Cannot connect to network calibre-server and calibredb

dlfuller · 12-09-2017, 12:31 PM

Thanks for your work with Calibre Companion. I've found it a useful tool connecting to Calibre on my desktop (MacOS) using the Content Server approach.

I recently changed to storing my library on a local Ubuntu Linux network server using calibredb and calibre-server. The library can now be accessed using a browser from a mobile device on the local network ; e.g. (static lease) http://192.168.1.21:8080. But not from CC. Connection attempts always end with the "Cannot connect" dialog. Entering the IP Address and 8080 port manually results in the same.

Ironically, connecting to the MacOS Calibre Content Server will work while its library is on the same local Ubuntu Linux network server that CC will not connect to directly.

Any troubleshooting suggestions appreciated.

chaley · 12-09-2017, 03:16 PM

Are you saying that the same device that runs CC can connect to calibre using a browser on that very same device? That would be strange.

The full test is to connect to the OPDS part of the content server using the browser on the device running CC. If I am reading your post correctly then that would be http://192.168.1.21:8080/opds. If that works but CC doesn't then more debug work is needed. If that doesn't work then something on your network is preventing the connection. My guess would be wireless isolation or guest mode in the router, or a firewall on the machine running calibre. If you are running some kind of reverse proxy then that could be the problem.

dlfuller · 12-09-2017, 05:25 PM

Thanks for the quick response.

Quote:

the same device that runs CC can connect to calibre using a browser on that very same device

Yes, the same device or devices. Tried it on several with the same result.

Quote:

The full test is to connect to the OPDS part of the content server using the browser on the device running CC.

http://192.168.1.21:8080/opds produces a "404 Not Found"

Just to clarify, this is using calibre-server and calibredb, not a calibre application. The server is headless with no GUI only CLI.

Nothing fancy and not default in the router like wireless isolation or guest mode. Same with the server, no firewall, reverse proxy, etc.

chaley · 12-10-2017, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlfuller

http://192.168.1.21:8080/opds produces a "404 Not Found"

This is the fundamental problem. CC can't work if the calibre server doesn't handle opds links. There isn't anything CC can do.

As a test I started the calibre server using the command line

Code:

calibre-server --port 8080 Library.test_small

On that same machine I then tried

Code:

http://127.0.0.1:8080/opds

I saw the OPDS xml. I next tried on 2 devices the link

Code:

http://192.168.120.3:8080/opds

I saw the OPDS xml on both of them. I also tried CC itself. It worked fine.

Bottom line: there is something wrong with the calibre installation or the server parameters that prevents the /opds url from working. I don't know what. I thought it might be a url-prefix but when I tried that my tests still worked.

If you installed calibre using a distro package then try using the official calibre installer on calibre-ebook.com.

dlfuller · 12-10-2017, 02:02 PM

Deleted. Posted to wrong thread.

dlfuller · 12-16-2017, 04:24 PM

Thanks for running the tests @chaley.

I uninstalled everything installed by Ubuntu apt-get and then installed calibre from https://calibre-ebook.com/download_linux using the Binary Install command. Then end result was everything connected and displayed including OPDS.

The full story is in: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=292921

tartley · 10-28-2019, 03:40 PM

I had the same symptoms when running regular Calibre GUI on Ubuntu 19.10, through which I enabled the content server or wireless device connection. My Calibre-connect, running on an Android tab, could not connect to either, no matter what settings I tried (eg. automatic connection versus specified IP address/port)

The fix was to DISABLE Ubuntu's built-in firewall:

sudo ufw disable

This turns off the firewall AND prevents it restarting on next boot. You might want to do something more subtle, or just manually turn it back on again when you are finished transferring books.

12-09-2017, 12:31 PM	#1
dlfuller Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 566 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	Cannot connect to network calibre-server and calibredb Thanks for your work with Calibre Companion. I've found it a useful tool connecting to Calibre on my desktop (MacOS) using the Content Server approach. I recently changed to storing my library on a local Ubuntu Linux network server using calibredb and calibre-server. The library can now be accessed using a browser from a mobile device on the local network ; e.g. (static lease) http://192.168.1.21:8080. But not from CC. Connection attempts always end with the "Cannot connect" dialog. Entering the IP Address and 8080 port manually results in the same. Ironically, connecting to the MacOS Calibre Content Server will work while its library is on the same local Ubuntu Linux network server that CC will not connect to directly. Any troubleshooting suggestions appreciated.

12-10-2017, 02:02 PM	#5
dlfuller Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 566 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	Deleted. Posted to wrong thread. Last edited by dlfuller; 12-10-2017 at 02:36 PM. Reason: Deleted. Posted to wrong thread.

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12-09-2017, 03:16 PM	#2
chaley Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,734 Karma: 6690881 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Notts, England Device: Kobo Libra 2	Are you saying that the same device that runs CC can connect to calibre using a browser on that very same device? That would be strange. The full test is to connect to the OPDS part of the content server using the browser on the device running CC. If I am reading your post correctly then that would be http://192.168.1.21:8080/opds. If that works but CC doesn't then more debug work is needed. If that doesn't work then something on your network is preventing the connection. My guess would be wireless isolation or guest mode in the router, or a firewall on the machine running calibre. If you are running some kind of reverse proxy then that could be the problem.

12-16-2017, 04:24 PM	#6
dlfuller Enthusiast Posts: 29 Karma: 566 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	Thanks for running the tests @chaley. I uninstalled everything installed by Ubuntu apt-get and then installed calibre from https://calibre-ebook.com/download_linux using the Binary Install command. Then end result was everything connected and displayed including OPDS. The full story is in: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=292921

10-28-2019, 03:40 PM	#7
tartley Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2019 Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e	I had the same symptoms when running regular Calibre GUI on Ubuntu 19.10, through which I enabled the content server or wireless device connection. My Calibre-connect, running on an Android tab, could not connect to either, no matter what settings I tried (eg. automatic connection versus specified IP address/port) The fix was to DISABLE Ubuntu's built-in firewall: sudo ufw disable This turns off the firewall AND prevents it restarting on next boot. You might want to do something more subtle, or just manually turn it back on again when you are finished transferring books.