How to Run Calibre Server 24/7 as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Calibre is a free, open source application that manages your library of e-books. The Calibre Server stand-alone component allows you to manage your library from the Internet. Unfortunately it is not designed as a Windows Service, so that's where AlwaysUp comes in!

To configure Calibre Server to run as a Windows Service:

1. Download and install Calibre, if necessary.

2. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

3. Start AlwaysUp.

4. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:

   

5. On the General tab:

   • In the Application field, enter the full path to the Calibre Server executable, calibre-server.exe. If you have installed Calibre in the default location, this will be:

     C:\Program Files\Calibre2\calibre-server.exe

     or

     C:\Program Files (x86)\Calibre2\calibre-server.exe

     on 64-bit versions of Windows.

   • In the Arguments field, enter your arguments to calibre-server.exe. Calibre Server supports many command line parameters to specify the preferences you have selected for running the server (Preferences > Sharing over the net):

     

     Be sure to include:
     • --port [port-number]
     • --with-library [full-path-to-library]
     • --password [password] (if applicable)

   • In the Name field, enter the name that you will call the application in AlwaysUp. We have specified Calibre Server but you can enter virtually anything you like.

   

6. Click over to the Startup tab and check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. This informs AlwaysUp that Calibre Server needs TCP/IP networking support to do its work.

   

7. Before we start Calibre Server from AlwaysUp, let's stop the server from the GUI (otherwise the copy started by AlwaysUp will fail because the port is in use). Open Preferences from Calibre, select the Sharing over the net item and click the Stop Server button.

   While we are here, ensure that the Run server automatically when calibre starts box is un-checked. That functionality, which required you to log in before the server started, will no longer be necessary now that AlwaysUp is on the job!

   

8. We are now done configuring Calibre Server to run as a service so click the Save button to record your settings. In a few seconds, an entry for called Calibre Server will show up in the AlwaysUp window. It is not yet running though, and the state will be Stopped:

   

9. To start Calibre Server from AlwaysUp, choose Application > Start "Calibre Server". The server will start in the background, on the isolated Session 0. Click the green circle to see the details of the running process, and browse to the Calibre URL to ensure that your e-book library is accessible as usual:

   

10. That's it! Next time your computer boots, Calibre Server will start up immediately, before anyone logs on.

    We encourage you to edit Calibre Server in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment. For example, hide the Calibre Server console window (thus avoiding the dreaded Interactive Services Detection dialog), send an email when the Calibre Server crashes, restart Calibre nightly to cure memory leaks, and much more.

Calibre Server not working properly as a Windows Service?

• Consult the AlwaysUp Troubleshooter - our online tool that can help you resolve the most common problems encountered when running an application as a windows service.
• Launch Calibre Server from a windows service command prompt to see error messages, reveal startup problems and more.
• From AlwaysUp, select Application > Report Activity > Today... to bring up a HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and Calibre. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains the messages that may turn up.
• Browse the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.
• Contact us and we will be happy to help!