root@myserver:/qbittorrent/install#

Step 9: Install and Configure qBittorrent

qBittorrent is a powerful and lightweight torrent client. We'll install the server (headless) version called qbittorrent-nox, which works without a graphical desktop.

1. Install qBittorrent-NOX:

• sudo — Run the command with administrator privileges.
• apt — The package manager for Ubuntu.
• install — Command to install a package.
• qbittorrent-nox — The name of the software package.
• -y — Automatically say “yes” to all prompts (no need to confirm manually).

This command installs the server version of qBittorrent and automatically accepts the installation without asking for confirmation.

2. Start qBittorrent manually:

You’ll see a message like this in your terminal:

Open a browser on another device and go to http://YOUR_LOCAL_IP_ADDRESS:8080. Login with username admin and the temporary password. Then change the password in Preferences → Web UI.

After setting the password, return to the terminal and press Ctrl + C to stop the program. We’ll now set it up to run automatically in the background.

3. Create a systemd service:

• sudo - run the command as administrator (root access).
• nano - a simple text editor for the terminal.
• /etc/systemd/system/qbittorrent.service - systemd service file for qbittorrent.

This creates a service file that will tell the system how to run qBittorrent in the background on boot.

Insert this content:

Change User=user to match your actual Linux username.

Explanation:

• Description= — short description of the service
• After=network.target — ensures network is ready before starting
• Type=simple — runs the process directly
• User= — defines which user will run the service
• ExecStart= — path to the qBittorrent command
• Restart=on-failure — restart if it crashes
• RestartSec=5 — wait 5 seconds before restarting
• WantedBy=multi-user.target — start on normal system boot

Save and exit: Ctrl + O → Enter → Ctrl + X

4. Reload systemd and enable the service:

• sudo — “Superuser do”. Runs the command with administrator rights.
• systemctl - controls system services.
• daemon-reload - reloads system manager configuration.

This reloads all service definitions so your new file is recognized.

• sudo — “Superuser do”. Runs the command with administrator rights.
• systemctl — Controls system services (start, stop, status, etc.)
• enable — Sets a service to start automatically at boot.
• qbittorrent.service — The name of the software package.

Enable the service to start automatically when the system boots.

• sudo — “Superuser do”. Runs the command with administrator rights.
• systemctl — Controls system services (start, stop, status, etc.)
• start — Starts a service.
• qbittorrent.service — The name of the software package.

Start the qBittorrent service right now.

• sudo — “Superuser do”. Runs the command with administrator rights.
• systemctl — Controls system services (start, stop, status, etc.)
• status — Requests the current state of the SSH service
• qbittorrent.service — The name of the software package.

Check if it’s running correctly. You should see active (running) in green text.

5. Move downloaded files to MiniDLNA folder:

• sudo — “Superuser do”. Runs the command with administrator rights.
• mv — Move - transfer files from one location to another
• /home/user/Downloads/* — From this folder (* means everything).
• /mnt/usbdrive/media — To this folder.

This moves all downloaded files into the folder where MiniDLNA can stream them. Replace user with your actual username.

6. Refresh MiniDLNA:

• sudo — “Superuser do”. Runs the command with administrator rights.
• systemctl - controls system services.
• restart - stops and starts the service to reload settings.
• minidlna - the name of the service.

This tells MiniDLNA to rescan the folder and update the media library.

7. Automate this process with a script:

Create a script to do everything automatically:

• sudo - run the command as administrator (root access).
• nano - a simple text editor for the terminal.
• /usr/local/bin/move-and-refresh.sh - Target file.

Insert this code:

Save it: Ctrl + O → Enter → Ctrl + X

Make it executable:

• sudo - Run the command as administrator (root access).
• chmod - Change permission of a file.
• +x - Add execute permission, makes the script runnable.
• /usr/local/bin/move-and-refresh.sh - Target file.

Now you can run this script anytime:

8. Schedule this task daily:

Edit your crontab:

• crontab -e - This command opens the crontab file (cron table) for the current user in edit mode — allowing you to schedule automatic tasks (called cron jobs) on your Linux system.

If asked, choose nano as the editor.

Add this line at the bottom:

This will run the script every day at 3:00 AM.

Save and exit: Ctrl + O → Enter → Ctrl + X