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Rclone VFS and MergerFS Setup

This guide is for advanced users only. Ultra.cc is not responsible for any data loss or application errors due to this setup. We do not provide official support for Rclone or MergerFS. You may visit our #community-support channel on our Discord server for assistance.

Please make yourself aware of the Ultra.cc Fair Usage Policy. It is very important NOT to mount your cloud storage to any of the premade folders. Do NOT download directly to a Rclone mount from a torrent or nzbget client, as it will create massive instability for both you and everyone else on the server. Always follow the documentation and create a new folder for mounting. It is your responsibility to ensure your usage is within acceptable limits.

Please do not mount to any of the default directories such as:
downloads
files
media
bin
.apps
.config
www
/home/username
or any pre-created directory found on your Ultra.cc Slot

Introduction

This section will teach you how to set up a Rclone VFS mount and MergerFS on a Ultra.cc service, and it assumes the following:

You have a working Rclone setup, especially correctly configured remotes of your preferred cloud storage provider. In this tutorial, we'll be using Google Drive. If you use another cloud storage provider, change the flags that are appropriate to your setup and visit Rclone documentation for more information.
You have the appropriate knowledge of setting up and running your own systemd services.
You are comfortable working in CLI, compiling from sources and setting up cron jobs.

The workflow of the setup is as follows:

There are 2 folders, one local and the Rclone mount named Mount.
These 2 folders are merged via MergerFS and is mounted to another folder. All apps such as Plex, Radarr, Sonarr, and such will be pointed to this folder.
When you copy a file to MergerFS, this will be copied to Local First. Directory structures will be retained.
A Rclone move script moves all the contents inside Local every 19:00 CET, retaining the directory structures.
Applications that are pointed to MergerFS wouldn't know the difference.

The Pros of this setup are as follows:

New files will be immediately available in Plex and have faster loading times due to it being available locally.
Uploads are less prone to errors than moving files directly via Rclone mount.
It's essentially a "set it and forget it" setup.

And, the Cons of this setup are as follows:

New files will not be available on Google Drive until you run the Rclone move script.
There will be 3 points of failure on this setup, Rclone, apps that are connected to the MergerFS folder and MergerFS.
Monitoring functions such as Plex's "Update my library automatically" will not work for mounts. You may need to set your application to periodically scan the mount.

Before we proceed, it is imperative to stop all Rclone/plexdrive processes and stop all the apps that are connected to your Rclone mount before proceeding.

Preparation

Install and Configure Rclone

Install and configure Rclone if you haven't already. Refer to the following guide for more information: Install, Configure & Use of Rclone

Install MergerFS

Run the command given below in your terminal. This should automatically install MergerFS to your slot.
Select 1 or 2 when prompted. We recommend selecting 2 when prompted by the installer.

bash <(wget -qO- https://scripts.ultra.cc/main-v2/MergerFS-Rclone/Installer%20Scripts/mergerfs-install.sh)

To confirm if the installation is completed, do which mergerfs

ultradocs@pollux:~$ which mergerfs
/home/ultradocs/bin/mergerfs

Change Application Settings

Change your application settings according to Rclone Optimizations for Apps.

Setup the Work Flow using a Script

What does the script do?

The script will set up the workflow for you.
It will create the following directories on your service:

~/Stuff/Mount
~/.tmp-rclone
~/Stuff/Local/Downloads/torrents
~/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet
~/MergerFS/Movies
~/MergerFS/TV Shows
~/scripts

The following systemd services will be created by it to mount rclone-vfs and mergerfs respectively:

~/.config/systemd/user/rclone-vfs.service
~/.config/systemd/user/mergerfs.service

Finally, it will also save the rclone-upload script and set a cronjob to run it in your crontab.
You will be given a choice between two kinds of rclone-upload scripts. One will be a normal script that will only upload your data and the other will also send a Discord notification.
In the case that you choose the Discord-Notification type, make sure that you have a Discord Webhook URL ready for it.
The rclone-upload.sh script will be saved in the following location:

~/scripts/rclone-upload.sh

The rclone-upload.sh script will be set to move data to your cloud drive daily at 19:00 CET and optionally also send a discord notification upon completion.

Run the Script

It is absolutely necessary that you know the Rclone remote name which you set up in Install, Configure & Use of Rclone before running this script.
You can confirm your Rclone remote name by executing the following SSH command:

rclone listremotes

Optionally, you should also have a Discord Webhook URL ready if you wish to receive Discord notifications from the rclone-upload.sh script.
To execute the rclone-mergerfs workflow setup script, run the SSH command given below:

bash <(wget -qO- https://scripts.ultra.cc/main-v2/MergerFS-Rclone/rclone-mergerfs.sh)

Confirm that rclone-vfs and MergerFS are set up correctly by executing the following SSH command:

ls ~/MergerFS

It should list files from your cloud storage.

Set Radarr Correctly

To take advantage of your new MergerFS work flow, you must set up Radarr correctly.
As soon as you login to Radarr, go to Settings and click on the cog that says Show Advanced.

Enable Hardlinks

Go to Settings -> Media Management
Check Use Hardlinks Instead of Copy under Importing
Click on Save Changes in the top-left.

Set Root Folder

Go to Settings -> Media Management
Click on Add Root Folder under Root Folders
Browse to /home/your_username/MergerFS/Movies
Click Ok.
All Movies in Radarr should have /home/your_username/MergerFS/Movies as their Root Folder.

You can have other Root Folders, but they all should be inside /home/your_username/MergerFS.

Remote Path Mapping

Go to Settings -> Download Clients
Ensure that you have already set up your Download Clients as instructed in this guide.
Click on the + button to the right-hand side under Remote Path Mappings.
Set up the Remote Path Mapping as given below:

Host: {username}.{servername}.usbx.me
Remote Path: /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads
Local Path: /home/your_username/MergerFS/Downloads

Click on Save.

Set Sonarr Correctly

To take advantage of your new MergerFS work flow, you must set up Sonarr correctly.
As soon as you login to Sonarr, go to Settings and click on the cog that says Show Advanced.

Enable Hardlinks

Go to Settings -> Media Management
Check Use Hardlinks Instead of Copy under Importing
Click on Save Changes in the top-left.

Set Root Folder

Go to Settings -> Media Management
Click on Add Root Folder under Root Folders
Browse to /home/your_username/MergerFS/TV Shows
Click Ok.
All Series in Sonarr should have /home/your_username/MergerFS/TV Shows as their Root Folder.

You can have other Root Folders, but they all should be inside /home/your_username/MergerFS.

Remote Path Mapping

Go to Settings -> Download Clients
Ensure that you have already set up your Download Clients as instructed in this guide.
Click on the + button to the right-hand side under Remote Path Mappings.
Set up the Remote Path Mapping as given below:

Host: {username}.{servername}.usbx.me
Remote Path: /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads
Local Path: /home/your_username/MergerFS/Downloads

Click on Save.

Connect Radarr & Sonarr to Plex / Emby

Plex Media Server

In Plex Media Server, go to Settings -> Network and set Secure Connections to Preferred. Then, click on Save Changes.
In both Sonarr & Radarr, go to Settings -> Connect and click on the + button.
Choose Plex Media Server.
Set it up with the details given below:

Name : Anything as per your preference.
Notification Triggers: Check `On Download`, `On Upgrade`, `On Rename`.
Host: 172.17.0.1
Port: 16825 (The port of your Plex Media Server, visible in the Control Panel)
Use SSL: Unchecked
Update Library: Checked

Click on Authenticate with Plex.tv.
A browser pop-up window will open. Login using your Plex account.
After authenticating with Plex.tv, the Auth Token field will be filled automatically.
Click on Test and then Save.

Emby

Login to your Emby instance.
Go to Manage Emby Server -> Advanced -> Api Keys
Click on + New Api Key and add the App name as Arrs. Then click OK.
In both Sonarr & Radarr, go to Settings -> Connect and click on the + button.
Choose Emby.
Set it up with the details given below:

Name : Anything as per your preference.
Notification Triggers: Check `On Download`, `On Upgrade`, `On Rename`.
Host: 172.17.0.1
Port: Emby's port as given in your Ultra Control Panel.
Use SSL: Unchecked
API Key: Paste the one which was created earlier.
Update Library: Checked

Click on Test and then Save.

Set your Download Clients Correctly

In both Radarr and Sonarr, you must click on the cog that says Show Advanced in Settings. Some required fields for the Download client settings will not be visible otherwise.

Before proceeding with this section, set up your download clients in both Radarr and Sonarr.
Radarr and Sonarr both must add their downloads to directories inside /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads.
To achieve this, you will have to make changes in your download clients.

Torrent Clients

Deluge

In Deluge, it's default download path will have to changed. Therefore, it is not recommended to use Deluge in this work flow.
Login to your Deluge instance.
Click on Preferences and go to Downloads
Set the Download to: folder to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/torrents
Click on Apply, and then OK.

qBittorrent

Login to your qBittorrent instance.
Go to Options -> Downloads.
Under Saving Management, set the following settings:

Default Torrent Management Mode: Automatic
When Torrent Category changed: Relocate torrent

Click on Save.
For Sonarr

Find the tv-sonarr category. If your Sonarr is using a different category with qBitTorrent, edit that one.
Right-click on it and choose Edit category..
Set the Save path: to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/torrents

For Radarr

Find the radarr category. If your Radarr is using a different category with qBitTorrent, edit that one.
Right-click on it and choose Edit category..
Set the Save path: to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/torrents

rTorrent

In Sonarr/Radarr itself, go to Settings -> Download Clients.
Click on the rTorrent download client.
Locate the Directory setting and set it to: /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/torrents
Click on Save.

Transmission

In Radarr/Sonarr itself, go to Settings -> Download Clients.
Click on the Transmission download client.
Locate the Directory setting and set it to: /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/torrents
Click on Save.

Usenet Clients

You can optionally create two more directories to better sort your Series and Movies.
To do so, run the following SSH commands:

mkdir -p ~/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet/Sonarr
mkdir -p ~/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet/Radarr

NZBGet

For Radarr

By default, Radarr sets the NZBGet download client to use the Movies category.
You must change the DestDir of this category in your NZBGet instance. If you are using a different category, change the DestDir of that one.
Login to your NZBGet instance.
Go to CATEGORIES and find the Movies category.
Set the DestDir to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet/Radarr
Click on Save all changes.

For Sonarr

By default, Sonarr sets the NZBGet download client to use the tv category. However, this is not already present in NZBGet and often has to be added.
You must change the DestDir of the category in your NZBGet instance. If you are using a different category, change the DestDir of that one.
Login to your NZBGet instance.
Go to CATEGORIES and find the tv category.
Set the DestDir to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet/Sonarr
Click on Save all changes.

SABnzbd

For Radarr

By default, Radarr sets the SABnzbd download client to use the movies category.
You must change the Folder/Path of this category in your SABnzbd instance. If you are using a different category, change the Folder/Path of that one.
Login to your SABnzbd instance.
Go to Config -> Categories and find the movies category.
Set the Folder/Path to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet/Radarr
Click on Save.

For Sonarr

By default, Sonarr sets the SABnzbd download client to use the tv category.
You must change the Folder/Path of this category in your SABnzbd instance. If you are using a different category, change the Folder/Path of that one.
Login to your SABnzbd instance.
Go to Config -> Categories and find the tv category.
Set the Folder/Path to /home/your_username/Stuff/Local/Downloads/usenet/Sonarr
Click on Save.

Set your Media Server Applications Correctly

Plex Media Server

Your Movies library should point to the following folder: /home/your_username/MergerFS/Movies.
Your TV Shows library should point to the following folder: /home/your_username/MergerFS/TV Shows.
Any other library folders should also be inside /home/your_username/MergerFS.
Official Plex support article on Editing Libraries.

Emby

Your Movies library should point to the following folder: /home/your_username/MergerFS/Movies.
Your TV Shows library should point to the following folder: /home/your_username/MergerFS/TV Shows.
Any other library folders should also be inside /home/your_username/MergerFS.

JellyFin

Your Movies library should point to the following folder: /home/your_username/MergerFS/Movies.
Your TV Shows library should point to the following folder: /home/your_username/MergerFS/TV Shows.
Any other library folders should also be inside /home/your_username/MergerFS.

Helpful Information

Log locations:

rclone-vfs mount: ~/scripts/rclone_vfs_mount.log
mergerfs mount: ~/scripts/mergerfs_mount.log
rclone-upload script: ~/scripts/rclone-upload.log

Systemd commands:

Restart Mounts: systemctl --user restart rclone-vfs.service mergerfs.service
Stop Mounts: systemctl --user stop rclone-vfs.service mergerfs.service
Disable mounts: systemctl --user disable --now rclone-vfs.service mergerfs.service

Understand the rclone-upload Script

If you followed everything properly thus far, you have a script installed that moves all data from ~/Stuff/Local to your cloud drive excluding ~/Stuff/Local/Downloads at every 19:00 CET.
The script is saved at the following location: ~/scripts/rclone-upload.sh
Depending on your choice, it also optionally sends a Discord notification.
In the case that you wish to execute the script manually, it can be done with the following SSH command: bash ~/scripts/rclone-upload.sh
The log of the script is saved at the following location: ~/scripts/rclone-upload.log
Both of the scripts are discussed below individually.

Normal rclone-upload.sh

Example:

#!/bin/bash

lock_file="$HOME/scripts/rclone-upload.lock"

trap 'rm -f "$lock_file"; exit 0' SIGINT SIGTERM
if [ -e "$lock_file" ]
then
    echo "Rclone upload script is already running."
    exit
else
    rm "$HOME"/scripts/rclone-upload.log
    touch "$lock_file"
    "$HOME"/bin/rclone move "$HOME"/Stuff/Local/ your_remote_name: \\
        --config="$HOME"/.config/rclone/rclone.conf \\
        --exclude "Downloads/**" \\
        --drive-chunk-size 64M \\
        --tpslimit 5 \\
        -vvv \\
        --drive-stop-on-upload-limit \\
        --delete-empty-src-dirs \\
        --bwlimit=8M \\
        --use-mmap \\
        --transfers=2 \\
        --checkers=4 \\
        --log-file "$HOME"/scripts/rclone-upload.log
    rm -f "$lock_file"
    trap - SIGINT SIGTERM
    exit
fi

It is executed at every 19:00 CET by a cronjob saved in your crontab.

rclone-upload.sh with Discord Notification

Example:

#!/bin/bash

# Rclone upload script with optional Discord notification upon move completion (if something is moved)
#
# Recommended for use via cron
# For example: */10 * * * * /path/to/rclone-upload.sh >/dev/null 2>&1
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOURCE_DIR="$HOME/Stuff/Local/"
DESTINATION_DIR="your_remote_name:"

DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=""
DISCORD_ICON_OVERRIDE="<https://i.imgur.com/MZYwA1I.png>"
DISCORD_NAME_OVERRIDE="RCLONE"

LOCK_FILE="$HOME/rclone-upload.lock"
LOG_FILE="$HOME/rclone-upload.log"

# DO NOT EDIT BELOW THIS LINE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

trap 'rm -f $LOCK_FILE; exit 0' SIGINT SIGTERM
if [ -e "$LOCK_FILE" ]
then
  echo "$0 is already running."
  exit
else
  touch "$LOCK_FILE"

  rclone_move() {
    rclone_command=$(
      "$HOME"/bin/rclone move -vP \\
      --config="$HOME"/.config/rclone/rclone.conf \\
      --exclude "Downloads/**" \\
      --drive-chunk-size 64M \\
      --use-mmap \\
      --delete-empty-src-dirs \\
      --log-file="$LOG_FILE" \\
      --stats=9999m \\
      --tpslimit=5 \\
      --transfers=2 \\
      --checkers=4 \\
      --bwlimit=8M \\
      --drive-stop-on-upload-limit \\
      "$SOURCE_DIR" "$DESTINATION_DIR" 2>&1
    )
    # "--stats=9999m" mitigates early stats output
    # "2>&1" ensures error output when running via command line
    echo "$rclone_command"
  }
  rclone_move

  if [ "$DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL" != "" ]; then

    rclone_sani_command="$(echo $rclone_command | sed 's/\\x1b\\[[0-9;]*[a-zA-Z]//g')" # Remove all escape sequences

    # Notifications assume following rclone ouput:
    # Transferred: 0 / 0 Bytes, -, 0 Bytes/s, ETA - Errors: 0 Checks: 0 / 0, - Transferred: 0 / 0, - Elapsed time: 0.0s

    transferred_amount=${rclone_sani_command#*Transferred: }
    transferred_amount=${transferred_amount%% /*}

    send_notification() {
      output_transferred_main=${rclone_sani_command#*Transferred: }
      output_transferred_main=${output_transferred_main% Errors*}
      output_errors=${rclone_sani_command#*Errors: }
      output_errors=${output_errors% Checks*}
      output_checks=${rclone_sani_command#*Checks: }
      output_checks=${output_checks% Transferred*}
      output_transferred=${rclone_sani_command##*Transferred: }
      output_transferred=${output_transferred% Elapsed*}
      output_elapsed=${rclone_sani_command##*Elapsed time: }

      notification_data='{
        "username": "'"$DISCORD_NAME_OVERRIDE"'",
        "avatar_url": "'"$DISCORD_ICON_OVERRIDE"'",
        "content": null,
        "embeds": [
          {
            "title": "Rclone Upload Task: Success!",
            "color": 4094126,
            "fields": [
              {
                "name": "Transferred",
                "value": "'"$output_transferred_main"'"
              },
              {
                "name": "Errors",
                "value": "'"$output_errors"'"
              },
              {
                "name": "Checks",
                "value": "'"$output_checks"'"
              },
              {
                "name": "Transferred",
                "value": "'"$output_transferred"'"
              },
              {
                "name": "Elapsed time",
                "value": "'"$output_elapsed"'"
              }
            ],
            "thumbnail": {
              "url": null
            }
          }
        ]
      }'

      /usr/bin/curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "$notification_data" $DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL
    }

    if [ "$transferred_amount" != "0 B" ]; then
      send_notification
    fi

  fi

  rm -f "$LOCK_FILE"
  trap - SIGINT SIGTERM
  exit
fi

It is executed at every 19:00 CET by a cronjob saved in your crontab.
Optionally, you can edit the script and change the following variables as you like:

DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL is set by the script already. In case you didn't enter it correctly or wish to change it, you can do so here.
DISCORD_ICON_OVERRIDE has a default rclone logo set. You can change this as per your preference.
DISCORD_NAME_OVERRIDE is the name of the Discord Bot being used to send the notifications. This can be set as per your preference.

Change the time at which rclone-upload.sh is executed (Optional)

Please do not execute the upload script more than once a day. It can lead to the violation of our Terms of Service.

As explained previously, the script is being executed daily at 19:00 CET by your crontab.
You can edit your crontab with the following SSH command: crontab -e
If this is your first time editing the crontab, it will prompt you to select a text editor:

Select an editor.  To change later, run 'select-editor'.
  1. /bin/nano        <---- easiest
  2. /usr/bin/vim.basic
  3. /usr/bin/mcedit
  4. /usr/bin/vim.tiny

Choose 1-4 [1]:

Type in 1 and then press ENTER.
It will show you the crontab entry for your rclone-upload.sh script.

0 19 * * * /home/your_username/scripts/rclone-upload.sh > /dev/null 2>&1

You can edit the cron schedule expression as you like. Here is a simple tool that can help you find the right cron schedule expression: Crontab.guru
Once changes are made use the key combination Ctrl + O and press ENTER to save them.
Then use the key combination Ctrl + X to exit the nano text editor.

If you require further assistance, you can open a support ticket here!

Feedback and suggestions regarding this article are welcome on our Discord server

Rclone VFS and MergerFS Setup
Introduction
The workflow of the setup is as follows:
The Pros of this setup are as follows:
And, the Cons of this setup are as follows:
Preparation
Install and Configure Rclone
Install MergerFS
Change Application Settings
Setup the Work Flow using a Script
What does the script do?
Run the Script
Set Radarr Correctly
Enable Hardlinks
Set Root Folder
Remote Path Mapping
Set Sonarr Correctly
Enable Hardlinks
Set Root Folder
Remote Path Mapping
Connect Radarr & Sonarr to Plex / Emby
Plex Media Server
Emby
Set your Download Clients Correctly
Torrent Clients
Deluge
qBittorrent
rTorrent
Transmission
Usenet Clients
NZBGet
SABnzbd
Set your Media Server Applications Correctly
Plex Media Server
Emby
JellyFin
Helpful Information
Understand the rclone-upload Script
Normal rclone-upload.sh
rclone-upload.sh with Discord Notification
Change the time at which rclone-upload.sh is executed (Optional)