Calibre E-Book management for your NAS!

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MikeG.6.5
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Calibre E-Book management for your NAS!

Post by MikeG.6.5 »

One of the things I most wanted to get working was running the full blown Calibre install on my AS-7004T. This NAS is always on, and always able to share out media. But because the NAS itself isn't able to display anything other than xml or web pages via the HDMI, this wasn't possible.

Until now! (I know this works on the 7004T model, and should also work on other 64-bit models, as well. I hope we might get the 32-bits going, but it's going to take Philippe making his hx-engine compatible first!)

Philippe (Father.Mande) has worked hard to create the awesome hx_engine application for us, which uses the HDMI for an actual output device, instead of an xml or web page display. This means that other, full blown Linux apps could be run through this display, instead of just the limited amount of apps we could get through the App Central applications in the ADM.

For example, Philippe included Plex Home Theater, which runs fairly well on my TV screen through the HDMI out. This got me to thinking that Calibre might run as well.

So, here's the complete steps I had to do to make this all work:

Required applications: Without these apps you aren't going to make this happen. Don't ask for help if you haven't got one or any of these running.

WinSCP on a desktop computer, either Windows or Mac with the emulator or however you need to get it working. (A terminal window might work, but if you don't use WinSCP, you are on your own!)

hx_engine from this post: http://forum.asustor.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=7637 Without this, you get what Asustor thought you should have and that's all you get. With this app you get basically a fully headed Linux install running on your NAS.

Steps:

1) Follow the steps to set up your admin account for logging into the hx_engine found here: http://forum.asustor.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=7715 While this doesn't make the icons for the drives on the desktop functional, it does allow you to get to files on your NAS through common share points. (Specifically the /media share point, which we need to set up our libraries.)

2) After you verify you are indeed running the hx_engine in the HDMI display (it tells you the logged on user in the upper right hand corner.) open WinSCP on your desktop looking at your NAS and open a PuTTY session as root.

3) type in the command hdechrt to enter the hx_engine's flavor of SSH server.

4) Copy this line into your clipboard and execute in your PuTTY hdechrt session: sudo -v && wget -nv -O- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kovid ... staller.py | sudo python -c "import sys; main=lambda:sys.stderr.write('Download failed\n'); exec(sys.stdin.read()); main()" (NOTE: If you aren't in hdechrt sudo fails with no file found error. You HAVE to be in hdechrt session in PuTTY or terminal.)

5) After this downloads and installs Calibre into the NAS it's a bit difficult to find. Trust me, it's there, but you have to hunt for it. Look here: /volume1/.@plugins/AppCentral/hx-engine/my_asustor/opt/calibre

6) Run the caliber file found there from within the file manager in the hx_engine. The startup wizard starts running. (I r-click send to desktop to put a link on the hx_engine's desktop to always get back to Calibre after this.)

7) If you put your books into the Media share that is made in the ADM when you first installed the OS, you are going to need to find this in the hx_engine. It's hidden a bit, but in the hx_engine's file manger hit computer then the root "/" to go up folders until you see a folder listed as share. d-click this and one of the shares is media. D-click that and your books folder should be there.

8) Calibre will grind away making your library after you finish these steps, and just sit back and wait it out.

After you get the library up and running, you have the full blown Calibre install you can navigate through, edit metadata, add covers, share out as a web link to download to Android or iOS devices, etc. If you have Clinton.Hall's LazyLibrarian app installed from the App Central you can add books through nzb's or tors to add to your library and Calibre should find everything automatically.

You can use the two to have a truly awesome library in formats you can use with your various portable devices. Keep in mind that this does NOT take out DRM, so if you have DRM books from Amazon or other sources, you will need to work on that yourself.

HTH!
Last edited by MikeG.6.5 on Sat Apr 09, 2016 3:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
MikeG.6.5
Posts: 917
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 1:56 am

Re: Calibre E-Book management for your NAS!

Post by MikeG.6.5 »

Another quick note on this. If you use a program on your tablet like Calibre Library, (Android) you can sync books on the fly, even remotely.

You open Calibre in the hx_engine and navigate to the Connect/Share icon on the top. and start the Content Server. by default this server is set up to use port 8080. You can change this to any port (other than those already in use, by going to Preferences -> sharing over the Net.) I changed mine to something rather obscure. Then I forward the port on the router to match the port I changed it to in the Content Server's settings, and started the Content Server. Viola! Instant book shares remotely!

I can download them on the fly, and instantly have my entire library in less time than it takes to type this whole thing out.

Enjoy the new-found freedom of having your entire library available to you any time, any place without requiring a desktop computer running 24/7!

Mike G.
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