Multi-Zone/Fat Clients/XNet (newbie questions)

[doctor15]

I just got my first real HTPC and am looking to use x-lobby. However, ive been reading through the forums and cant seem to find answers to how it set up and how x-lobby would work with my specific set up.

I will have an HTPC (most likely the sever?) in the family room where I want to be able to watch/record tv, play music, etc. Throughout the house I have 6 normal desktops (fat clients?) that will simply add music to the playlist on the server, and listen to whatever music is playing on the server. However, I only want music to play on those clients when they enable it (by running x-lobby?). Basically, I want each client to be a zone, and the same music to play simultaneously to all zones currently on. It seems liek people are doing this by configuring seperate winamp instances for each zone, but how do i do that? (ive never used winamp). Oh, to make things evne more complicated, each computer will have its own set of music, although i might just only allow them to listen to music thats on the server.

Also, If i like it might add another computer as an idependent zone to watch videos etc.

Basically, im trying to understand how x-lobby works with the server and client. I will have network shares setup on every computer if that makes it easier.

I am very comptuer saavy, but just need some pointers in the right directions on this. I looked in the documentation but didnt find much. I have alot more questions but ill spare them for now since this post is already long enough. Thanks in advance for the help!

[Marbles_00]

I'm learning fat clients as well, but may be able to help with some of your questions.

I want each client to be a zone...It seems liek people are doing this by configuring seperate winamp instances for each zone

If you want each client to be a zone, you would not require seperate winamp instances on the server. You would only require winamp running on each client. When the clients connect to the server, zones will automatically be setup (after initial config in the setup/Xnet menu). When people discuss running seperate winamp instances, they are running them from the server, then you need either multiple soundcards or a multichannel card to output the seperate stereo pairs for each zone. Then each winamp is controlling each stereo pair.

I want each client to be a zone, and the same music to play simultaneously to all zones currently on

I think you may have sync problems trying to do it this way due to network/server capabilities. I haven't been successful in doing this, but currently my experimental server is a PIII 733 running a bunch of other services.

To setup the clients to view the music database from the server, the database is on the server. Enter setup/import (on the server machine) and set the music import to //"servermachine"/music folder...where "servermachine" is the name of the server computer (without the quotes), music folder is the folder where the music is stored on the server. When starting up the clients, they should pick this same path in their import screens, then if you want to add additional databases, import them from your local drive. I've just discovered that to import databases locally while connected through XNET, the database on the client should reside in the skin/database folder as opposed to the Xlobby/database folder (as discussed in my post here:
http://www.xlobby.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4635

To further this, you may have to setup different music screens to accomadate the different database locations. You could have Master list of music that resides on the server, then local list of music on the client.

I hope I've been able to answer some of your questions.

[dgemily]

will try to help you a litle bit,

first,install xlobby on evry pcs (server+ fat client, and yes server = your "htpc" and fat client = your "normal desktop).

you should install winamp or foobar2000 on every pcs

then,on every pcs, start xlobby go to the set up (press F2) section "general"
set a winamp ( or foobar) path : you can select one or more winamp installation path. ( you can install several winamp installation and set every installation for diffrent audio cards if ,of course, your are using several audio card on the same pcs or xk driver )


the winamp install repertory will be the name of your zone in xlobby( in the scrennshot, zones names will be "bureau", "chambre" "principale" and "salon")


then on your "server" you have to create your music database, for that, in the xlobby setup (F2), section "basic" select your music repertories using UNCpath and not local path :
example:
use: \\Servername\D\mucic\artist\album\....

instead of: D:\mucic\artist\album\....



then go to the xnet section : and press "start server" or chek "Always start as a server"



then on every fat client, start xloby, go to the setup, section xnet and in the sub-section: "Connect to xnet Server" the name or the ip of your server ( you can also chek "always connect at start up") then restart xlobby on every fat client, when xlobby restart, it will get(copy) every databases from the server to your fat client...

now donwload and install a skin using zones fonction

[doctor15]

Thanks for the replies!

Ok, so now I see how to set it up, but Im still confused about how x-lobby actually accomplishes playing the same song on multiple computers. Does it send 6 seperate streams to the clients, or does it individually play the song on each computer and sync playback? If it streams to each client, im worried about network bandwidth. If it syncs playback, how does it work when a client signs on in the middle of the song?

Thinking it over again, I'm wondeirng if I might be better off integrating a streaming music server (such as slimserver or orb) into x-lobby so that the clients can individually tune in to the stream without effecting much. I could then just put x-lobby on the clients that I want video for.

Each of these 6 clients is actually a differnt persons computers (I live in a college rental house) and they have their own music player and everything, but I want a way so that (when they want) they can listen to whatever is playing on the x-lobby server, so that we can have the same song in every room.

[Marbles_00]

If your worried about network bandwidth, one option is to set up a shoutcast server on the server machine. Then create an instance of winamp on the server and set that instance up to the shoutcast server. It will then be seen as a zone to all the clients. Then setup each client to be able to pick up that "shoutcast station". I've played around with this a little using a thin client and just winamp on a computer. I think rhino (an individual found here in the forums) did something like that...running a tuner (or some external sound device) into his soundcard then shoutcasting it out to his clients.

Hope this was helpful.

Oh and dgemily, great tutorial. A few questions to ask. When clicking on sync all in the XNET setup, what do Control Zone and Add Zone do? Well Add Zone is pretty self explainatory, but should they be done on the server side or fat client side? I had problems with the client playing until I selected that client zone in that setup, click on Add zone then Control Zone. Is that correct?

[dgemily]

Oh and dgemily, great tutorial. A few questions to ask. When clicking on sync all in the XNET setup, what do Control Zone and Add Zone do? Well Add Zone is pretty self explainatory, but should they be done on the server side or fat client side? I had problems with the client playing until I selected that client zone in that setup, click on Add zone then Control Zone. Is that correct?

in fact, I never tried these option in the set up configuration ... and right now I can't try and tests...
I think this fonction is only to add a group zone,: create a zone with sub-zones. so when you will select this "master" zone it will play and synchronize song on every sub-zones.
but anyway you can synchronize song on several zones via the skin using synchronize event.... (depending, if you want always synchronize song on evrery some zones, use the xnet configuration, if not "always" don't create a group and use only events)

hope it's make sense .... ( but, remember, I didn't try it yet....)

[doctor15]

hmm.. that shoutcast server idea doesnt sound bad.

I'm still curious though how x-lobby actually accomplishes sending the music to the clients. Knowing how that is implemented should let me know wheather im better off using x-lobbys native functionality or integrating a streaming solution.

Thanks again for the quick and helpful replies!