MySQL/Portable devices and profiles

If you use your device (notebook or mobile iOS device) in multiple situations, you can create multiple profiles. You can use one profile at home, using a central MySQL database and another profile for use when travelling.

First create two profiles. Configure one profile for "local use" (internal HDD only, while traveling, etc) and another for using a central database. You can even make profiles for different wifi networks that have different centralized databases (your home, a friend's home, etc).

Create profiles

Main page: Profiles

1. Configure the Master User profile:
   1. Open the Profile settings
   2. Modify the Master User profile
   3. Rename the profile, for example "Portable"
2. Configure the Second profile:
   1. Create a new profile
   2. Enter a name for the second profile, for example "Home"
   3. Accept the default profile path
   4. Select "Separate" for "Media info" and "Media sources"
3. Enable the login screen to select a profile on startup

Configure the MySQL profile

Create a new file "advancedsettings.xml" in userdata/profiles/<username>/:

<advancedsettings>
    <videodatabase>
        <type>mysql</type>
        <host>***.***.***.***</host>
        <port>3306</port>
        <user>xbmc</user>
        <pass>xbmc</pass>
    </videodatabase> 

    <musicdatabase>
        <type>mysql</type>
        <host>***.***.***.***</host>
        <port>3306</port>
        <user>xbmc</user>
        <pass>xbmc</pass>
    </musicdatabase>
</advancedsettings>

See Setting up XMBC for more information.