Would this work?

I currently have a Macbook and a home PC. I use LR2 on both (but don't share the libraries).

I would like to buy a new Mac to replace the PC, and I'm planning to use the PC as a file (and multimedia) server.

My requirements are the following:
- Use LR2 on both Mac and share a common library that would sit on the server
- Back-up files from both Mac on the server using Time Machine
- Have the server set-up in RAID

My questions:
- Will it be too slow to run lightroom Libraries from the server through Wi-Fi (alternatively Ethernet)?
- Are there limitations from the fact that the server runs Windows (XP)?
- Is there an issue with Time Machine running in a RAID configuration?

Sorry for these questions that may come across as naive, but I am not a Mac/PC interconnectivity expert.

Many thanks in advance!

I think OS X will do what you want pretty easily. I don't know about LR and sharing libraries, though (I use Aperture).

Krapo wrote in post #7864063
I currently have a Macbook and a home PC. I use LR2 on both (but don't share the libraries).

I would like to buy a new Mac to replace the PC, and I'm planning to use the PC as a file (and multimedia) server.

My requirements are the following:
- Use LR2 on both Mac and share a common library that would sit on the server
- Back-up files from both Mac on the server using Time Machine
- Have the server set-up in RAID

My questions:
- Will it be too slow to run lightroom Libraries from the server through Wi-Fi (alternatively Ethernet)?
- Are there limitations from the fact that the server runs Windows (XP)?
- Is there an issue with Time Machine running in a RAID configuration?

Sorry for these questions that may come across as naive, but I am not a Mac/PC interconnectivity expert.

Many thanks in advance!

1. Depends on what you think slow is and how big these library's are. It's been a while since I've used LR so I would advise against it unless you use at the very least gigabit (wired) connections. You need sustained bidirectional connections.
2. There are many limitations to using regular ol' XP, but you may not run into any. The first is a limit of only 10 connections at once (some programs will open up more than one connection at a time to). If all you're doing is moving files around then there shouldn't be much of an issue. There will also be pretty weak security.
3. As far as I can remember you cannot use shared folders for Time Machine. You'd have to use a direct connection to your Mac's or use a Time Capsule. I've heard of people using NAS/Windows Shares but I also heard it had mixed results. Maybe they will add this feature in 10.6.

I don't think you can run LR with the library on another machine. It needs to be local. You could, however, keep your photos on the server and sync your libraries on each machine. Just remember not to use LR on both machines at the same time, both for legality and the safety of your library!

Thank you for your replies. Sorry I didn't reply before, I was working abroad.
It seems indeed that it is difficult to have Time machine on a NAS, although it is feasible via a rather geeky set of instructions.

Mike, how exactly would you synchronize LR libraries with the photos sitting on the server? I guess I'm a bit thick, I don't really get it.

Krapo wrote in post #7892109
Thank you for your replies. Sorry I didn't reply before, I was working abroad.
It seems indeed that it is difficult to have Time machine on a NAS, although it is feasible via a rather geeky set of instructions.

Mike, how exactly would you synchronize LR libraries with the photos sitting on the server? I guess I'm a bit thick, I don't really get it.

You could use a piece of software that checks the two locations and updates the appropriate library that is "out of date". I am not sure what software on a MAC would do this however.

I ran LightRoom with the files on a network drive but the library was on my local machine (as it has to be at this point, unless there is some work around). It was dreadfully slow, to the point of forcing a PC upgrade for me.

In2Photos wrote in post #7892688
You could use a piece of software that checks the two locations and updates the appropriate library that is "out of date". I am not sure what software on a MAC would do this however.

This makes sense. I'll do some research to find a software which does that.

imahawki wrote in post #7892736
I ran LightRoom with the files on a network drive but the library was on my local machine (as it has to be at this point, unless there is some work around). It was dreadfully slow, to the point of forcing a PC upgrade for me.

Was it better after the upgrade? Was it slow because of the fact that your photos were on a remote server? Did you use wireless or cable network?

Now the photos and library are on local SATA II drives so it is extremely fast. Before the files were on a USB 2.0 drive being shared. I used both wireless and Gigabit Ethernet but even with GigE it was orders of magnitude slower than what it is now.