General question. Currently on Alpha 3 and I understand there is a Alpha 4 coming soon. Is there a easy way of copying my settings over after a build ?
You should be able to copy .kodi/ over to the other install. The best way to do so is as follows:
At the console (see Wiki - OSMC) and run the following command:
sudo systemctl stop mediacenter
tar -czf kodi-backup.tar.gz .kodi```
You will now have a tarball in /home/osmc which you can download to your PC using WinSCP / Cyberduck or another SCP client. After setting up the new Alpha 4 install, run the following commands after transferring your file back to /home/osmc.
```sudo systemctl stop mediacenter
tar -xzf kodi-backup.tar.gz
rm kodi-backup.tar.gz
sudo systemctl start mediacenter```
Everything you should be as it was. Please note that as we don't have network configuration running from Kodi yet, you'll still want to set up any custom network settings in the OSMC installer
SamThanks Sam. Looking forward to Alpha 4. I have another Pi that is running Raspbmc. Was going to upgrade it to Alpha 4 when available. Can I copy the backup settings from one unit to another.
I would not recommend this for Raspbmc at this time, as a lot of internals have changed, particularly with the name change from Raspbmc to Kodi
Sorry Sam, what I meant was can I upgrade my Raspbmc unit to Kodi OSCM Alpha 4 and then update itās settings from the backup of the other Kodi OSMC unit. The units tend to have the same preferences.
Yes, that will work without an issue, but networking still needs to be set up manually in the OSMC Installer for now
Sam
Linux users:
Run the following command into: PuTTY SSH Clientsudo systemctl stop mediacenter
tar -czf kodi-backup.tar.gz .kodi
Tarball will be stored in /home/osmc.
Open FileZilla FTP client and drag the tarball from /home/osmc and drop this into a file for instant downloads on your Pc.
kodi-backup.tar.gz will be stored in the file downloads.
heyhey, so i am freshing up my old line code skills that are really rusty and i have a question about backing up settings and user info (the .kodi dir) so i can have that ready to rock whet the next alpha is released, as i assume i will need to take the microSD out of the pi2 when upgradingā¦
so im on a macbook and i use terminalā¦
so ill do the following code, but my question is why do i need to log out of the pi2 to do thisā¦
ssh osmc@192.168.1.176
(put in pw)
sudo systemctl stop mediacenter
tar -czf kodi-backup.tar.gz .kodi
(wait till done tarballing)
sudo systemctl start mediacenter
(type exit)
scp osmc@192.168.1.176:kodi-backup.tar.gz /Users/ringding
(type in pw again, wait for tarball to copy out of pi)
ssh osmc@192.168.1.176
(i suppose here i just pull the AC, pop pi2 out of itās case i cant get the tiny microSD out otherwise)
format the microSD, use installer to put new alpha on microSDā¦
etc etc
I know it is of little difference but how can i scp that file out of the pi2 while i am logged into it?
I suppose i just dont know the āusageā of scp while i am logged into the pi2, is there a line code usage to transfer the *.gz OUT while i am at the
osmc@osmc:~$
that prrompt above?? like i said im rusty i guess i am asking if theres a āusageā of scp while i am logged into the pi2?
Also of very small things that are strange the letter P on my tiny $19 USD āFavi mouse/keyboardā no longer will pause but it WILL UNPAUSE so ive just been using shift to pause and P to unpause, is there a keymap file or something that has changed in the last month or so??
I need some sleep and to quit the caffine
thanks if anyone can help on that part tho whoOp!
It is just the way that scp work. You would have to have another SSH server on your PC so that you can scp/upload the file from RPi.
About the remote, look here:
how-to-modify-keymap-xml-or-remote-xml
so as to the line āAnother SSH serverā you mean just log in to terminal twice right? like bring up terminal in two windows and keep one logged into the mac to pull from the rPi
ā¦and another terminal session logged into the pi?
is there no way to call upon scp while at the RPi osmc@osmc$_ ??
also can nano use the arrow keys? idk if theres a vim on macā¦ vi is retarded i hate it so if vim is āvi improvedā thats like (to me) sying āwow, that is a giant midget standing over thereā or like ādamn i am starving but iāll settle on a small jumbo popcornā
ill go see if i can run nano even what other text editers are ther on mac terminal do ya know?? nano pico one of those i liked its been a LONG time i am trying here lol at least i dont have to compile anything 
No I mean youāll have to have a SSH Server configured and running on the machine you want to upload the file to.
So when you are at osmc@osmc$
you can do:
scp FILE MYUSER@MYANOTHERHOST:/PATH/
Nano: Yes it should support arrow keys. vi also supports arrow keys but not in every context and not from every terminal - it depends on your ssh application and options.
so scp *.gz ringding@macbook.local:./~
that should work then , no? EDIT: the āssh applicationā i am using is just typing ssh into terminal on mac osx 10.6.8 and same with scp they are both just like windows cmd keys but windows doesnt have ssh nor scp in a cmd dos window that i know of, my mac does just in terminalā¦
Nano-- will try and see thank you
It is still application. It is not just some terminal/shell command like ālsā. If you install open-ssh on windows you can use ssh command from ācommand promptā as well
try:
dpkg -l | grep ssh
or
pkgutil --pkgs | grep ssh
I am sure you fill find something like:
ii openssh-client (...)
And like every application it has options. Also your terminal has options. This is very long subject really and I donāt feel like expert on terminals and terminal emulation modes - sorry. I think you can play with ānanoā if you more used to ānormalā text editors. I understand that vi/vim needs some time to get used to.
i ran those things in an instance of my terminal and heres everythingā¦
calfbook:~ ringding$ dpkg -l | grep ssh
-bash: dpkg: command not found
calfbook:~ ringding$ pkgutil --pkgs | grep ssh
calfbook:~ ringding$
so thanks but i guess my mac is running on magic dust heh
and while nano seems easy enough what wood be the usage for nano to open the keymap.xml for exampleā¦ or better yet how do i ask nano? nano | more doest doitā¦ what os do you run? i have a windows box that boots without a keyboard, mouse, monitor etc i use it to download stuff and provide a JBOD āserverā and so ssh really is just another command that terminal (bash shell) has on OSX (in my experience using OSX at least) on 1st use i had to set it to use UTF-8 or whatever and i am sure it told me things but that was long ago and then forgotten.
Will version/buildupdates be part up apt-get ever? that is when a full alpha5 say is ready for distro? I can understand why notā¦
And if not, if i may be so bold as to assume the .kodi dir DOES hold the shares, library and the user settings, as well as the playcounts and other stuff reading this thread from top to bottom i think i wont have to rebuild the library or lose records as long as i can tar and move that .kodi dir to and fro, which i canā¦ it seems like keeping two sessions open i can do it in about 5 minutes heheā¦
add to that the time it takes to format the microSD, format it, use the installer to get the next build, throw it back in the RPi and let it go-to-town thun untar that āwadā after moving it back looking at what? maybe 30 minutes? Thatās sweet.
Yeah i think im set having restarted from scratch like 5 times going back a year and on the pi1ā¦ i DO believe i will never have to rebuild the shares, library, play counts, played ācheckmarksā again. glad for this thread it helped me a ton THANKS EVERYONE!!
If thereās another directory or file i should backup before the next alpha, can someone let me know? I have my custom picture i use for background but besides that and MAYBE the config.txt i dont think anything a typical user has that need be manually backed up like that right? Or maybe there is? On OSX where i have Kodi installed i just make an occasional backup of
/Users/ringding/Library/Application Support/XBMC well i did start over when it changed to
/Users/ringding/Library/Application Support/Kodi
so the OSMC equivalence of that directory is simply .Kodi right? Thatās great if I assume its the sameā¦ THANKS FOR THIS THREAD, ALL!!
I donāt know OS X so I cannot prove it to you. Maybe:
man ssh
will convince you 
auto / apt updates will probably by available after Alpha stage, but you should ask @sam_nazarko about it.
I use various systems. Right now I am on Ubuntu 14.04.
If I understood you correctly, you have some kind of windows āserverā
If you donāt want to copy / restore .kodi. You can always install mysql server on that windows machine and configure kodi to store its database in the mysql database. Then right after fresh install the only thing you have to do is add mysql configuration to advancedsettings.xml file and reboot.
Please read this. You may find it usefull
Although keeping backup of .kodi folder is always a good idea.
Yes. In 8 days when we hit final.
Right itās āSOME KIINDā of "serverā¦ JBOD Just a Bunch Of Disks
The POOR Manās RAID LOL it runs VNC, and uTorrent and thatās about all its good for besides storage on old HDDs thrown in on just about all the IDEās possibleand the 2 SATA cablesā¦ For fun it has a floppy drive to flash the mobo for the SATA when WinXP needs to be reinstalled it gets choosy about the drivers but let me think, raptors on the SATA for 74x2GB and a 40GB 60GB 120GB on IDE and DVDā¦ so it downloads and storesā¦
a 2TB drive on USB to an ASUS RT-N66U Router (poor mansā NAS)
a pi2 on a DENON receiver (poor manās mediacenter) and then OSX and im just glad terminal does tar, ssh, scp typical comands that you see in a *IX bash shellā¦ mostly i just use this TF300T and splashtop to the mac, where i use Chicken of the VNC to goto the XP box, as splashtop doesnt run well on itā¦ for what it cost and how it houses shares i cant complain a bit.
i could replace that JBOD server with like $200-$300 USD if i got a wild hair and sprung for more HDDs
yeah man ssh theres the manual i forget how to end out of it EDIT: āqā hehe lol thanks tho i suppose i dont need that much info just what i have discovered thu trial and error today
Id like to throw ubuntu on a drive someday. Ive used it as a bootable PXE like knoppix but itās just running old junk to JBOD for SMB
Thanks again fer the info
Could you confirm for me when going forward versions, which directories house the library and shares and watch info?? I read all over the place it is just the .Kodi on the Pi1/Pi2 and moreover on OSMC on the Pi2, specifically. Thanks again. I have made a vow to not remake the library again and iād like to keep it.
Jumbo Shrimp. Thats another one. Poor Manās Oxymoron.
WHERE RiNGDiNG==POORMAN;
i++;
i==100; heh
@sam_nazarko Sam, all i can say is that is GREAT NEWS!! That makes a HUGE difference for those of us that hate to get the microSD outā¦my hand shake like a crackwhore, so i really apreciate you making the updates available that way.
I admit i could snort or eat one at least without knowing it.
Well that was a lie but that is GREAT news it equates to saving US a lotta time.
And 8 days? thatās even better clear set goals and stuff, way to project manage hehe Got Gaant chart?
Thanks a bunch!!
You sir have a beautifully crude way of speaking. It makes me chuckle.
Definitely not!
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@sam_nazarko LMAO Sam, thanks, i have been called a LOT of āthingsā, but that may be my first āsirā.