Does a software file mangaing solution I describe exist?

[Wladyslaw]

Consider 4 hard drives all with media on them. Is there any software that can scan each disk and present a single place that shows all the files you have.

I guess this is similar to pooling but I don't actually want to pool the drives and have 'one' virtual drive present in explorer (such as drivebender or drivepool would do). I just want the software to know what is on what disk. And if you can use that interface to do all the file renaming / adding / deleting, and then it just propagates the change through to the appropriate hard drive.

Thanks

 

[westrock2000]

Not that it would help you, but you could probably do half of that using a scripting language like Perl. I have come up with some similar solutions.

I have a script that scans my pool for all the movies on it, reads metadata to get the actual title (not the file name) and genre and then sorts it all and puts it into a webpage that it then uploads to a server of mine so that I can always pull up a list of our movies on my phone when I'm out and about. That was all written in Perl.

You could have a script that reads all the files on the drives and then creates symbolic links inside a centralized folder. The links would simply point to the actual file.

You could also do something like what iTunes does with its "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder where it perdiocally monitors that folder and anything that gets placed in that folder automatically gets moved off to the correct folder location and the right hierarchy.

Again, you probably do not have the experience to do this, but maybe it will spark something in your imagination. Also I found that having a tangible goal made learning how to program much easier then just looking at calculator examples in the books

 

[Wladyslaw]

Hi thanks for the input,

Yes that sounds exactly like the kind of thing I am after. Really just an automated 'layer' between you and the 4 separate hard drives. And this 'layer' manages where things go on a case by case basis.

I do agree learning a language with an end goal in mind is definitely the best way to pick it up (for this way you will find out very quickly what you do and don't know), but I do not have time myself right now so I seek an already made package.

A piece of software that I absolutely love is FreeFileSync, very simple yet beautifully written package I use to maintain backups and manual file syncing. So hoping something similar like that exist for what I am after - does only one thing but does it well!

Not that it would help you, but you could probably do half of that using a scripting language like Perl. I have come up with some similar solutions.

I have a script that scans my pool for all the movies on it, reads metadata to get the actual title (not the file name) and genre and then sorts it all and puts it into a webpage that it then uploads to a server of mine so that I can always pull up a list of our movies on my phone when I'm out and about. That was all written in Perl.

You could have a script that reads all the files on the drives and then creates symbolic links inside a centralized folder. The links would simply point to the actual file.

You could also do something like what iTunes does with its "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder where it perdiocally monitors that folder and anything that gets placed in that folder automatically gets moved off to the correct folder location and the right hierarchy.

Again, you probably do not have the experience to do this, but maybe it will spark something in your imagination. Also I found that having a tangible goal made learning how to program much easier then just looking at calculator examples in the books

 

[teh_chem]

What is your os? Sounds kind like Libraries, where you can assign multiple directories to one library, and tell the os what file types to optimize for.

I don't know if you needed something lower level, or non Windows

 

[Aesma]

Liquesce is a free drive pooling solution that doesn't remove your drives from explorer, it just adds another drive letter where all the contents are pooled. So you can keep copying files to individual drives.

 

[x509]

Consider 4 hard drives all with media on them. Is there any software that can scan each disk and present a single place that shows all the files you have.

Thanks

Wladysaw, I think you're looking for a "Digital Asset Management" system. Do a search on "digital asset management systems for media" and you'll come up with lots of hits. The big distinction is between desktop systems at consumer prices and multi-user, enterprise systems that are server-based.

 

[teh_chem]

OP, what operating system are you using?

 

[Wladyslaw]

What is your os? Sounds kind like Libraries, where you can assign multiple directories to one library, and tell the os what file types to optimize for.

I don't know if you needed something lower level, or non Windows

I am on windows 8.1 x64. Yes I forgot about libraries. I will have a go and see if they do what I am after. Thanks

Liquesce is a free drive pooling solution that doesn't remove your drives from explorer, it just adds another drive letter where all the contents are pooled. So you can keep copying files to individual drives.

I used Liquesce a while back and while it was a nice light weight app it seemed a bit glitchy for me, and I think there was no development on it for a long time. So I didnt really feel safe using it 24/7.

Wladysaw, I think you're looking for a "Digital Asset Management" system. Do a search on "digital asset management systems for media" and you'll come up with lots of hits. The big distinction is between desktop systems at consumer prices and multi-user, enterprise systems that are server-based.

Ive never heard of that, I'll have a look. Thanks

OP, what operating system are you using?

Im on windows 8.1 x64. Thanks

 

[staticlag]

Yeah Windows Libraries is what you are looking for. Windows will scan the drives once and whenever changes happen, and will keep an active index of everything on the drives for quick access.

You can browse/search/edit everything just like they were all in one giant folder.

 

[Wladyslaw]

Yeah Windows Libraries is what you are looking for. Windows will scan the drives once and whenever changes happen, and will keep an active index of everything on the drives for quick access.

You can browse/search/edit everything just like they were all in one giant folder.

I will give it a go, sounds useful. So why do people pool drives when you can just use a snapshot backup eg snapraid and then libraries? In a media environment, not work. Thanks

Thanks

 

[westrock2000]

Because not all software acknowledges symbolic links or the "library" function that Windows 7 & 8 uses.

On my laptop I set all my Library folders to point to /Users/Public so that between my work account and my personal account I would have access to the same documents. There are times when I tell it to save the Pictures library and for whatever reason it goes to /Users/Work Account/Pictures instead of the Public folder.

And symbolic links, while a really cool idea, have the same problems with software. But they are great when they work.