Ubuntu Calibre only auto adds on program startup

[LoRdAc][d]

Hello Everyone,

I've been wrestling with this for a couple of days. I have my Calibre all nicely setup and working on my Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Doing an apt-show-versions calibre shows it is Calibre 0.8.38. Is this too old? I installed it using this process on June 3, 2014:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:n-muench/calibre
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install calibre

My library is on my Synology NAS, and my auto-add folder is also on my Synology NAS. This setup all works great, except...

The auto add ONLY works when I restart Calibre or restart Ubuntu (hence Calibre also restarting). Is there a command I can use to for Calibre to scan the auto-add directories? Or has anyone else run into something like this?

Thanks for your help!

* Edit 1: After some reading, it looks like the apt-get repository version of calibre isn't the latest. So I am trying to install it based on the instructions from the official calibre website.

* Edit 2: Updating to the latest version (1.39) did not fix the problem. The auto add folder is only scanned when I open Calibre, for example closing and re-opening Calibre.

Any ideas how I can force a rescan of the auto-add folder?

[LoRdAc][d]

Deleted. Not sure how to delete posts...

[LoRdAc][d]

Deleted. Not sure how to delete posts...

[PeterT]

I seem to recall that the API's used for monitoring for new material only worked on local file systems; not networked ones.

[LoRdAc][d]

Originally Posted by PeterT

I seem to recall that the API's used for monitoring for new material only worked on local file systems; not networked ones.

*sigh* That's the feeling I've been getting too reading other's posts online... I guess I'll just have to setup scheduled rsyncs or something...

[LoRdAc][d]

Just an update, after changing the auto-add folder to a local folder, auto add has stopped working completely. The auto add folder is:

/home/<username>/CalibreAutoAdd/

Any ideas? =(

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LoRdAc][d

Just an update, after changing the auto-add folder to a local folder, auto add has stopped working completely. The auto add folder is:

/home/<username>/CalibreAutoAdd/

Any ideas? =(

The trailing slash or did the 'browse' tool put it there?

[LoRdAc][d]

I was able to fix this problem. The Auto Add not working on local folders was solved by doing a chmod 777 on all files in the auto add directory.

I am now doing a cron scheduled rsync with a mounted remote folder that exists on my NAS to a local folder on Ubuntu that Calibre scans. I also have the NAS folder linked to a dropbox folder, so I can add books to my Calibre library from anywhere I have access to my Dropbox.

If anyone is curious how I did this:

I linked a folder on my Dropbox to a folder on my NAS using mklink in the Windows 7 command line.

I then mounted that NAS folder on ubuntu by modifying /etc/fstab

I then setup a 1 minute cron job to rsync the mounted folder with a local folder, using the --remove-from-source option so files aren't re-synced

For this to work, I also added a 1 minute cron job to chmod 777 all files in the local folder

Calibre is set to auto add from that local folder

Hope that helps anyone out there trying a similar setup as mine.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LoRdAc][d

I was able to fix this problem. The Auto Add not working on local folders was solved by doing a chmod 777 on all files in the auto add directory.

I am now doing a cron scheduled rsync with a mounted remote folder that exists on my NAS to a local folder on Ubuntu that Calibre scans. I also have the NAS folder linked to a dropbox folder, so I can add books to my Calibre library from anywhere I have access to my Dropbox.

If anyone is curious how I did this:

I linked a folder on my Dropbox to a folder on my NAS using mklink in the Windows 7 command line.

I then mounted that NAS folder on ubuntu by modifying /etc/fstab

I then setup a 1 minute cron job to rsync the mounted folder with a local folder, using the --remove-from-source option so files aren't re-synced

For this to work, I also added a 1 minute cron job to chmod 777 all files in the local folder

Calibre is set to auto add from that local folder

Hope that helps anyone out there trying a similar setup as mine.

777 is a clear sledge hammer approach: 771 won't work?
Who is the owner of the files, maybe a chown is needed on the files

[LoRdAc][d]

Originally Posted by theducks

777 is a clear sledge hammer approach: 771 won't work?
Who is the owner of the files, maybe a chown is needed on the files

The files are coming from Windows 7 systems, so the owners vary. I will try 771.

*edit: 771 does not work. Switching to 777 worked.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LoRdAc][d

The files are coming from Windows 7 systems, so the owners vary. I will try 771.

*edit: 771 does not work. Switching to 777 worked.

777 works because of ownership of those files belong to neither the current USER nor Group, thus needing the World access rights.

I think the W7 piece is a red herring.
Somewhere in the chain to-from the NAS, the owner/rights are getting lost/messed.

[LoRdAc][d]

Originally Posted by theducks

777 works because of ownership of those files belong to neither the current USER nor Group, thus needing the World access rights.

I think the W7 piece is a red herring.
Somewhere in the chain to-from the NAS, the owner/rights are getting lost/messed.

The only files that pass through the autoadd/nas/dropbox folders are epub/pdf documents. I don't see a risk in 777 access if it's just those file types, unless I'm missing something?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by LoRdAc][d

The only files that pass through the autoadd/nas/dropbox folders are epub/pdf documents. I don't see a risk in 777 access if it's just those file types, unless I'm missing something?

Just me being Security paranoid.
777 is an unlocked door