Calibre2opds and Calibre content server -> Aldiko

[Backdraft]

Hi,

So I've been trying to get my Calibre catalog onto my Android device (Milestone 2.1) using Aldiko.

1. First I tried using the Calibre2opds + Dropbox method as outlined here and here. Of course, I set compatibility to "ALDIKO" when generating my catalog. After generation, I can view my catalog.html just fine in a browser, but when I copy+paste that same Dropbox link into a Custom Catalog url in Aldiko, it always FC on me (I have tried both catalog.html and catalog.xml).

2. Therefore, I next tried the Calibre content server. I set it up using http://myhostname:8080, and entered that as a URL for a Custom Catalog in Aldiko. However, this failed to open as well.

If anyone has any insight onto any of these methods, or if anyone is successful at connecting/using Calibre + Aldiko using over-the-air, any help would be much welcome.

Thank you.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Backdraft

2. Therefore, I next tried the Calibre content server. I set it up using http://myhostname:8080, and entered that as a URL for a Custom Catalog in Aldiko. However, this failed to open as well.

I assume that your reader and your content server are on the same (home) network. If not, then you must do a lot of work to make your content server visible over the internet. See this post for some details.

Do you have a DNS/WINS/something server on your home network that knows how to translate 'myhostname' into an IP address? My guess is no, and I also guess that aldiko can't handle netbios names. Try using your server's IP address, probably something like 192.168.x.y where x and y depend on your setup.

I don't know if aldiko is automatically recognized by calibre as an OPDS reader. If not, then you need to use links of the form http://192.168.x.y:8080/opds.

[Backdraft]

Originally Posted by chaley

I assume that your reader and your content server are on the same (home) network. If not, then you must do a lot of work to make your content server visible over the internet. See this post for some details.

Do you have a DNS/WINS/something server on your home network that knows how to translate 'myhostname' into an IP address? My guess is no, and I also guess that aldiko can't handle netbios names. Try using your server's IP address, probably something like 192.168.x.y where x and y depend on your setup.

I don't know if aldiko is automatically recognized by calibre as an OPDS reader. If not, then you need to use links of the form http://192.168.x.y:8080/opds.

Thanks for the reply, that sounds complicated as hell.

What about the 1st method, using Dropbox's Public Folder to sync/view your catalog on the web? Out of curiousity, has anyone been able to get Calibre + Aldiko/any Android reader to work properly using over-the-air?

[Backdraft]

OK, so the IP of my content server is in the form of http://127.x.x.x:8080/, however I tried that (and adding a opds after the last /), none of them worked in Aldiko, they just opened up my default mobile browser which led to a dead link. However the IP works perfectly fine on my desktop browser (I can view the catalog in FF).

If anyone knows how to get the 1st method (using Dropbox + Calibre2opds) working with their Android phones, please let me know. I can generate a catalog.html file just fine, it's just that when I try to connect to it as a custom catalog on Aldiko it always FC.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Backdraft

OK, so the IP of my content server is in the form of http://127.x.x.x:8080/,

Actually (and as itimpi reminded me in a different thread), that isn't the general IP address of your content server. That address works *only* from the same computer running the server. It will not work from your 'droid.

The IP address will probably be something like 192.168.x.y, where x and y depend on your network. You need to look on the machine running the content server to find its real IP address. If you are running windows, then open a command box and type ipconfig. That will show you your current IP address.

Note that the IP address can change when you reboot the computer running the server.

[itimpi]

Originally Posted by Backdraft;

If anyone knows how to get the 1st method (using Dropbox + Calibre2opds) working with their Android phones, please let me know. I can generate a catalog.html file just fine, it's just that when I try to connect to it as a custom catalog on Aldiko it always FC.

calibre2opds + dropbox + aldiko is working for some people.

If you want to follow up the calibre2opds side of things then this is probably best done in the calibre2opds forum at GetSatisfaction. It could also be an Aldiko issue as I believe that some versions did not handle the catalogs correctly.

[Backdraft]

Cool, thanks chaley, it worked with the 192.168.x.y address and affixing /opds to the end, however because that's a private IP (home network) I still need to test if it can work on outside IPs (ie. coffee shop, bookstore, etc.).

Thanks.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Backdraft

I still need to test if it can work on outside IPs (ie. coffee shop, bookstore, etc.).

The 192.168.x.y address won't work anywhere except on your home network. To see your server from outside requires more work. It can be difficult.

See this post for some explanation and links to some how-tos.

[itimpi]

That is one of the advantages of the calibre2opds+dropbox combination (if/once you get it to work). It can be used from anywhere without the networking issues involved in trying to access a home based Calibre server from the public Internet.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by itimpi

That is one of the advantages of the calibre2opds+dropbox combination (if/once you get it to work). It can be used from anywhere without the networking issues involved in trying to access a home based Calibre server from the public Internet.

I understand that calibre2opds will create an html linked opds copy of the library. I understand that dropbox will echo that structure from wherever it was built (presumably on your master Calibre installation computer) to the web (if it would fit my large library.) I understand that you could then dropbox echo that structure from the web to a local machine - if you wanted to.

Can you directly access the dropbox copy on the web with a browser or opds-capable device (or do you need to echo it back to a local machine via dropbox?)

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Can you directly access the dropbox copy on the web with a browser or opds-capable device (or do you need to echo it back to a local machine via dropbox?)

You can access the copies on dropbox with a browser, but it is painful. They supply you with a file explorer interface, not an html/browser interface. You also need to have the dropbox account credentials.

For those of you who are somewhat technical, I think the easiest way to get something like this working is to pick up a cheap VPS or virtual host somewhere, stick dropbox on it, and have it replicate the calibre2opds-created library into the machine's webspace. All done. It does cost something (as low as $90/year, but probably more like $150), but for that you get good network pipes (not a home ADSL), professional management of hardware, RAID disks, better security (your home net isn't open), and other functionality such as personal mail domains.

Note that in my VPS scenario, dropbox is acting only as a transfer agent. There are other ways to do that (such as rsync), thereby avoiding the size limitations.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by chaley

Note that in my VPS scenario, dropbox is acting only as a transfer agent. There are other ways to do that (such as rsync), thereby avoiding the size limitations.

Yes, I understood your design. I have an Apache based server that I can replicate to, but without an opds-based device, I don't have much need, so I've been using the content server directly. You didn't comment, but i take it that an opds-device could not directly access the dropbox content from dropbox?

Related question for anyone who knows or wants to comment: The EPUBReader FireFox plugin seems to be calibre2opds aware. Is it possible to access the content server /opds through EPUBReader? This relates back to my question of the differences between the two.

[kovidgoyal]

Just so you know, one of the things on my to do list is to add a nice OPDS browsing interface to the content server, so you dont have to rely on firefox's rendering of atom feeds.

[chaley]

Originally Posted by Starson17

You didn't comment, but i take it that an opds-device could not directly access the dropbox content from dropbox?

I can't see how it can. Dropbox won't even show you the normal web pages, much less the XML ones. All you can see is a list of folders and files.

Related question for anyone who knows or wants to comment: The EPUBReader FireFox plugin seems to be calibre2opds aware. Is it possible to access the content server /opds through EPUBReader? This relates back to my question of the differences between the two.

I have tried and failed to get EPUBReader to see any content server other than the 3 built-in ones. Have anyone succeeded? If so, how?

[itimpi]

If you are using DropBox with a Calibre library, then you set use the facility within DropBox to make that a "Public" folder. Once you have done that you can browser calibre2opds generated catalogs. The HTML catalog is accessed (starting with the catalog.html file as the top level) just like a web site using any browser you like. If you have an OPDS aware reader you set the catalog.xml file up as the start point.