Error when adding books to calibre

[rrfairley]

I had to re-install install calibre on my computer after my computer crashed and had to re-install Windows 10. The calibre library was preserved on an offsite NAS. However, since re-installing calibre on my computer, I keep getting an error message when I try to add a book to the library (and I can't even view books from the prior library.) Prior to the re-installation everything worked smoothly. I haven't changed any of the default calibre settings. I tried starting a fresh library and adding books from the old library, I get the same error code:

calibre, version 2.50.1
ERROR: Errors while adding: Failed to add any books, click "Show details" for more information


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Failed to add the book: Modern Buddhism 1: Sutra
//nas_romeo/Books/Geshe Kelsang Gyatso/Modern Buddhism 1_ Sutra (8)/Modern Buddhism 1_ Sutra - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.epub
With error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\add.py", line 369, in add_book
File "site-packages\calibre\db\legacy.py", line 214, in create_book_entry
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 57, in call_func_with_lock
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 1519, in create_book_entry
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 1248, in set_metadata
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 1075, in update_path
File "site-packages\calibre\db\backend.py", line 1530, in update_path
File "site-packages\calibre\db\tables.py", line 130, in set_path
File "site-packages\calibre\db\backend.py", line 808, in execute
File "c:\cygwin64\home\kovid\sw\build\apsw-3.8.2-r1\src\cursor.c", line 231, in resetcursor
CantOpenError: CantOpenError: unable to open database file

[theducks]

It appears you are trying to add DIRECTLY from a NAS

Make a Local TEMPORARY copy and use that to add

If your NAS HAS a copy of the Library Folder, Copy to a local folder with Calibre not running

just point calibre to that Local (COPY) Folder

[rrfairley]

I tried to go directly from a local folder as suggested, same errors:


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Failed to add the book: Modern Buddhism 1: Sutra
C:/Users/Romeo/Downloads/Modern Buddhism 1_ Sutra - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.epub
With error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\add.py", line 369, in add_book
File "site-packages\calibre\db\legacy.py", line 214, in create_book_entry
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 57, in call_func_with_lock
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 1519, in create_book_entry
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 1248, in set_metadata
File "site-packages\calibre\db\cache.py", line 1075, in update_path
File "site-packages\calibre\db\backend.py", line 1530, in update_path
File "site-packages\calibre\db\tables.py", line 130, in set_path
File "site-packages\calibre\db\backend.py", line 808, in execute
File "c:\cygwin64\home\kovid\sw\build\apsw-3.8.2-r1\src\cursor.c", line 231, in resetcursor
CantOpenError: CantOpenError: unable to open database file

[rrfairley]

So, I got the database working - the database file cannot be on the network, it has to be on the local system. The actual book files can be added from the network.

Is this something that could be updated in the future? I keep most of my files on my NAS for back up reasons, having to keep my library on the local system is a bit less functional.

[eschwartz]

No: http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....rked-drive-nas


(Do note that calibre v3.0 will hopefully be able to operate read-write from the Content Server -- so you may be able to get away with running calibre on the NAS.)

[mccreigh]

Recently I had this problem too. I now suspect it has to do with file locking, by SQLite via Samba. If I execute the following on my Samba server

sudo smbstatus | grep metadata.db

when I'm having the problem, even hours after the last Calibre process has exited on my Windows machine I see that my machine is holding an EXCLUSIVE+BATCH lock on Calibre's metadata.db file located on my Samba server machine. Still investigating why ...