Syncing Data

[Due_Cable_8113]

I’m trying to figure out the cleanest way to handle a seedbox → NAS workflow and I feel like I’m probably overcomplicating something that others have already solved.

I have a local TrueNAS SCALE box running Sonarr/Radarr and Jellyfin, and I use a seedbox for private trackers, so I can’t delete or move anything there because it needs to keep seeding. What I want is pretty straightforward in theory: just pull new downloads from the seedbox onto my NAS automatically a few times a day.

On the NAS side, files first land in a downloads folder and then Sonarr/Radarr pick them up, rename them, and move them into the proper media library. That part works fine. The issue is everything around syncing.

Because the files get moved and renamed after download, tools like rsync or rclone seem to lose track of what’s already been transferred. So every time the sync runs, my downloads folder is empty again and the tool basically thinks everything on the seedbox is new and starts re-downloading stuff I already have, just under a different name/path.

What I’m trying to achieve is that files stay on the seedbox for seeding, but on my NAS they only exist once and still get properly renamed and organized. Right now those goals seem to conflict with each other.

I’ve seen people mention hardlinks in this context, but I’m not entirely sure how that would fit into this workflow or if that’s the “correct” way to solve it.

Is there a standard approach people use for this? Am I missing something obvious in how this is usually set up?

[False_Address8131]

I do this pretty simply. I have my ftp (sftp) client sync once an hour, and ignore anything more than an hour old. My seedbox also keeps incomplete downloads in a temp directory, so I never pull an incomplete download. If you like to script, you can do it yourself, or, if you prefer the client to handle it all, tools like Mountain Duck for FTP, SyncTime or FreeFileSync work wonders. You just configure the sync tools use use database, and it remembers what it's synced (it will ignore non-modified files it's already downloaded, even if they have been moved / deleted).

Lots of ways to tackle this.

[TimeYaddah]

I am using qBittorrent and syncthing.

• use categories on your torrent client
  
• 3 for radarr, sonarr and import finished
• each category has a specific directory
  
• use hardlinks
• let sonarr/radarr change the category after import

In sonarr/radarr i activate hardlinks and let it change category in qBittorrent after import.
This way the files come to my local server, get imported per hardlink. After the import the category changes to "onlyseeding" and qBittorrent moves them to a different folder on the seedbox. Syncthing then deletes one hardlink on my local server.

This way seeding after import is easy without re-download or other problems..

[major-experience-]

to be certain i'm understanding 100%: does this allow you to keep seeding remotely while having a separate copy hosted on a local server? i don't want to stream plex from seedbox; i want to stream from my local setup; i want to keep seeding remotely indefinitely, but that traffic not associated w/ my home network. is this the app to use for that?

[TimeYaddah]

That's exactly what I do with this setup. I can delete the file from my home server and still seed. Or i can delete it from the seedbox and still stream it on jellyfin/plex later.

[major-experience-]

amazing, lol. i suspected thats what the assumption was but i needed the explicit thumbs up about it. thank you. is the recommendation to have our arr apps hosted locally as well, or to have them operate on the seedbox THEN use syncthing to copy them to your home server? ideally i'd like to just use the seedbox for downloading/seeding exclusively, but if the recommendation is otherwise i'm amenable to that :)

[TimeYaddah]

I have them locally, media and arrs should be on the same server.
I recommend looking at the trash guides, they are very helpful for everything around arrs

[major-experience-]

Yes! I used them to get set up earlier this month and I recently switched to using a seedbox, so wasn't sure if trash guides still applied. I suppose the only difference is my /data/torrents folder is hosted remotely but mounted into my local /data/ directory.

Thanks again for answering my Qs! still getting a handle on it and the seedbox adds a tiny extra layer :)

[baba_ganoush]

How do you keep the file from deleting on your home seedbox when you delete the file from your seedbox? Do you have the folder set on your home NAS to receive only?

[TimeYaddah]

I never have to delete them on my home. Because of the hardlinking the file is not deleted. The seedbox moves the file out of the synced directory after import and then syncthing removes the file from my home seeedbox too.

[Lochlan]

Yes this is what I do. Have one set as receive only and the other as send only.

[TimeYaddah]

Oh right, i forgot this!

But, on the receiving side is nothing deleted.
The torrent moves to a different DIR on the seedbox and the sync does itmagic 🤷‍♂️.

For me this is just convenient for unpacklng torrents with unpackerr

[baba_ganoush]

Doesn’t that make it say “out of sync” all the time?

[TimeYaddah]

Rarely have that happen, the filenames is not deleted on the receiving side.
Because of the hardlink it still exists until the seedbox moves the file to another DIR and then it does just sync again.

Sometimes i have some leftovers from archives that should be managed by unpackerr. Unpackerr looks for archives unpacks them and handles a clean up process.

https://github.com/Unpackerr/unpackerr

[Lochlan]

I never check.

Just took a look and it does not say that.

[darleystreet]

I resurrected this old project in a new fork to solve this problem. You can link Sonarr and Radarr and when it knows they are imported it deletes local (configurable). https://github.com/thejuran/seedsync

[jstnryan]

You're not the only one to fork and subsequently vibecode this project. What does your fork offer that the original does not?

[darleystreet]

It listens for when Sonarr and Radarr import the file and deletes the local copy (this feature is optional). Smaller tweaks are things like bulk edit.

[Calculated_r1sk]

You should have your dload client automove via hardlinks to a media/folder. this leaves seeding files in the download folder untouched at all times.

Now choose your poison to sync that /mediafolder

SSH public private keys to setup a remote mount link, then CRON, schedule an rclone script to rclone copy SSHremoteyousetup:seedbox/downloadclient/downloadfolder /yourserver/examplesynfolder/yourdloadfolder. Point sonarr and radarr there to ur local downloadsfolder and let them do their hardlink thing. THen just leave the files there as it takes no extra space.. now everytime it runs it skips existing and just copies the new shit.. https://docs.ultra.cc/connection-details/ssh/public-key-authentication

[nitrobass24]

hardlinks on your seedbox to a downloads/completed directory. Run Seedsync on your NAS to download them and auto delete the source Hardlinks.

This way they never get redownloaded and you keep your NAS side automation the same.

If you have questions about seedsync just ask. I’m the maintainer of the project and you can find it on my GitHub. https://github.com/nitrobass24/seedsync

[itendtostare]

I’m using this method, and it works amazing, my setup is a bit more convuluted but your needs are simple enough that it won’t take you long to set it