Initialize database results in odd database errors

[Fraoch]

Hello:

I loaded music onto an iPod Nano 2G running Rockbox 3.9.1 using Banshee 2.2.1 on Ubuntu Linux 11.10.  My understanding is that Banshee works with the default iPod firmware and formats the music database on the iPod that way, i.e. it does not treat the iPod as a mass-storage device and doesn't just copy files over.

I then used Rockbox's "initialize database" feature which resulted in an odd error - 13000-some-odd items were found, but I only have 902 tracks.  This results in 10-15 copies of each track listed along with control files named "libgpod" in the database.  The tracks play back fine but random playback is problematic with so many superfluous copies floating around along with unplayable "libgpod" files in the database as well.

I see the Rockbox manual suggests copying music over to a directory and not having the synchronizing software treat the iPod like an iPod.  However I believe I read the "initialize database" function tries to use the iPod's default music database structure so it should have worked.

I enabled metadata logging and the log file is attached - it seems to indicate it's importing data from the iPod's database rather than one track at a time.

I read some old (2007) info that in order to get Banshee to work with Rockbox you must get Banshee to treat the iPod as a USB MSC device:

http://osdir.com/ml/gnome.mono.banshee/2007-04/msg00016.html

http://act1v8.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/make-banshee-recognize-your-mass-storage-device-as-a-dap/

Should I go this route or should Rockbox be able to use an iPod-formatted database?

Thank you.

[gevaerts]

As a first step try checking the filesystem.

[Chronon]

Rockbox's database is agnostic regarding Apple's iTunesDB.  It doesn't care whether files were synced so that they are indexed in iTunesDB.  The advice not to have synchronizing software treat it as an iPod is motivated by the ability to browse via the file browser (which isn't really feasible with Apple's obfuscated file naming scheme).  Rockbox should index the files properly no matter what names/paths they have and independently of whether an iTunesDB exists, which also indexes those files.