Simple multi-user home network Calibre?

[notonyourtintype]

We're just really starting to use Calibre and a pair of Kobos in our house; and with four computers and a RAID server, I'd like to think that having the Calibre library on the Raid, with each computer running a client of some sort, would make sense. So far what I've seen suggests that the "simple" file sharing approach works, but only if you are religious about making sure that only one computer on the net is actually running Calibre at a time.

Is there any reasonably straightforward way to set this up so that we can have a multi-user Calibre library on the home net?

Thanks!

[theducks]

Originally Posted by notonyourtintype

We're just really starting to use Calibre and a pair of Kobos in our house; and with four computers and a RAID server, I'd like to think that having the Calibre library on the Raid, with each computer running a client of some sort, would make sense. So far what I've seen suggests that the "simple" file sharing approach works, but only if you are religious about making sure that only one computer on the net is actually running Calibre at a time.

Is there any reasonably straightforward way to set this up so that we can have a multi-user Calibre library on the home net?

Thanks!

Not really.
You need a Calibre (always on) PC.

Running the Content Server, can deliver books to most anything with a web browser.
Books could then be added by dropping them into a Calibre Auto-add folder.
That still leaves metadata editing... VNC or Remote desktop Computing that allow authorized users drive it

[unboggling]

Originally Posted by notonyourtintype

...So far what I've seen suggests that the "simple" file sharing approach works, but only if you are religious about making sure that only one computer on the net is actually running Calibre at a time.

Is there any reasonably straightforward way to set this up so that we can have a multi-user Calibre library on the home net?

Thanks!

Presently content server works, as theducks said, requiring one computer to be left on with that running. That allows people using a browser on other computer or device to download books chosen from the content server. There are also alternatives to the calibre content server available, such as calibre2opds and Calibre-PHP Content Server. See links http://calibre2opds.com/read-the-doc...rview/#COMPARE and http://charles.the-haleys.org/calibre/

Be very careful about letting different instances of calibre make changes directly to the same library. Safest not to do that at all, to avoid a corrupted database and messed up file permissions on the book files. One workaround I used successfully was to automatically copy the calibre library folder daily with a backup utility and then let other instances of calibre on other computers access only that copy, with the proviso that they should use it read-only.

Other calibre users have success keeping their libraries in DropBox, which I haven't tried with calibre libraries so don't know the particular dangers. I also don't know about Kobo, but some reader apps on some devices can access books through DropBox.

And welcome to MobileRead.

Originally Posted by theducks

Not really.
You need a Calibre (always on) PC.

Running the Content Server, can deliver books to most anything with a web browser.
Books could then be added by dropping them into a Calibre Auto-add folder.
That still leaves metadata editing... VNC or Remote desktop Computing that allow authorized users drive it

Auto-add by various users to one library seems relatively safe, assuming the file permissions on the copy added to the library get changed appropriately. But it seems dangerous to allow other users to edit metadata remotely in the primary calibre library with VNC or other remote solution. I would want them to be responsible people who know what they're doing and who never make drastic mistakes—which I can't even be sure about with me…

[unboggling]

content deleted, incorporated in above post.

[erwin1234]

Just after posting my view on using calibre over a network link in another thread I noted this thread .... My post
is here.

[BLinz]

See https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...0&postcount=21

[rickhan]

I keep a large Calibre library on my 2012SE server on a share, and just point all my client Calibre machines to that share. I edit and add books from all the different machines without any problems. It is only accessible to my local intranet at the moment.

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by rickhan

I keep a large Calibre library on my 2012SE server on a share, and just point all my client Calibre machines to that share. I edit and add books from all the different machines without any problems. It is only accessible to my local intranet at the moment.

Calibre is not multi-user, so if two client machines are simultaneously trying to update the Calibre database it can lead to corruption of your library.

[erwin1234]

Originally Posted by rickhan

I keep a large Calibre library on my 2012SE server on a share, and just point all my client Calibre machines to that share. I edit and add books from all the different machines without any problems. It is only accessible to my local intranet at the moment.

That is very interesting, could you explain how you did this in my thread overhere?
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...=218463&page=2