Suggested/Best way to handle a Linux notebook like a Calibre "device"?

[Moonbase59]

Apart from having a few "real" e-readers (Tolino, Pocketbook), I have two small and relatively under-powered old Linux notebooks that are mainly used as "offline typewriters".

Now I would like to also read books on these, much like a normal e-reader, because they have touchscreens and KOReader on them. I’d also like to use KOReader’s "Calibre Metadata Search".

What would be the easiest/best/suggested way to get books onto these, using Calibre on my Calibre machine? A handling like a normal Calibre "device" would be preferred, because it would save files in my templated folder structure and also copy over the metadata files Calibre and KOReader can then use.

I thought of the following, but all of them seem to be over-complicated:

• Somehow make the Linux notebook look like an MTP device, so it could be connected via USB. Sounds like much fiddling and possibly incompatible driver issues.
• Using a "generic folder device" on my Calibre to export to a folder on my NAS, which I could then rsync back to my little notebooks. That would mean multiple steps (upload/download) and no direct control (like checking which books are already on the device).

There must surely be a better way?

Remember,

• I cannot simply set up a Calibre server, since the notebooks are used offline (while travelling, outdoors, etc.) and can’t keep a permanent connection. I could temporarily enable sharing just for the sake of copying, though.
• Installing Calibre on the notebooks seems overkill, and besides, they have slow CPUs and not much RAM. Also, I’d then have to synchromise changes in multiple Calibres, not good.

[theducks]

The content server Client (your browser) has a Download Button.
So the client only needs to connect for window shopping and offers the Calibre Experience while shopping.

[kovidgoyal]

If you are running linux on your client devices and your calibre computer, the possibilities are endless. Simply make a folder on each device as your ebooks folder. Store all your books in there and then expose that folder to the computer running calibre as a connect to folder device using any of the various networked filesystems such as NFS, samba, cifs, whatever.

[Quoth]

Forget USB MTP. It's a horrible thing MS invented for Zune and adopted by Google after Android 3.

Networking
Either use Calibre Content Server and any browser at all on the old laptops (Download as "theducks" writes). A static IP (or DHCP allocation) and entry in each /etc/hosts helps

OR

Create a "samba" share on the old laptop (ONLY on your own LAN), for all the ebooks.
This assumes DHCP / DNS etc working for "samba".

Then as often as needed:
On the computer with Calibre, connect in Filemanager (or Connect to a Server widget).
In Calibre, "connect" to that "folder", rather than Save to Disk.

I just tested it and it works fine. You can make a bookmark in Caja for each old laptop's share.


EDIT
Crossed with Kovid. This is what he wrote.

[Moonbase59]

Thanks for your feedback, guys!

As Kovid said, "possibilities" are endless on Linux. Indeed. ;-) In the meantime (before I could read your answers) I experimented myself a little, and did a lot of reading.

I think I found the most appropriate way, since these low-powered devices run KOReader anyway:

• In Calibre → Connect/Share → Start wireless device connection.
• Use fixed port (9090) and open in Firewall.
• On the device, in KOReader: Tools → Calibre → Wireless Settings: [X] Enable wireless client, set inbox folder (~/Books, like on my other devices), set server address (name of my Calibre laptop, port 9090).
• In Tools → Calibre → Connect
• Device appears in Calibre, configure save template (copy-paste from my other devices) and set file extensions (I used "EPUB,PDF,MD").
• Restart Calibre (device config changed).
• Reconnect and beam books over.
• Eject device in Calibre, or end connection in KOReader.

I guess this is the easiest (probably also safest) solution for the intended use case (provide Linux notebook with KOReader with some books in a Calibre-controlled manner, for offline reading).

The only small problem left is, probably due to Calibre’s path shortening logic, I now get multiple non-fiction folders (the books landing in the "wrong" folders do have long subtitles):

Fiction
Non-Fction
Non-Fiction
Non-tion
Ohne Sammlung
Tests

My save template (which I also use for my "real" e-readers) is:

{#collection:ifempty(Ohne Sammlung)}/{series:|Serien/|/}{series_index:0>4s|| - }{series:'test($, '', sublist(field('author_sort'),0,1,'&'))'|| - }{title}{pubdate:| (|)}{series:'test($, sublist(field('author_sort'),0,1,'&'), '')'| - |}

In case anyone wonders: Not all devices support "Collections", and the implemenations vary greatly. So I decided many years ago to use "main folders" for that purpose, since I mostly only categorize between "Fiction" (relaxing reads) and "Non-Fiction" (all things work, textbooks, etc.), plus "Tests" and "News".

Otherwise works like a charm. Calibre and KOReader team up quite well!