DATABASE_PATH not working for Calibre Server?

[johnelle]

I have been using CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH for a while now to speed up my NAS based library. Have at least two Win 10 machines using it (not at the same of course) on a regular basis.

However my Ubuntu based server is busted. I have tried from the command line and from the existing upstart to define both --with-library=<point to NAS directory> and CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH=<points to metadata.db>
Both directories are locally mounted via fstab.

I can't get this to work. Its as if the server command ignores the database override.

Does anybody have this working?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by johnelle

I can't get this to work. Its as if the server command ignores the database override.

Does anybody have this working?

Yes, on Debian.

Don't forget that you must export the environment variable. I use

export CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH=blablabla

[kovidgoyal]

That environment variable is used in the database backend layer which is common to all calibre executables, if it is being ignored then you likely have not actually set it in your server';s environment.

[johnelle]

Well I am defining the OVERRIDE_PATH in /etc/environment and its valid and so is the library path but it is definitely not working.

No errors in the log(s) far as I can see.

One theory would be that the .db keeps a path to the directories for the books (?) which in my case is a Windows path which would be invalid on the Ubuntu machine.

Is somebody actually using both the OVERRIDE_PATH and the --with-library successfully on Linux?

[chaley]

Originally Posted by johnelle

Is somebody actually using both the OVERRIDE_PATH and the --with-library successfully on Linux?

Yes, as I noted above, on Debian.

Removing all the cruft that comes with init.d scripts, what runs is approximately

export CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH=/tmp/metadata.db
CONTENT=path-to-library
cp $CONTENT/metadata.db $CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH
calibre-server --with-library path-to-library -p 9192 --max-opds-ungrouped-items=200 --url-prefix /library

My library comes from a Windows calibre installation. Occasionally I have problems with letter case, but I fix them on the Windows side.

[johnelle]

Well I am kinda-debian / Ubuntu

I am using upstart instead which worked fine before I moved the .db

s

start on runlevel [2345]
stop on runlevel [^2345]

respawn

env USER='<user>'
env PASSWORD='<pass>'
env LIBRARY_PATH='/mnt/synnas/Books/Calibre'
env PORT='<myport>'

script
     exec /usr/bin/calibre-server --with-library $LIBRARY_PATH --auto-reload \    --port $PORT --username $USER --password $PASWORD

The database override is defined in /etc/environment

CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH="/media/cdb/metadata.db"

which is Win10 shared folder on a desktop shared with at least one laptop and working.

I don't understand why you would copy the .db file every time you boot(?)

[chaley]

Originally Posted by johnelle

I don't understand why you would copy the .db file every time you boot(?)

My library is synced by dropbox, so it can change at any time. I use monit to deal with restarting calibre whenever necessary, including at boot.

The reasons are both historical and from paranoia. The historical reason: calibre-server before V2 didn't see changes in the metadata.db file, so calibre *had* to be restarted to see changes. This isn't true now.

The paranoia reason: I don't want to get into situations where the server has a detached file. If dropbox uses "unlink and recreate" instead of "overwrite" then the server won't ever see changes. In addition, I don't want to deal will permission hassles or locking.

[eschwartz]

I don't think upstart reads environment variables from /etc/environment

Why are you putting it there anyway -- it makes much more sense to declare it in the one place you are actually using it.

[johnelle]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I don't think upstart reads environment variables from /etc/environment

Why are you putting it there anyway -- it makes much more sense to declare it in the one place you are actually using it.

Well I already tried putting it the Upstart script and than didn't work either.

env USER='<user>'
env PASSWORD='<pass>'
env LIBRARY_PATH='/mnt/synnas/Books/Calibre'
env CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH='/media/cdb/metadata.db'
env PORT='888'

script

     exec /usr/bin/calibre-server --with-library $LIBRARY_PATH --auto-reload \
                                  --port $PORT --username $USER --password $PASSWORD

end script

[eschwartz]

You still didn't export it.

[johnelle]

Ok so now it's exported. Makes no difference. Still doesn't work

respawn

env USER='<user>'
env PASSWORD='<pass>'
env LIBRARY_PATH='/mnt/synnas/Books/Calibre'
env CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH='/media/cdb/metadata.db'
env PORT='888'

script

     export CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH
     exec /usr/bin/calibre-server --with-library $LIBRARY_PATH --auto-reload \
                                  --port $PORT --username $USER --password $PAS$

end script

[eschwartz]

Well then I don't know. It works without upstart, and I don't know enough about upstart to figure out the problem.
(The /etc/environment tip came from google.)

[johnelle]

I have also tried it directly from the command line and am getting "database is locked" after a minute.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by johnelle

Ok so now it's exported. Makes no difference. Still doesn't work

respawn

env USER='<user>'
env PASSWORD='<pass>'
env LIBRARY_PATH='/mnt/synnas/Books/Calibre'
env CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH='/media/cdb/metadata.db'
env PORT='888'

script

     export CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH
     exec /usr/bin/calibre-server --with-library $LIBRARY_PATH --auto-reload \
                                  --port $PORT --username $USER --password $PAS$

end script

As far as I can tell from the man pages, that exports nothing. The "env" command seems to set the environment in a subshell. Try deleting all occurences of "env", for example leaving

LIBRARY_PATH='/mnt/synnas/Books/Calibre'

instead of

env LIBRARY_PATH='/mnt/synnas/Books/Calibre'

Then do the export.

Alternatively do

export CALIBRE_OVERRIDE_DATABASE_PATH=/media/cdb/metadata.db

[eschwartz]

chaley, I originally made a very snarky reply along the same line. Then I did more googling and realized upstart uses a syntax which looks like bash but most certainly isn't.