New User - how do I add files to collection from location on

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rmbelson
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:44 am

New User - how do I add files to collection from location on

Post by rmbelson »

My linux box is designed to be a music client, but my 50K+ music files are located on a neetworked win 7 pc. I don't see how to browse via Guayadeque to my networked PC to add those files to collection. My ubuntu (Zorin OS) system sees the networked PC fine and I can browse through the OS's file browser to any mp3 and play it individually. But I want a player to create playlists, etc. Thanks -- you can assume I know very little about Ubuntu and Linux, sorry. rmb
Adoby
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:11 am

New User - how do I add files to collection from location on

Post by Adoby »

If you have a collection on a networked drive it should be on a server or a NAS that can be assumed to be always available. Not on a PC that may be turned off.

You need to mount the networked file share by editing /etc/fstab.

Details here: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MountWindowsSharesPermanently
rmbelson
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2013 11:44 am

New User - how do I add files to collection from location on

Post by rmbelson »

Alas, on PC that is not server or NAS. My question -- if the Ubuntu OS can see the networked files, if LibreOffice can browse to any networked folder and open a file as long as I have the folder bookmarked, why can't guyadeque do the same to add files to a collection?
Adoby
Posts: 30
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2012 8:11 am

New User - how do I add files to collection from location on

Post by Adoby »

You can add the files to the collection fine. But: G doesn't copy the files when you add them to a collection. G only creates an entry in the database. If/when the PC with the share is turned off, then the collection becomes invalid. Oops!

You can browse and open and play files using G from networked filesystems, but it is a bad idea to build a collection from a temporary share that can disappear at any time.

If you don't have a persistent share then you have to copy the files to the local filesystem.

It sounds like you really need a NAS. The cheapest way, in the short run, could be to recycle an old PC and use that as a NAS. Could be a really old and bad one, as long as it has a network card and can handle a big HD. But on the longer run a real NAS use less power and takes up less space. There are many single drive NAS to choose from, that doesn't cost very much, but if the single drive fail, you loose everything. Another cheap way could be to use a USB NAS adaptor that converts any USB attached harddrive into a NAS. Many new routers have a USB port that can be used to share a USB hd on a local network. I have a 4 drive NAS with 1 drive redundancy for safety.
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