How to point Mac-based Calibre towards a library on a network share

[awj]

I have my Calibre library hosted on a NAS. Until recently I was able to run Calibre on my Windows-based laptop and point Calibre towards the NAS share. So far, no problem; everything runs smoothly in this setup.

Then I moved to a Mac.

I know how to mount a share in Finder, and I've previously pointed Calibre towards this - and it worked. But now when I try to open Calibre it tells me that the library is corrupted - do I want to rebuild it? The rebuild option fails.

Now, I know that the library isn't corrupt because I can still see it from Calibre on Windows.

I think the problem is that Calibre thinks the library is on a different share, though with the same name. Does OSX's file system assign an ID to a mounted drive - an ID which might be different when reconnecting?

Also, I'd like to be able to mount this network share in OSX and always have it there, but I seem to need to re-mount it after each restart. Windows allows mapped drives to be maintained across restarts. Does anyone know if this is possible in OSX? (Wrong forum, I know, but worth asking while I'm on the topic.)

Lastly, Calibre on Windows allows me to point it towards a network path starting with "\\..." and without first of all mounting the share. Can anyone tell me if there is a Mac equivalent, or must I have added the share in Finder first of all?

I fully understand that my questioning has taken a how do I do this on a Mac direction, but I suppose what I'm really asking is: how can I easily and reliably point my Mac-based Calibre towards an existing library on a network share?

[theducks]

http://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq....rked-drive-nas

Don't

And if you do. (because it 'works') Don't whine when it bombs later

[awj]

So there's no reliable way to host my ebook library on a NAS?

Calibre Content Server isn't an option for me because it's not available for my NAS. Also, some of the concerns in that FAQ don't apply to me because I'm the only person who accesses the library, so there's no question of two instances of Calibre accessing the library simultaneously.

I really don't want to keep my library on my local computer because (1) that's the purpose of a home server, and (2) because it's getting quite large and will only get larger over time.

I already have COPS installed on my NAS but that only allows viewing and downloading, not adding to the library.

Are there no other options?

[eschwartz]

There are no other options.

You can perform one-way sync to mirror it to the NAS.
Or possibly use the NAS as a computer, run calibre locally on the NAS (if it is x86/x64 rather than ARM, there are prebuilt linux binaries). Then Remote Desktop into the NAS to manage your library. It has been done, there were a handful of threads discussing this recently.

But the copy calibre works with must be on a physically-attached drive.


"some of the concerns in that FAQ don't apply to me" ??? Clearly, some of the concerns do apply, because you just tried it and got a corrupted database... whether your library is mutilated for one reason or two reasons is irrelevant, if your library is still mutilated.


And for the record, the reason that still applies is the main reason anyway.

[crouton]

I wouldn't do it. Just get a cheap ssd and host there.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by crouton

I wouldn't do it. Just get a cheap ssd and host there.

Why do you need a SSD to host Calibre content server?
Use a Cheap SSD? SSD already has life cycle limits. Why would you pick something questionable (there usually is a reason things are cheap)?
Any decent USB HD performs well for most Library operations. Books are tiny (compared to Music and Video)

[crouton]

Originally Posted by theducks

Why do you need a SSD to host Calibre content server?
Use a Cheap SSD? SSD already has life cycle limits. Why would you pick something questionable (there usually is a reason things are cheap)?
Any decent USB HD performs well for most Library operations. Books are tiny (compared to Music and Video)

My calibre library is pretty large, I find for me it runs better on ssd, never had a failure. I used to run on external USB hd and it was slower to respond. I meant "cheap" as in they are cheap to buy now not look for the cheapest one, possibly a bad choice of words. My point was that you can now get dependable ssd storage for affordable prices.

Not all books are tiny. I have a few thousand cookbooks in my library and some of them are rather large sized epubs. The size adds up. I am currently almost sized out of the drive I am using and will have to upgrade again soon.

I've had quite a few usb externals and regular hds die with my calibre content on them, fortunately the items get backed up to a NAS.