Using Libreelec + Kodi as NAS and some other tasks

Hi everyone

First of all I want to thank for the work that have done, I did use libreelec for years on an RPI and allways was brillant. Second, sorry for my bad english. Third, sorry for the brick!

I modify many years ago an old SUN D1000 to make a 12 disk NAS. Today it host more than 24Gb of media files, personal files and electronic books. Last incarnation runs Ubuntu server and work without a flaw. I connect all the computers at home to use files and a RPI3 to view videos or play music on TV.

But more than the 95% of media files are never accessed (historical backup) or are used one time per year. Also, the NAS it's a hungry beast at power consumption even if I shutdown some disks when are idle. Add to this situation that every boot spindle and erodes the HDDs, or some erroneous startup decrease the live of the disks.

Last week my brother gave me a Lenovo Thinkcentre M700 tiny that usea a lot less power than my "Sun NAS". I plan to transfer the 5% of files that I use every day to his HD and then mantain the old NAS as a backup and power it one time to month, backup the files that has changed and copy new viewed multimedia and power off again.

The M700 has an I3 Silverlake processor, then I can replace the RPI and have better H265 reproduction on TV. I will lost the CEC marvelous control, but obtain a better video reproduction and reduce the electricity bill a lot.

In the "Sun NAS" I run frequently conversions from FLAC files (A LOT!) to mp3 and uses qbitorrent every day.

Until yesterday I though that my only option was install a linux (ubuntu?), add kodi adjusting autologing and autostart in one user and configure another remote user to use the qbittorrent(web interface?), convert flacs to mp3 or sort files in repositories or something similar.

A friend told me today that I can add this functions to a standard libreelec and keep the complete device more simple than install and configure an entire ubuntu.

Can I add to libreelec, with a reasonably good performance, a SAMBA server for several net shares (used by five or six users), a qbittorrent client and an good audio converter? I think that Torrent it's possible with addons (but with less options than in qbit), kodi shares some resources but I don't know if it do it efficiently but definetely not found a good and flexible audio converter and the file manager in kodi it's less than usefull.

How can extend the libreelec functions to do that?

Thanks in advance and sorry again for the brick

Thanks Chewitt! Have you a sample custom .conf to see how add users and shares? I know how add users and shares in SAMBA on other distros but it's a separate process.

A final question, how good it's the performance of one application running in a container inside a the docker compared to the application running freely inside a full OS? THANKS AGAIN

Thanks itisljar! I did install docker and try Transmission and it's OK. I did not try yet flac to mp3 convert but is less important. The problem that I can't resolve yet, and it's most important to me, is the multiuser SAMBA. I didn't browse LinuxServer.io list of containers for a samba container. I used few months ago the dperson/samba container in a ful server with mix results and problems with the installed Samba in the OS.

By the way, today i'm testing an lubuntu with kodi but I have problem with the kodi standalone server configuration and the xrdp service.

I think that would be fantastic if the libreelec had with a Samba with multiuser. The Intel/AMD based HTPC has today with a LOT of cheap storage that can be used for free as a home NAS for other files than media only.

I think that the possibility of define four or six samba users it's not a crazy request, I not ask for a multiuser linux, but a multiuser samba.

Thanks

Thanks Elonesna! I prefer other protocol than ftp for network shares because it's more "natural/simplest" for devices that connect to them.

I finally did decide not use libreelec, it's a pity because I used to loved it in RPI!. I use it from the beginnings of openelect when I did use an AMD thinclient as HTPC, but in a modern Intel platform I feel that most of the power it's not used.

I understand that a Skylake or superior it's a waste of performance to only play multimedia files, but in my case, a complete I3 Skylake with memory and disk was cheaper than RPI 4 with the circuit shortage prices or even a good "Android TV".

Have two full performance sata (not an external clipped USB3 drive) and use it for replace part of my media+work files server did was too tempting.

Configuring lubuntu to start with a Kodi service plus complete Samba, any linux app and remote desktop to run some apllications (that be not so friendly in cli mode) was easyest than all tries in libreelec to run any file server with few users.

Libreelec it's solid as a rock, compact and friendly for the tasks that the programmers team had designed it. It's my fault to ask for something that it's not the goal of a "Just Enough" OS for Kodi. Dockers it's great but was more simplest install samba, add users and modify a conf file in seconds than take the docker way. Docker tecnology it's fantastic, but install apps was simplest, quick or most familiar almost to me. In fact, took less time than I took to write these messages. This "old" way was more solid, proven and "ad nauseum" documented.

I now have a KODI in my TV with access to all my media archive, NAS with work, ebook and photo archives with a """"complex"""" access security configuration plus a remote desktop to work in FLAC tags and file conversion and whathever I wont for the same power consumption (when it's iddle off course) of my rpi only. Mission accomplish without tears, thank to Lubuntu now and thank libreelec for many many years of excellence.