Calibre from 2 different Macs, same Library

[FraKraps]

Hi,

I want to share my Calibre library with my son.
My iMac and my son's Macbook are connected, and I have shared Calibre Library, that I can see in the Finder.

Unfortunately I am not able to open the library with my son's Calibre.
First I have given write access (-> first bug solved), but even now Calibre is requesting to repair / update the database, with a blue status bar ongoing but not increasing.

I tried also to quit my own Calibre, to restore database, maintenance, with no benefit either

Thanks for your help

[FraKraps]

Additional information :
My iMac is an old one from 2012 with Catalina so Calibre v6.11
And my son's is with latest Calibra 7.23
Maybe it raises some issues ..

[rantanplan]

How are you sharing your library?

[Sirtel]

If you mean sharing the library folder over a network or a cloud, don't do that. You'll corrupt your library, and it seems you already have. A calibre library is not compatible with multi-user access from different computers.

The only safe way to share is via the content server.

[theducks]

Your only (relatively) safe method is to run the content server (on the newer machine if possible as it has more features).
You need to really secure your Network and Calibre if your son is not on the SAME LAN. You will be opening a pinhole in the WAN firewall if the server is on a different LAN. (I've seen attempts to get at mine in the routers log. Keeping the port closed except when expected use helps. Oh and I don't use the default port)

[FraKraps]

Originally Posted by rantanplan

How are you sharing your library?

Hi everybody
Just sharing the folder on my iMac on my personal network, no cloud.
It doesn't work right now, but I believe that's because it is not the same version of Calibre between the two

Anyway I understand your point on not having multiple users to reach : modify the files, that may put a mess on the database.
If the only way is to export as a folder then I will do it this way (after kepub conversion)

[FraKraps]

Originally Posted by FraKraps

Hi everybody
Just sharing the folder on my iMac on my personal network, no cloud.
It doesn't work right now, but I believe that's because it is not the same version of Calibre between the two

Anyway I understand your point on not having multiple users to reach : modify the files, that may put a mess on the database.
If the only way is to export as a folder then I will do it this way (after kepub conversion)

Or maybe... we can access to Calibre library from the Kobo elipsa directly with the content network from Calibre ?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by FraKraps

Or maybe... we can access to Calibre library from the Kobo elipsa directly with the content network from Calibre ?

You mean via the content server? Maybe. I've never tried it, because the browser on Kobo eink devices is pretty poor. But if you manage to do it, then yes, it's a way.

The main thing is not to share your library folder and database directly via networks or clouds. That's what the content server is for.

[FraKraps]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

You mean via the content server? Maybe. I've never tried it, because the browser on Kobo eink devices is pretty poor. But if you manage to do it, then yes, it's a way.

The main thing is not to share your library folder and database directly via networks or clouds. That's what the content server is for.

Thanks for the information

[JSWolf]

One of the problems you have is the two different versions of calibre have different database structure. The database was changed with calibre 7. So 6.11 won't work with it.

You have two choices, stop using 6.11 or on the computer with an older MacOS, find a hack to allow you to install a newer MacOS so you have run the current calibre 7.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

One of the problems you have is the two different versions of calibre have different database structure. The database was changed with calibre 7. So 6.11 won't work with it.

You have two choices, stop using 6.11 or on the computer with an older MacOS, find a hack to allow you to install a newer MacOS so you have run the current calibre 7.

Accessing the library folder from two different computers by two different users will still mess up the database.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Accessing the library folder from two different computers by two different users will still mess up the database.

Not if it's done with the same version of calibre and only one at a time. But in this case, 6.11 is too old to use along with 7.23.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Not if it's done with the same version of calibre and only one at a time. But in this case, 6.11 is too old to use along with 7.23.

It takes a single instance of one of them forgetting to close their calibre and the library will be corrupted.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

It takes a single instance of one of them forgetting to close their calibre and the library will be corrupted.

The database was changed in calibre 7 So using an earlier version such a 6.11 can also cause a problem.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The database was changed in calibre 7 So using an earlier version such a 6.11 can also cause a problem.

Of course.

The content server is the only perfectly safe way for multi-user access. And it doesn't require the same calibre version (or even calibre at all for anyone besides the host).

Sharing the library folder directly between several users is just not safe.