remote digikam acces to server

[Dominique Bernardi]

Good morning everybody,
For some times I'm looking for an answer about my problem, without any, so
I try this newsgroup. Hope someone could solve it.

I move all my pics files to a server, and want to acess to it with 2
client using sshfs, I configure it using http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam/
Manage_Photos_from_Multiple_digiKam_Installations
I complete this by installing on the server Mysql following instructions
in http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam/Using_digiKam_with_MySQL.
Til' here everything look ok except that :
I connect with PC1 to server it does the job great, I close Pc1, unmount
the sshfs point, start PC2, mount the sshfs point, start digikam wich ask
me to look in /home/PC1/mountpoint_sshfs.
The problem is reversible. if in PC2 I force it to import from the good
directory. When i will close and start PC1, he will ask me to look in /
home/PC2/mountpoint_sshfs.
I really don't know where is the 'bug'.
Anyone got an idea ?
regards

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[Martin (KDE)]

Am 27.01.2013 18:42, schrieb Dominique Bernardi:

> Good morning everybody,
> For some times I'm looking for an answer about my problem, without any, so
> I try this newsgroup. Hope someone could solve it.
>
> I move all my pics files to a server, and want to acess to it with 2
> client using sshfs, I configure it using http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam/
> Manage_Photos_from_Multiple_digiKam_Installations
> I complete this by installing on the server Mysql following instructions
> in http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam/Using_digiKam_with_MySQL.
> Til' here everything look ok except that :
> I connect with PC1 to server it does the job great, I close Pc1, unmount
> the sshfs point, start PC2, mount the sshfs point, start digikam wich ask
> me to look in /home/PC1/mountpoint_sshfs.
> The problem is reversible. if in PC2 I force it to import from the good
> directory. When i will close and start PC1, he will ask me to look in /
> home/PC2/mountpoint_sshfs.

Hallo

Ist sshfs required? If not, did you try smb and/or NFS for this? I use
NFS for central photo storage since about 6 years ago.

To your problem: The path to your collection is stored in the database
(afaik). Unless you use two different databases this is expected. Why do
you use mysql instead of the local sqlite db?

Regards
Martin

> I really don't know where is the 'bug'.
> Anyone got an idea ?
> regards
>
> _______________________________________________
> Digikam-users mailing list
> [hidden email]
> https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/digikam-users

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[Jean-François Rabasse]

Hello,

A few comments about this topic and the more general issue of non
local (local disk) collections data, often raised on this list.

First, to answer to Martin :

On Sun, 27 Jan 2013, Martin (KDE) wrote:

> Ist sshfs required? If not, did you try smb and/or NFS for this? I use
> NFS for central photo storage since about 6 years ago.

You're right, NFS can be a good solution for non local images storage
but NFS restricts to a local network. You can use NFS at home, if your
desktop PC is connected to a LAN server, you can't use NFS if your
storage is on an Internet server (e.g. ako web hoster or cloud provider.)
I use sshfs too, to access data on my web hosting workspace, NFS would
be impossible.

> To your problem: The path to your collection is stored in the database
> (afaik).

Pathname is stored in the DB, sometimes, not always, cf. below.

> Unless you use two different databases this is expected. Why do
> you use mysql instead of the local sqlite db?

Dominique will reply, but I guess he runs Digikam instances on two PC,
called PC1 and PC2, and wishes to have one and only one database.
So a MySQL solution, installed on the common server. SQLite3 can be
used only on local disks.


On Sun, 27 Jan 2013, Dominique Bernardi wrote:

> Good morning everybody,
> For some times I'm looking for an answer about my problem, without any, so
> I try this newsgroup. Hope someone could solve it.
>
> I move all my pics files to a server, and want to acess to it with 2
> client using sshfs, I configure it using http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam/
> Manage_Photos_from_Multiple_digiKam_Installations
> I complete this by installing on the server Mysql following instructions
> in http://userbase.kde.org/Digikam/Using_digiKam_with_MySQL.
> Til' here everything look ok except that :
> I connect with PC1 to server it does the job great, I close Pc1, unmount
> the sshfs point, start PC2, mount the sshfs point, start digikam wich ask
> me to look in /home/PC1/mountpoint_sshfs.
> The problem is reversible. if in PC2 I force it to import from the good
> directory. When i will close and start PC1, he will ask me to look in /
> home/PC2/mountpoint_sshfs.

Just a question, Dominique, when you write « /home/PC1/mountpoint_sshfs »
and « /home/PC1/mountpoint_sshfs », is it a symbolic notation meaning
« the sshfs mount point of PC1, resp. PC2 », or is it two different
pathnames ?

Digikam identifies images collections by pathname OR by physical devices
identifier, with - as far I could see - a preference for physical ID
(UUID identifiers). And more, DK seems to use (and store in the database)
pathnames only when it can't discover a physical device UUID.

I have similar problems, using two machines and one database (I do syncs
from one to the other). On both machines, I always have my collection
available under a start point directory, /data/images
On one machine, a laptop, the info is stored in the database by disk
UUID, e.g. if I go into my DB :
  SELECT * FROM AlbumRoots;
  1|Albums|0|1|volumeid:?uuid=9b8bd360-3058-4265-8e4c-019d2014efd4|/albums

(the UUID is my /data disk partition)

and on the machine, a desktop, the info is stored by pathname :
  SELECT * FROM AlbumRoots;
  1|Albums|0|1|volumeid:?path=%2Fdata%2Falbums|/

so, the path name of the mount point.
And the reason is that DK can't get an UUID because the device is not
a physical disk but a software RAID 1 mapped system.
The consequence is that mirroring my database from one machine to the
other one breaks the AlbumRoot !
Even if I « see » my images folders always under /data/images

For your problem, Dominique, my suggestion would be first that you
have a look at the way Digikam tags your folder(s).
Just connect to your DB and issue :
  SELECT * FROM AlbumRoots;

You'll probably see a tag by pathname, because a mounted SSHFS is a
device mapped software driver, not a physical mass storage device,
so an UUID has no effective meaning.
(Probably the same problem as with any software base mounted system,
SSHFS but also NFS, LVM, DMRAID, and now possible encrypted disks
partitions, Truecrypt or dm-crypt/LUKS. (I have encrypted drives,
LUKS containers can be assigned a UUID, Truecrypt containers can't))

Second, ensure you use exactly the same pathname on your two machines,
/home/sshfs-mount
If you volume id (in the database) is by pathname, you should get the
same things at the same place.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
Jean-François


PS: I really think this volume identification issue should be rethought
in a future. For Linux environments it's a recurrent source of problems.
The Unix philosophy was, 40 years ago, to have an application level
view of data as of one unique directories tree, starting from /, and
to forget all hardware related issues. Sub drivers, block devices
layer, and the mount mechanisme are here to forget the physical things.
An application should not have to deal with system implementation and
local drive, NFS mounted drive, SSHFS mounted drive, etc.
Juste see pathnames. It's up to the user to have expected things mounted
at the expected place.

And this, even for removable media, such as USB drives. I use several
USB drives with exact copies of my images (default USB drive, backup USB
drive, travels USB drive) and even though I always mount my drives
partitions at the same place, with the UUID mechanism Digikam doesn't
recognize my collections and I have to rebuild/reconnect when I don't use
the same drive as the previous time.

Also, in a future I think the « all on local disk » model will become
obsolete with the increasing use of LAN storage solutions, USB drives,
remote storage (via sshfs), cloud clients, etc.
In the last 12 months, I've started a big reorganisation of all my data,
images collection and other things, and I know have only 15 to 20% of
my images on local disk, no more. And I've noticed that my use of DK
has fallen to 15 to 20% of my use in the previous years.

Perhaps the remote images, offline collections, etc., issue could be
worth feedback and wishlists, for the near future.

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[Dominique Bernardi]

Dear Jean-Francois,
We both wrote in english, but i think we could do it in French, but let's
think of others users, we'll continu in english.
Thanks for your detailed answer.
Sometimes an external view is really helpfull, i was focusing on
database, without seeing simple thing
And Yes !!!!! why Have I done a so "strange" mount points ???
I mount 2 points with different directory, i'm quit sure that using the
'same' (named) mounted point will be the solution.
I'm on vacation today, I'll try tomorow evenig and let you know.
Really best regards.


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[Martin (KDE)]

Am 28.01.2013 00:08, schrieb Jean-François Rabasse:

>
> Hello,
>
> A few comments about this topic and the more general issue of non
> local (local disk) collections data, often raised on this list.
>
> First, to answer to Martin :
>
> On Sun, 27 Jan 2013, Martin (KDE) wrote:
>
>> Ist sshfs required? If not, did you try smb and/or NFS for this? I use
>> NFS for central photo storage since about 6 years ago.
>
> You're right, NFS can be a good solution for non local images storage
> but NFS restricts to a local network. You can use NFS at home, if your
> desktop PC is connected to a LAN server, you can't use NFS if your
> storage is on an Internet server (e.g. ako web hoster or cloud provider.)
> I use sshfs too, to access data on my web hosting workspace, NFS would
> be impossible.

Well yes. As my photos are my original source I never store them on a
server somewhere in the cloud (it is way to slow with current internet
bandwidth in germany - 16Mbit download and 1MBit upload is ridicolous
for a high tech nation). But thats something every user has to decide
for herself/himself.

>
>> To your problem: The path to your collection is stored in the database
>> (afaik).
>
> Pathname is stored in the DB, sometimes, not always, cf. below.
>
>> Unless you use two different databases this is expected. Why do
>> you use mysql instead of the local sqlite db?
>
> Dominique will reply, but I guess he runs Digikam instances on two PC,
> called PC1 and PC2, and wishes to have one and only one database.
> So a MySQL solution, installed on the common server. SQLite3 can be
> used only on local disks.

I run digikam on three different PCs (at least) and use sqlite. But I
sync my home directory from/to the server at login/logout. I thought of
using mysql as well but dismissed that idea as I began to use notebooks.
WLan access is not always available and if not you neither can use
remote collections nor the locale ones. That's the reason for switching
from NFS home folder to local home folder as well (and that is the
reason for the sync).

And it is highly recommended to solve the ugly path/UUID stuff for the
collection places.

Regards
Martin

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[M. Fioretti]

On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 20:26:26 PM +0100, Martin (KDE) wrote:

> And it is highly recommended to solve the ugly path/UUID stuff for
> the collection places.

Martin,

I'm nost sure I understood thist last part. May I ask you to elaborate
a bit on it?

TIA,
Marco
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[Martin (KDE)]

Am 28.01.2013 22:37, schrieb M. Fioretti:
> On Mon, Jan 28, 2013 20:26:26 PM +0100, Martin (KDE) wrote:
>
>> And it is highly recommended to solve the ugly path/UUID stuff for
>> the collection places.
>
> Martin,
>
> I'm nost sure I understood thist last part. May I ask you to elaborate
> a bit on it?

Hallo Marco

Look in the mail from Jean-Francois on this thread. There the problem is
discribed very good.

As I wrote, I sync my home directory between clients (via my server).
This includes all photos stored in the home folder. But on client 1 the
local harddisk has a different UUID than on client 2 (even if it is the
same collection). As digikam stores the UUID of the disk to identify the
local collection it warns me every time I switch from one client to the
other, that the local collection is no longer available which in this
case is not true.

I have to check/test if I can switch from UUID based volumeid to path
based volumeid by changing this manually in the digikam database.

Regards
Martin

>
> TIA,
> Marco
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