The main reference used is Havetheknowhow.com, specifically for the deluge headless setup, Havetheknowhow.com - How to install Deluge Headless. The Deluge support page is also a root source of knowledge Deluge systemd. Whatbox Deluge also has some interesting dialog.
If installing on a virtual machine (VM) it is important to also have set up the NFS to allow access to the main storage. Also, consider aligning the appropriate file system user and groups between the VM server and VM guests. (Check the local deluge directory actually exists for the user as otherwise the deluge and deluge web daemons will crash and not load. (For the Ubuntu Network Filing System, NFS, see Havetheknowhow.com - How to configure NFS Version 4, that contains configuration information for both the VM server and clients.
Unfortunately, Havetheknowhow.com does not seem to cover the alignment of user and groups between the main OS and VMs. I create a basic template machine and manual update the group and user id numbers to align, a use the basic information given in Linux: Changing UIDs and GIDs for a user. The process is tedious and takes a bit of care to complete, but once setup properly allows better operation between the server and virtual machines.
I use a dedicated VM guest for Deluge with a VPN set up on this VM. I have been using the VPN BTGuard for a few years now without any significant problems, save for BTGuard changing the IP address of their servers on occasion without informing end users, this affects the firewall software as noted below.
The following setup for the VPN with BTGuard. (The BTGuard Setup does not align well with the headless server and Deluge setup.)
Create the /etc/openvpn/login.conf file and add only the BTGuard User name on the first line and associated password on the second line. Consideration should be given to protecting this information by limiting access to this file, e.g. changing file to root access only. (As these files a configuration files only they are not to be made executable.)
The BTguard VPN protection can be started with the command "sudo openvpn /etc/openvpn/btguard.conf", however it should have been automatically setup during installation using a systemd boot script.
BTGuard seems to change their VPN IP addresses from time to time! The iptables configuration needs to be changed to match to ensure operation. BTGuard seems to show there current IP addresses at their Knowledgebase How can I test if BTGuard VPN is working?. Sadly BTGuard do not seem to pro-actively inform their users of these changes, perhaps they do not want to keep a mailing list to protect client security.
client
dev tun
proto udp
remote vpn.btguard.com 1194
resolv-retry infinite
nobind
persist-key
persist-tun
ca /etc/openvpn/btguard.ca.crt
status openvpn-status.log
verb 3
mute 3
auth-user-pass /etc/openvpn/login.conf
mute-replay-warnings
float
reneg-sec 0
Username
Password
Obviously, Username and password are end user specific.
To start the vpn service: "sudo systemctl start openvpn@btguard.service"
To check the end of the journal file for the vpn specific comments from the last boot: "journalctl -u openvpn@btguard.service -b 0 -xe"
To check current external IP address: "wget http://ipinfo.io/ip -qO -"
To list current tables in nftables: "sudo nft list table inet firewall"
To start nftables: "sudo systemctl start nftables"
To check the journal for comments on nftables since the last boot: "journalctl -u nftables.service -b 0"
Other systemctl directives:
NFTables supersedes IPTables, although IPTables is still most common in use. I have taken the effort to learn both IPTables and NFTables and prefer the syntax of NFTables.
A problem with the OpenVPN system is should it fail then the IP connectivity falls back to the standard connection with all the VPN benefits lost. To diminish this risk, I have set up the Deluge VM with a NFtables based firewall to effectively stop external internet connection upon any failure of the VPN, that is only the VPN connectivity is allowed. I have learned from the original IPTables based configuration below. With the ease of use of NFTables I have been able to improve and optimise the firewall.
To install nftables: "sudo apt update" followed by "sudo apt install nftables"
If the nftables repository can not be found in Ubuntu 18.04 they will need to be added: "sudo vim /etc/apt/sources.list" and add the following repositories:
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic universe deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ bionic-updates universe deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security universe
#!/usr/sbin/nft -f
# define common referenced interfaces
define lan = ens3
define tun = tun0
# Clean out the current ruleset
flush ruleset
table inet firewall {
chain input {
type filter hook input priority 0; policy drop;
# accept input from loopback interface
iif lo counter accept
# Make sure that you can communicate within your own network
# if Private Network option is enabled
# Comment out private network ranges not used
ip saddr 192.168.0.0/16 ip daddr 192.168.0.0/16 counter accept
# ip saddr 172.16.0.0/12 ip daddr 172.16.0.0/12 counter accept
# ip saddr 10.0.0.0/8 ip daddr 10.0.0.0/8 counter accept
# allow established/related connections
ct state {established, related} counter accept
# allow icmp
ip protocol icmp icmp type {
echo-request, echo-reply, time-exceeded,
parameter-problem, destination-unreachable
} counter accept
# iifname $tun counter accept
}
chain output {
type filter hook output priority 0; policy drop;
# accept output from loopback interface
oif lo counter accept
# Make sure that you can communicate within your own network
# if Private Network option is enabled
# Comment out private network ranges not used
ip saddr 192.168.0.0/16 ip daddr 192.168.0.0/16 counter accept
# ip saddr 172.16.0.0/12 ip daddr 172.16.0.0/12 counter accept
# ip saddr 10.0.0.0/8 ip daddr 10.0.0.0/8 counter accept
oifname $tun counter accept
# specifically allow IP addresses of VPN only for outgoing
# packet on lan
oifname $lan daddr 63.142.161.0/24 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 95.211.0.0/16 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 85.17.28.0/24 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 203.174.86.88/32 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 209.58.183.206/32 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 109.201.137.0/24 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 104.254.90.0/24 counter accept
oifname $lan daddr 104.254.92.0/24 counter accept
# IP address and subnet masks from BTGuard
# 209.58.183.206/32 seems to be the BTGuard Singapore address
# since circa Oct 2016 & removed May 2017
# 104.254.90.0/24 seems to be the BTGuard Singapore? address
# since circa May 2017
# 104.254.92.0/24 seems to be the BTGuard Singapore? address
# since circa May 2017
}
chain forward {
type filter hook forward priority 0; policy drop;
#iifname $tun counter accept
#iifname $lan oifname $tun counter accept
#iifname $tun oifname $lan counter accept
}
}
The use of the counter directive allows the usage to be checked. I commented out lines that were not being used.
A problem with this protection is should the OpenVPN system fail then the VPN protection will fail. To diminish this risk, I have set up the Deluge VM with an IPtables based firewall to effectively stop external internet connection upon any failure of the VPN. (The reference for the iptables filter script was AirVPN - Prevent leaks with Linux & iptables )
# Flush
iptables -F
iptables -t nat -F
iptables -t mangle -F
# Flush V6
ip6tables -F
ip6tables -t nat -F
ip6tables -t mangle -F
# Local
iptables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o lo -j ACCEPT
# Local V6
ip6tables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
ip6tables -A OUTPUT -o lo -j ACCEPT
# Make sure you can communicate with any DHCP server
iptables -A OUTPUT -d 255.255.255.255 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -s 255.255.255.255 -j ACCEPT
# Make sure that you can communicate within your own network if Private Network option is enabled
iptables -A INPUT -s 192.168.0.0/16 -d 192.168.0.0/16 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -s 192.168.0.0/16 -d 192.168.0.0/16 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -s 10.0.0.0/8 -d 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -s 10.0.0.0/8 -d 10.0.0.0/8 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -s 172.16.0.0/12 -d 172.16.0.0/12 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -s 172.16.0.0/12 -d 172.16.0.0/12 -j ACCEPT
# Allow incoming pings if Ping option is enabled
iptables -A INPUT -p icmp --icmp-type echo-request -j ACCEPT
# Allow established sessions to receive traffic:
iptables -A INPUT -m state --state ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
# Allow TUN
iptables -A INPUT -i tun0 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -i tun0 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o tun0 -j ACCEPT
# make sure that eth and tun can communicate
iptables -A FORWARD -i eth0 -o tun0 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A FORWARD -i tun0 -o eth0 -j ACCEPT
# specifically allow IP addresses of VPN only for outgoing packet on eth0
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 63.142.161.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 95.211.0.0/16 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 85.17.28.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 203.174.86.88 -j ACCEPT
#iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 209.58.183.206 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 109.201.137.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 104.254.90.0/24 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -o eth0 -d 104.254.92.0/24 -j ACCEPT
# IP address and subnet masks from BTGuard
# 209.58.183.206 seems to be the BTGuard Singapore address since circa Oct 2016 & removed May 2017
# 104.254.90.0/24 seems to be the BTGuard Singapore? address since circa May 2017
# 104.254.92.0/24 seems to be the BTGuard Singapore? address since circa May 2017
# Block All else, so that nothing leaks if VPN disconnects
iptables -A OUTPUT -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -j DROP
iptables -A FORWARD -j DROP
# Block All V6
ip6tables -A OUTPUT -j DROP
ip6tables -A INPUT -j DROP
ip6tables -A FORWARD -j DROP
Reference How to save rules of the iptables? and Ubuntu Netfilter manual
I have been using WD Media players around the house the past 8 years or so. Originally with individual 2.5"HD and then connecting to my home server. These units are very simple to use and setup and have played media files well. Circa 2016 I notice that some media files will not play anymore. Upon investigating the WD (Western Digital) web site I notice that these units look to be no longer sold and support is limited, perhaps already end of life. Earlier investigation of these unit indicate the internal hardware is quite limited, particularly by current standards, but as already stated good enough as a general media player.
I notice a few years ago the the web site Have the know how recommended the Kodi Overview, in fact even states, "Kodi: The holy grail of media streamer front-ends". I will not go over the benefits and history of Kodi, just look at the Kodi home page and Have the Know How web pages.
Kodi can be loaded on to many different types of hardware and operating systems, it even has a Linux based OS design for it, OpenELEC. Specifically it does run on MS Windows and most flavours of Linux.
I have been using MariaDB instead of MySQL, as MariaDB is true opensource software and MySQL belongs to a large corporation. MariaDB has a few "quircks" to setup comparied to MySQL which is more commonly described.
Make sure that MySQL is NOT installed, if so uninstall it.
MariaDB can be installed by "sudo apt install mariadb-server". The latest version can be downloaded from instructions from MariaDB Foundation Downloads Setting up MariaDB Repositories.
To setup secure root access:
Check status of mariadb "sudo systemctl status mysql"
Next move MySQL Data Directory
Check current location of MySQL data directory: "mysql -u root -p" and then at mysql> "select @@datadir;". It should be "/var/lib/mysql". Exit mysql prompt with "\q".
Stop MySQL : "sudo systemctl stop mysql"
My the mysql data directory to your preferred location: "sudo mv /var/lib/mysql /mnt/shared/kodi"
Next create a symlink pointing to the new location: "sudo ln -s /mnt/shared/kodi/mysql /var/lib/mysql". Another option instead of using a symlink is to adjust the mysql.cnf file datadir parameter, i.e. change "datadir=/var/lib/mysql" to "datadir=/mnt/shared/kodi/mysql". Again most the documentation on mysql.cnf is for mysql not mariadb, which has its own quirks. See the notes on adjusting bind-address below to clarify.
The current version of mariadb does not use apparmor, so no need to adjust for this!
The mysql network access needs to be configured to all full LAN access, default access is localhost only. The mysql.cnf configuration file needs to be updated. Mariadb handles this differently than MySQL. The main configuration file "/etc/mysql/mariadb.cnf" points to other directories with configuration files. Checking these directories shows the mariadb server parameters are located in "/etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf", to edit: "sudo vim /etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/50-server.cnf". Find the parameter "bind-address = 127.0.0.1" and change to the server IP address "bind-address = 192.168.1.19".
Restart mysql: "sudo systemctl restart mysql", check all is running well: "sudo systemctl status mysql", and then check listening address on mysql port: "sudo lsof -i -P | grep :3306"
Next setup the mysql kodi database access:
Work in Progress. I have not been able to get this working yet. I get the webui operational with the default kodi-headless settings. When I adjust the advanced kodi setting the webui is not available. I am also concern that this setup will not update the media library as there is no drive link in the design.
The following command is used to set up Docker Kodi Headless Media Center, from LinuxServer.IO docker-kodi-headless:
docker create --name=kodi-headless \ -v <path to data>:/config/.kodi \ -e PGID=<gid> -e PUID=<uid> \ -e TZ=<timezone> \ -p 8080:8080 -p 9777:9777/udp \ linuxserver/kodi-headless
--name=kodi-headless \
The container is assigned the name kodi-headless. This has the benefit over the default random assigned name to provide a consistent container name, also helping preventing multiple kodi-headless containers from being started, as running container names must be unique. Docker reference: Container identification Name (-name)
-v <path to data>:/config/.kodi \
<path to data> is the path on the local machine drive volume where the kodi configuration files are loaded. It is mapped to /config/.kodi with in the container. These files are persistent outside of the Kodi Docker container. Docker documentation link: Use volumes
-e PGID=<gid> -e PUID=<uid> \
These are environment variables to be set as specifically explained in docker-kodi-headless . Some addition information maybe garnered from Linuxserver.io - Kodi-Headless Support threads.
-e TZ=<timezone> \
An other environment variable to be set, my area is Australia/Perth
-p 8080:8080 -p 9777:9777/udp \
-p IP:host_port:container_port. The Kodi ports are described below, with source references. Unless the host machine is already using these ports there is no need to remap them. I found the IP in IP:host was necessary to enforce IPv4 mapping, without mapping sometimes was IPv6 (strange)
Kodi headless webui port is on port 8080, see Kodi documentation Web interface and Webserver
Kodi has an EventServer mapped to port 9777/udp, see Kodi documentation EventServer
My Setup:
docker create --name=kodi-headless \ -v /mnt/shared/kodi/config:/config/.kodi \ -e PGID=1001 -e PUID=1000 \ -e TZ=Australia/Perth \ -p 192.168.1.19:8080:8080 -p 192.168.1.19:9777:9777/udp \ linuxserver/kodi-headless
The docker create command creates the container, but does not start it. To create and start use the docker run command.
To check running docker containers "docker ps", to check all docker containers, running and stopped "docker ps -a".
To start a container "docker <name>", or "docker kodi-headless", to stop a container "docker stop <name>", where the <name> is the relevant container listed in "docker ps -a"
After starting access to the web interface should be possible from the LAN, at the host IP address and host assigned port, e.g. "192.168.1.19:8080".
Shell access whilst the container is running: "docker exec -it kodi-headless /bin/bash", type "exit" to exit.
It would seem that starting the container populates the "/config/.kodi" directory. These files are stored permanently outside the emphemeral container and can be edited from the permanent stored location <path to data>, in my case "/mnt/shared/kodi/config"
Docker seems to be a reasonably recent variation based upon quite old concepts with modern aspects thrown in. The documentation seems a bit sparse. I found it difficult to find a good balanced reference. A good reference is of course the Docker Website itself: Get Started, Part 1: Orientation and setup. A good reference (pdf) was from Anthony Blair of Universit'e de Rennes, Docker Tutorial. Many of the Docker tutorials seem to focus on features that I am not interest at this time, such as Docker swarms and not enough on basic usage.
Some handy docker commands and related:
Start container at boot:
It is assumed that the container has been previously created/run and is available to be started at boot.
"sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/docker-kodi-headless.service"
[Unit] Description=kodi-headless container Requires=docker.service After=docker.service [Service] Restart=always ExecStart=/usr/bin/docker start -a kodi-headless ExecStop=/usr/bin/docker stop -t 2 kodi-headless [Install] WantedBy=default.target