"Failed: Backing up Kobo device database" - brand new Sage

[jcf]

Hi there,

I have a brand new Kobo Sage, and I'm getting this error when I connect it to Calibre:

"Failed: Backing up Kobo device database"

I read in some threads here on Mobileread that a factory reset may fix it, so I did a factory reset (even though this is a brand new device), but I still get the error. The device also has the latest firmware version.

This is on Linux, running Calibre 5.34.

When I click "Show details", I get:

[Error 2] No such file or directory: '/Users/xxxxx/Documents/KoboBackups/KoboReader-KoboSage-N778190001972-20220110-174828.sqlite'

Note: I replaced my username with xxxxx

Can anyone let me know how to fix this problem?

Thanks in advance.

-jcf

[jcf]

I solved the problem by doing the following:

- The directory in the error message does not exist.
- First, there is no /Users directory, so I did a symbolic link to /home
- There is also no KoboBackups directory under Documents, so I created that as well

After doing the above, I no longer get the error

[davidfor]

That should be the location of the backup of the database. It is unlikely to be a problem with the deivce. It is probably something with the destination. Does the path exist? If not, you need to create it. And do you have permissions to write there?

Also, that does not look like the full error message. When you click the details button, it should show a traceback and other details. They are there to help debug problems like this as the traceback tells me exactly where the problem is in the code. Please post the full message by clicking the copy button and then pasting that from the clipboard.

[jcf]

Hi davidfor,

I'm not sure if you saw post #2, where I mentioned that it is now fixed.

I suspect that the program hardcodes the path, starting with '/Users'. I am running an old version of Lubuntu, and there is no '/Users' directory. So here's what I did:

sudo ln -s /home /Users
mkdir -p $HOME/Documents/KoboBackups

So, while my setup now works, I think that the program should use $HOME instead of a hardcoded '/Users/<username>'

-jcf

[theducks]

Hard coded? Click the 3dot and navigate anyplace you are allowed.
And $Home does not work on Windows

[jcf]

Originally Posted by theducks

Hard coded? Click the 3dot and navigate anyplace you are allowed.
And $Home does not work on Windows

Sure. I am not here to debate with you.

Let me just say to others who might read this thread that all I did to fix the error I encountered (on a Lubuntu 18.04 machine) is to issue these commands:


sudo ln -s /home /Users
mkdir -p $HOME/Documents/KoboBackups


Restart Calibre and all is fine after that.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by jcf

Sure. I am not here to debate with you.

Let me just say to others who might read this thread that all I did to fix the error I encountered (on a Lubuntu 18.04 machine) is to issue these commands:


sudo ln -s /home /Users
mkdir -p $HOME/Documents/KoboBackups


Restart Calibre and all is fine after that.

You might not be here to debate the issue, but, you are posting incorrect information. The plugin needs to be configured to suit the user. This includes deciding whether to do a backup and then setting the directory to use. The directory will only be read only of neither of the options for when to do a backup is select. Which means that one of the checkboxes at the top of the "Device Database Backup" group is selected. The field will be enabled and you can type a path into the field or use the button next to it to select the directory you want to use. That uses the OSes directory picker which should have a way to create the desired directory.

And while links are good ideas in some places, I do not think they make sense here. The directory can be configured, suggesting that links are the way to handle it is not good.

[jcf]

OK, fair enough. I did not configure the plugin because I was focused on just putting books onto the new device.

But the question remains - where did the '/Users' come from? It seems to me that there is some default value set elsewhere that the plugin assumes when it is not configured. If this is so, does it not make sense to use $HOME (for *nix systems) instead of '/Users' as the default?

[jcf]

I think I found the root cause.

I have a Mac, but it is quite old, and this is where Calibre used to reside. It was fine before I got the Sage (I was using it with an Aura H2O).

But when I got the sage, I came to the conclusion that I had to upgrade Calibre, but the highest version of Calibre that would run on my Mac is 3.48.

So I installed Calibre on my Lubuntu laptop and then did an export from the Mac and then import into the Lubuntu laptop.

The '/Users' came from the Mac.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by jcf

I think I found the root cause.

I have a Mac, but it is quite old, and this is where Calibre used to reside. It was fine before I got the Sage (I was using it with an Aura H2O).

But when I got the sage, I came to the conclusion that I had to upgrade Calibre, but the highest version of Calibre that would run on my Mac is 3.48.

So I installed Calibre on my Lubuntu laptop and then did an export from the Mac and then import into the Lubuntu laptop.

The '/Users' came from the Mac.

Yes, that would be the case. The plugin does not have a default value for the destination directory. If you copied the configuration from another machine, then you would have inherited the previous value.

[jcf]

Thanks, davidfor.

I currently don't have the time to research how to file a feature request right now, so allow me to leave a request here, hoping that the right people see it.

Because of my experience, perhaps some modifications can be made, maybe during the export/import process. It does not have to be a major modification; even just a pop-up message would be really helpful... one that says something like: "Please make sure your file paths are valid in the destination machine...". Since it's just a message, it will be a safe and easy modification, one that does not alter the logic of the program.

I think the most logical place to put this message would be the import process, so this is not going to go into this Kobo-specific plugin.

Thank you very much.

-jcf

Edited for clarity.