this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
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Hi,

i've been running a Truenas server for a while now. i currently have my totally legally aquired movie saved on there and jellyfin to stream them.

but the one complaint is: i can't torrent without my Workstation pc running, because its running qbittorrent and uploading it through SMB.

is there any way to install a torrent program on the server and remote control it via my PC? Ideally with magnet link support?

i would imagine it being done via a VM and connecting it to the server via SMB or FTP as well

my electronics engineer brain also had the idea to buy a passively cooled thinkcentre for 50€ on ebay and just keep it running inside my office 24/7.

any help is appreciated!

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There are several remotely controlled torrent clients, transmission comes to mind. It has web interface and state of the art is that the webpage registers itself as a magnet: link handler so clocking one adds it to the remote server (disclaimer: I don't actually know that that is a feature of transmission. I use a client that is integrated with my router and it has this despite the router not being particularly nice)

[–] KpntAutismus 4 points 1 year ago

I found a third party app which basically just opens the web-client and might be able to register itself as the opener app for magnet links. i'm gonna try that one when i get home.

[–] myogg 2 points 1 year ago

I have a similar setup using Truenas to store data. I've setup a VM in Truenas that can access the data via NFS (easier to setup on Linux than SMB).

It's nice to keep all your services contained in one machine, as long as it has enough resources, and will probably consume less power than running another PC.

I use qbittorrent, most people seem to agree it performs better than Transmission. It's accessible from a web interface.

[–] zetwinkie 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

TrueNAS has a feature built in called Jails that allow you to run applications in their own walled area similar to a VM but more similar to a Container. There used to be a section (haven’t used TrueNAS in a moment) where you could easily attain official and community pre-built jails and install them without much difficulty. QBittorrent was in one of those lists. Definitely worth poking around to see if that’s still there.

Another option would be to stand up your own jail and install the program you want on there yourself. Here’s a quick rundown out there that seems to cover the basics you are looking for.

https://cyberon.org/qbittorrent-installation-in-truenas-jail.html

[–] KpntAutismus 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

i had a transmission jail once, but couldn't figure out where to mount the jail, and how the file paths would have to look. but a jail seems like the way to go. i might be able to put more energy into figuring that out now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

You may be able to run a torrent client on the NAS?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You could do it on the NAS. Qbittorrent is probably the highest-recommended client right now, and it has a web UI that can be accessed from any other device on your network.

That said, I run one of the tiny Thinkcentres as a dedicated torrent and *arrs box. I think I paid $30 for that one, and it has more than enough power for the task.

[–] KpntAutismus 1 points 1 year ago

yeah, after trying to figure it out for a whole day, i'm tempted to either set up a linux mint vm or just get a slow pc do do it. i don't care enough.