Install: Rclone

Rclone (by Nick Craig-Wood) is "rsync for the cloud". Basically, it is used to transfer data to or from a variety of supported cloud storage providers (eg Google Drive).

Rclone is used by Cloudplow and Backup to upload media and backup Cloudbox, respectively.

The guide below assumes you are using Google Drive.

If you already have an Rclone remote pointed to Google Drive with the remote name google, you may skip this page. If it is named differently, you can edit your Rclone config file and rename it (see here).

New Rclone Setup

1. Run the command:

   rclone config
   

2. Rclone Config Menu:

   n
   

   (add a new remote).

3. Remote Name:

   google
   

4. Type of storage to configure:

   drive
   

   Note: You can also type in the number for Google Drive.

5. Create a Google Drive API Client ID and Client Secret for Rclone.

6. Client ID:

   Client ID from Step 5.

7. Client Secret:

   Client Secret from Step 5.

8. (New for Rclone 1.40) Scope that rclone should use when requesting access from drive:

   drive
   

   (Full access all files, excluding Application Data Folder)

   Note: You can also type in the number for the option.

9. (New for Rclone 1.40) ID of the root folder:

   Leave blank and press enter.

10. (New for Rclone 1.40) Service Account Credentials JSON file path:

    Leave blank and press enter.

11. Use auto config?

    n
    

    (you are working on a remote or headless machine)

12. If your browser doesn't open automatically go to the following link:

    • Copy the link the screen shows and paste it in your browser on the host computer.

    • If asked, login with your Google account and click Allow.

      • Note: You must use the same Google account as the Google Drive one you intend to use (see Prerequisites).

    • Copy the verification code.

13. Enter verification code>

    Paste the verification code from above.

14. Configure this as a team drive?

    n
    

    (no)

15. Confirm Remote is OK:

    y
    

    (Yes this is OK)

16. Rclone Config Menu:

    q
    

    (Quit config)

Existing Rclone Setup

If Rclone is already setup with Google Drive, you will need to rename the Google Drive remote to google (if it isn't already):

1. Find and edit your Rclone configuration file.

   nano $(rclone config file | tail -n 1)
   

2. Rename the Google Drive drive remote (name between the brackets) to google.

3. Save the file: Ctrl + X Y Enter.

4. Copy the config file to ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf (if it isn't there already):

   cp -n $(rclone config file | tail -n 1) ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf
   

5. Give it the proper ownership and permissions. Replace user and group to match yours' (see here):

   sudo chown user:group ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf
   sudo chmod 755 ~/.config/rclone/rclone.conf