Install SickGear [3] Ubuntu

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Ubuntu : SickGear Install Guide

• Method 1: Install manually
• Method 2: Install with pyenv
• Method 3: Install using Snap
• Upgrade from using Python2 to Python3

From FAQ...

• Unable to browse folders on Linux (Ubuntu) install

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Method 1: Install manually

2020.11.27 test successful with clean installation using ubuntu-20.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso

First, update

sudo apt-get update

Install required dependencies

sudo apt-get install git unrar-free -y

Clone the repository to an install location, in this case /opt/sickgear
Update the commands with the user to run SickGear as, in this case it is user1

sudo git clone https://github.com/SickGear/SickGear.git /opt/sickgear
sudo chown user1 -R /opt/sickgear

with a clean vanilla Ubuntu install, python3 is available, but pip requires installation...

sudo apt install python3-pip

Install Python dependancies for SickGear using pip

cd /opt/sickgear
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 -m pip install -r recommended.txt  

Check that the Cheetah3 dependancy is available to Python

python3 -m pip list

Start SickGear

sudo -u user1 python3 ./sickgear.py

You should be able to access SickGear at http://localhost:8081.

It failed? Run python -V and make sure you are NOT trying to use Python version 3.0 - 3.6 incl. ;)

If you want SickGear to start at boot

For systemd, there is a startup script in... sickgear/init-scripts/, edit its ExecStart to fit your Python(2/3)

Otherwise,

sudo nano /etc/init/sickgear.conf

Copy and paste the following into the file.

description "Upstart jobs for SickGear"

setuid user1

start on runlevel [2345]
stop on runlevel [016]

respawn

exec /opt/sickgear/sickgear.py

Copy the following into a new file created at /etc/default/sickgear

SG_HOME=/opt/sickgear
SG_DATA=/opt/sickgear/data/
SG_USER=user1

Now make sure SickGear isn't running and start the service.

Run the service

sudo service sickgear start

All done, you can access SickGear at http://localhost:8081

If using etc/init/, then you may need to # update-rc.d sickgear enable [2345] (thanks @kevin201)

Thanks to stepjohn for donating this guide.

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Method 2: Install with pyenv

pyenv provides isolated Python versions of your choice for use with SickGear.

First, update

sudo apt-get update

Install Python development dependencies...

Clone the repository to where you want to install it, in this case /opt/sickgear
Run the commands with the user you wish to run SickGear as.
In this case it's going to be user1.

The commands below are run as as user1.

sudo apt install git
sudo git clone https://github.com/SickGear/SickGear.git /opt/sickgear
sudo chown user1 -R /opt/sickgear

Expand (To build Python using Pyenv)

First, follow suggested Pyenv build environment

then...

git clone https://github.com/yyuu/pyenv /opt/sickgear/.pyenv

Install the desired python version

PYENV_ROOT=/opt/sickgear/.pyenv /opt/sickgear/.pyenv/bin/pyenv install 3.9.13

Note: a systemd file must be edited with the path to the pyenv Python
^^^^^

Install SickGear dependencies

cd /opt/sickgear  
/opt/sickgear/.pyenv/versions/3.9.13/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt  
/opt/sickgear/.pyenv/versions/3.9.13/bin/pip install -r recommended.txt  

Start SickGear

/opt/sickgear/.pyenv/versions/3.9.13/bin/python /opt/sickgear/sickgear.py

You can access SickGear at http://localhost:8081.

Now, if you want SickGear to start at boot, make sure SickGear isn't running, then...

sudo cp /opt/sickgear/init-scripts/init.ubuntu /etc/init.d/sickgear
echo "PYTHON_BIN=/opt/sickgear/.pyenv/versions/3.9.13/bin/python" | sudo tee /etc/default/sickgear
echo "RUN_AS=user1" | sudo tee -a /etc/default/sickgear
update-rc.d sickgear defaults

Start the service.

sudo service SickGear start

All done, you can access SickGear at http://localhost:8081

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Upgrade from using Python2 to Python3

For example, Ubuntu 19.04 has python3, and the version is 3.7.1 or higher (e.g. 3.7.5)...

cd /opt/sickgear
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 -m pip install -r recommended.txt

Don't worry if the recommended.txt install partly fails, these are optional libs.
Replace the normal startup call with: python3 /opt/sickgear/sickgear.py.
Replace startup script references to python3.

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Method 3: Install using Snap

If running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) or later, Snap is already installed, skip to step 2

1. Install Snap...

   • sudo apt update
   • sudo apt install snapd

2. Install and run SickGear (you must sudo)...

   • sudo snap install sickgear
   • sudo /snap/bin/sickgear (use which sickgear to find path, e.g. /snap/bin/sickgear)

SickGear will exit with a data directory write permission fail message if you do not use sudo

All done, you can access SickGear at http://localhost:8081

To auto start at boot time... (thanks to @kevin201 - Mar 4 2020)

1. Edit or create /etc/rc.local
2. Add /snap/bin/sickgear -d (items in rc.local run as root so sudo not reqd.)
3. Save, exit, then reboot

A ps aux | grep gear should output something similar to ...

root 1121 7.3 2.6 1284172 102860 ? Sl 21:11 0:10 python /snap/sickgear/703/sickgear/sickgear.py --datadir=/var/snap/sickgear/common/data

SickGear About page via snap installer in an Ubuntu VM on Windows
System locale must have utf-8 to support show names like "Les Misérables"

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