2012-09-14

Notes On Running Calibre On A Server

Calibre is a great tool, especially for converting between ebook formats. Here are some notes for getting it to run on a headless server.
  • The binary installer off the website works fine — ignore warnings about completion and desktop integration failing.
  • The installer will always pollute /usr/bin regardless of the installation directly you choose.
  • You will need the following libraries for mobi conversion:
    • libxi6
    • libxrandr2
    • libxfixes3
    • libxcursor1
  • If you get this message
    • SVG rasterizer unavailable, SVG will not be converted
    • You will need to install xvfb and use xvfb-run, like so:
xvfb-run ebook-convert blah.epub blah.mobi

Cheers,
Steve