, you would have a separate library on each PC accessing the music on the NAS drive right? In this case any music additions / deletions on the NAS drive would have to be reflected in all libraries. I've written a perl script that looks for music in the iTunes music directory that's not currently in iTunes -- could be adapted into an applescript that automatically adds the songs to a new playlist. Problem is, you're on windows...

When I plug in my headphones into my imac only the right side plays music. I tried with other headphones and still has the same problem. I tried the headphones with other devices and they work properly. Can anyone help me with my problem please?

When I plug in my headphones into my imac only the right side plays music. I tried with other headphones and still has the same problem. I tried the headphones with other devices and they work properly. Can anyone help me with my problem please?

Macs have crazy headpne jacks in different models.
So we know more about it...
At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac, then click on More Info, then click on Hardware> and report this upto but not including the Serial#...
Hardware Overview:
Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 6 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.21f4

Sharing the Library with others - conflicts?

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