Library Having Multiple Problems Where Before Were None

theboardrider · 08-12-2015, 04:35 AM

Hello,

I have been using Calibre for a year or more and love the app, I'm a book junkie, love to own my own "copies," and am anal retentive so it's a dream come true.

However, just in the recent couple of months suddenly about 1/3 of the time I open the app it will tell me it cannot find my library. I'll reload it a couple of times, and then it will find it.

However, twice now, it's opened and said 'library is corrupted, would you like to attempt to rebuild and fix..." or whatever exactly that message says. The first time, I clicked yes, it worked on it a few minutes, and voila it continued to open and there it was.

But it just happened again today, however first it started to install the most recent update. However I already installed the update two days ago, and I hadn't downloaded anything new (I know for a fact, because I'm always really careful about it since it's not really an update only...but replacing the app with a newer version of the app each time) but when I opened it today, first it wouldn't find it a couple times, after closing and reopening it found it (I guess), but it automatically opened an update/downloading window (the very small rectangle type with progress bar, typical of when you move the new downloaded version into applications, or are processing any new download on a Mac).

Then it said library was corrupted and it needed to rebuild, so I clicked to allow this. However when it finished it said it couldn't rebuild it this time. So I closed the app and wasn't sure what to do. Figured what they heck to lose, so I opened it again....and it ran through and opened right up no problem, with all my book files.

FYI, I'm on a Macbook, with Calibre files located on an external drive that mounts automatically whenever my Macbook fires up. This has always been my setup so I don't know why suddenly it is acting up. I do seem to remember it started after one of the previous updates, but not totally sure.

Please help!

BetterRed · 08-12-2015, 06:05 AM

@theboardrider - my first inclination is that the drive is misbehaving, intermittent faults are often hardware. Try a different cable and or port.

Can you copy the library to the macbook internal drive and try it there for a while, you'll have to tell calibre where it is via Library->Switch/Create. Another choice would be to copy the library to a thumb drive or an sd card and plug that in to the Macbook.

BR

theducks · 08-12-2015, 10:16 AM

Calibre only supports Direct WIRED external drives.

Not network attached drives. (If you were getting away with it, you were lucky. Your luck has failed)

If the drive was (USB,e-sata, firewire, SCSI (do Macs support SCSI anymore?), the drive is waking (spinning) up slow. This might be a Heads up that failure is soon.

dbender54 · 08-16-2015, 01:43 PM

I had a similar problem, but worse. After applying the most recent update, I also restarted my Mac. Then upon starting Calibre, it said the library was corrupted. I tried restoring, but it failed. I had to create a new library. I created a new library and imported all of the files from my original library without a problem, and it seems to have the tags and metadata I had assigned, so I suppose those were written to the files. The e-book files are located on a server on my network.

I'm also now having issues getting a connection to the content server from within Calibre Companion, where before I had no problem. I can connect thru the web to view my library, so I know the port (port forward) I specified is correct.

theducks · 08-16-2015, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbender54

I had a similar problem, but worse. After applying the most recent update, I also restarted my Mac. Then upon starting Calibre, it said the library was corrupted. I tried restoring, but it failed. I had to create a new library. I created a new library and imported all of the files from my original library without a problem, and it seems to have the tags and metadata I had assigned, so I suppose those were written to the files. The e-book files are located on a server on my network.

I'm also now having issues getting a connection to the content server from within Calibre Companion, where before I had no problem. I can connect thru the web to view my library, so I know the port (port forward) I specified is correct.

Are you trying to use a Peer level WiFi connection? (tablet direct to PC vs tablet to Router/AP to PC)

Some security models block peer connections by default.
Settings may need to be adjusted. Note: Security software gets updates that close previous holes
Some Access Points block WiFi to WiFi connections by default (keeps the guy at the next table from snooping).
The better your equipment, the more (security) adjustments may be needed

dbender54 · 08-16-2015, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

Are you trying to use a Peer level WiFi connection? (tablet direct to PC vs tablet to Router/AP to PC)

Some security models block peer connections by default.
Settings may need to be adjusted. Note: Security software gets updates that close previous holes
Some Access Points block WiFi to WiFi connections by default (keeps the guy at the next table from snooping).
The better your equipment, the more (security) adjustments may be needed

I assume that since the address used by the Calibre server is the IP address/Port Number of the computer ( port assigned and port forwarded thru my router) and that since the router assigns those, the connection from the device (whether as a wireless device or to the content server) is through the router to the Mac on the network acting as the Calibre server. In Calibre Companion, I have the external IP address of my router and the port number I used to port forward to the Calibre server (I can connect thru the Internet). The firewall on the Mac is turned off and there is no security software running on it. I have another media server program (Plex) running on the same Mac (completely different port number), and the same device accesses it without a problem (on the internal network over Wi-Fi). Turning off the Plex app has no impact on being able to connect to the Calibre Content Server, so I don't see any conflicts there.

What should the IP address I should expect to see in the Connect/Share on Calibre be for the content server? Should it be the localhost 127.0.0.1

ort# I assigned ?

I can connect as a wireless device using Caliber Companion, but it doesn't show any library content. Searching for anything returns no result, which makes me think I'm not actually connected (though it allows me to 'disconnect').

theducks · 08-16-2015, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbender54

I assume that since the address used by the Calibre server is the IP address/Port Number of the computer ( port assigned and port forwarded thru my router) and that since the router assigns those, the connection from the device (whether as a wireless device or to the content server) is through the router to the Mac on the network acting as the Calibre server. In Calibre Companion, I have the external IP address of my router and the port number I used to port forward to the Calibre server (I can connect thru the Internet). The firewall on the Mac is turned off and there is no security software running on it. I have another media server program (Plex) running on the same Mac (completely different port number), and the same device accesses it without a problem (on the internal network over Wi-Fi). Turning off the Plex app has no impact on being able to connect to the Calibre Content Server, so I don't see any conflicts there.

What should the IP address I should expect to see in the Connect/Share on Calibre be for the content server? Should it be the localhost 127.0.0.1

ort# I assigned ?

I can connect as a wireless device using Caliber Companion, but it doesn't show any library content. Searching for anything returns no result, which makes me think I'm not actually connected (though it allows me to 'disconnect').

Never 127 except from a browser on the same machine
127 AKA Localhost is for communications between aps

something is blocking 8080 (or your assignment) from WiFi
What is odd, is you say WAN Port forwarded to same host port works

In CC, enter the IP

ort manually

If you go to the Share Icon, it will tell you the IP of a running server.

In your router, reserve an IP for your host machine. It will then always get the same IP

dbender54 · 08-16-2015, 08:25 PM

The computer already has a fixed ip, as it's also used for a Plex server.! I used port forwarding, using a different, unassigned port, for Calibre. It is still picking up the loopback address for Calibre (only, Plex has and still does work fine). Calibre is assigned a different port on the same ip as Plex. Thus only happened after I installed the latest update. Prior to that, the content server reported the correct internal address and port. Guess I'll have to uninstal this version, as it's clearly the issue.

theducks · 08-16-2015, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbender54

The computer already has a fixed ip, as it's also used for a Plex server.! I used port forwarding, using a different, unassigned port, for Calibre. It is still picking up the loopback address for Calibre (only, Plex has and still does work fine). Calibre is assigned a different port on the same ip as Plex. Thus only happened after I installed the latest update. Prior to that, the content server reported the correct internal address and port. Guess I'll have to uninstal this version, as it's clearly the issue.

Just Temporarily rename your calibre configurations:

Tweaks.py (server_listen_on = '0.0.0.0' )

Server.py (has the port)

dbender54 · 08-17-2015, 02:00 AM

I ended up uninstalling the current version of Calibre, since all of this took place after I "upgraded". I re-installed the prior version, which I luckily still had in the recycle bin. I found, though, that initially the Content Server IP address was still reported as 127.0.0.1. So I went into the Preferences-->Tweaks and looked for the tweak mentioned regarding the interface and changed the '0.0.0.0' to my Calibre server's internal IP address, restarted the Calibre server, and it now shows the proper internal IP address and port number.

The proof of the 'fix' is that I could connect to the Content Server with my phone using Calibre Companion and see/browse the library. The one thing in this dialog box I don't understand is the prompt for Wi-Fi to be on. I'm not sure why it should matter whether Wi-Fi is on since I'm not connecting through my internal network, unless it is presuming that the device is a solely non cellular connection.

I can connect through the web browser to my library as I could before, so I know the port forwarding is working correctly.

Now I'm in the process of resurrecting the database and cleaning up the metadata. With the change in location of the database to an internal drive, I am obviously hopeful that I won't experience any further database corruption. I have an app (Caffeine) I use on the Mac Mini to ensure the drives don't sleep, because of the very same issue that was mentioned relative to network drives. I run Plex on the Mini, but have way more multimedia content to serve up than I'd would probably fit on an internal drive (and don't want a stack of externals), which doesn't have any redundancy. I don't have any issues with Plex 'losing' the connection to those drives. I know this is a hardware dependent issue.

Thank you for your patience and support. Looking forward to getting the library cleaned up and in use!

dbender54 · 08-21-2015, 04:55 PM

I removed the interface tweak, then renamed the calibre folder and restarted it. It still shows the server listening on the loopback 127.0.0.1 address. I then moved the folder entirely out of the Library and restarted Calibre with the same result, so I'm back to applying the tweak to access my library, though this is still an imperfect solution.

08-12-2015, 04:35 AM	#1
theboardrider Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: OKC Device: Kindle 4, iPad Air 2, Kindle Cloud, iPhone 5c, MacBook 5,1	Library Having Multiple Problems Where Before Were None Hello, I have been using Calibre for a year or more and love the app, I'm a book junkie, love to own my own "copies," and am anal retentive so it's a dream come true. However, just in the recent couple of months suddenly about 1/3 of the time I open the app it will tell me it cannot find my library. I'll reload it a couple of times, and then it will find it. However, twice now, it's opened and said 'library is corrupted, would you like to attempt to rebuild and fix..." or whatever exactly that message says. The first time, I clicked yes, it worked on it a few minutes, and voila it continued to open and there it was. But it just happened again today, however first it started to install the most recent update. However I already installed the update two days ago, and I hadn't downloaded anything new (I know for a fact, because I'm always really careful about it since it's not really an update only...but replacing the app with a newer version of the app each time) but when I opened it today, first it wouldn't find it a couple times, after closing and reopening it found it (I guess), but it automatically opened an update/downloading window (the very small rectangle type with progress bar, typical of when you move the new downloaded version into applications, or are processing any new download on a Mac). Then it said library was corrupted and it needed to rebuild, so I clicked to allow this. However when it finished it said it couldn't rebuild it this time. So I closed the app and wasn't sure what to do. Figured what they heck to lose, so I opened it again....and it ran through and opened right up no problem, with all my book files. FYI, I'm on a Macbook, with Calibre files located on an external drive that mounts automatically whenever my Macbook fires up. This has always been my setup so I don't know why suddenly it is acting up. I do seem to remember it started after one of the previous updates, but not totally sure. Please help!

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08-12-2015, 06:05 AM	#2
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 20,532 Karma: 26944418 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	@theboardrider - my first inclination is that the drive is misbehaving, intermittent faults are often hardware. Try a different cable and or port. Can you copy the library to the macbook internal drive and try it there for a while, you'll have to tell calibre where it is via Library->Switch/Create. Another choice would be to copy the library to a thumb drive or an sd card and plug that in to the Macbook. BR

08-12-2015, 10:16 AM	#3
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,754 Karma: 54401244 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Calibre only supports Direct WIRED external drives. Not network attached drives. (If you were getting away with it, you were lucky. Your luck has failed) If the drive was (USB,e-sata, firewire, SCSI (do Macs support SCSI anymore?), the drive is waking (spinning) up slow. This might be a Heads up that failure is soon.

08-16-2015, 01:43 PM	#4
dbender54 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Nexus 7, Galaxy Note, iPad Air2, Kindle	I had a similar problem, but worse. After applying the most recent update, I also restarted my Mac. Then upon starting Calibre, it said the library was corrupted. I tried restoring, but it failed. I had to create a new library. I created a new library and imported all of the files from my original library without a problem, and it seems to have the tags and metadata I had assigned, so I suppose those were written to the files. The e-book files are located on a server on my network. I'm also now having issues getting a connection to the content server from within Calibre Companion, where before I had no problem. I can connect thru the web to view my library, so I know the port (port forward) I specified is correct.

08-16-2015, 08:25 PM	#8
dbender54 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Nexus 7, Galaxy Note, iPad Air2, Kindle	The computer already has a fixed ip, as it's also used for a Plex server.! I used port forwarding, using a different, unassigned port, for Calibre. It is still picking up the loopback address for Calibre (only, Plex has and still does work fine). Calibre is assigned a different port on the same ip as Plex. Thus only happened after I installed the latest update. Prior to that, the content server reported the correct internal address and port. Guess I'll have to uninstal this version, as it's clearly the issue.

08-17-2015, 02:00 AM	#10
dbender54 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Nexus 7, Galaxy Note, iPad Air2, Kindle	I ended up uninstalling the current version of Calibre, since all of this took place after I "upgraded". I re-installed the prior version, which I luckily still had in the recycle bin. I found, though, that initially the Content Server IP address was still reported as 127.0.0.1. So I went into the Preferences-->Tweaks and looked for the tweak mentioned regarding the interface and changed the '0.0.0.0' to my Calibre server's internal IP address, restarted the Calibre server, and it now shows the proper internal IP address and port number. The proof of the 'fix' is that I could connect to the Content Server with my phone using Calibre Companion and see/browse the library. The one thing in this dialog box I don't understand is the prompt for Wi-Fi to be on. I'm not sure why it should matter whether Wi-Fi is on since I'm not connecting through my internal network, unless it is presuming that the device is a solely non cellular connection. I can connect through the web browser to my library as I could before, so I know the port forwarding is working correctly. Now I'm in the process of resurrecting the database and cleaning up the metadata. With the change in location of the database to an internal drive, I am obviously hopeful that I won't experience any further database corruption. I have an app (Caffeine) I use on the Mac Mini to ensure the drives don't sleep, because of the very same issue that was mentioned relative to network drives. I run Plex on the Mini, but have way more multimedia content to serve up than I'd would probably fit on an internal drive (and don't want a stack of externals), which doesn't have any redundancy. I don't have any issues with Plex 'losing' the connection to those drives. I know this is a hardware dependent issue. Thank you for your patience and support. Looking forward to getting the library cleaned up and in use!

08-21-2015, 04:55 PM	#11
dbender54 Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2015 Device: Nexus 7, Galaxy Note, iPad Air2, Kindle	I removed the interface tweak, then renamed the calibre folder and restarted it. It still shows the server listening on the loopback 127.0.0.1 address. I then moved the folder entirely out of the Library and restarted Calibre with the same result, so I'm back to applying the tweak to access my library, though this is still an imperfect solution.