Kivor Export

Kivor Export Utility

This utility is intended to assist with migration from a Kivor based system to a networked system which uses FLAC format files from a NAS or other computer based server, such as Linn DS players

* Export all audio files from Kivor
* Convert WAV audio files to FLAC format
* Update names and tags to match Kivor information

Current Limitations

The utility currently has the following limitations:

* Only handles WAV format files from Kivor, does not export MP3 files
* Does not work with the RAID-based Kivor

These will be addressed in future revisions

Further Information

* [wiki:KivorExportInstall Installation] Guide
* [wiki:KivorExportOperate Operations] Guide
* [wiki:KivorExportSource Source Code] Information
* [wiki:KivorExportTrouble Troubleshooting]

KivorExport Installation

These instructions are intended for Windows based systems. For use on Linux or Mac based systems please refer to the [wiki:KivorExportSource source code] section

The installation and operation of !KivorExport involves the use of a Command Prompt where the user types commands at a prompt.

* For XP this is available by entering cmd in the Start->Run prompt box and clicking OK.
* For Vista this is selectable from the Start->All Programs->Accessories menu.

Prerequisites

Flac

FLAC needs to be installed and added to the execution path

* Download latest version from SourceForge
* Install the package (selecting default values for all options)
* Add installed folder (usually C:\Program Files\FLAC to command execution path
 * Select Start->Control Panel->System
 * XP select Advanced tab
 * Vista select Advanced System Settings from left-side menu
 * Select Environment Variables Image(wiki:KivorExportImages:sysprop.jpg)
 * Select PATH in System variables and click EditImage(wiki:KivorExportImages:envvar.jpg)
 * Append ;<flac path> to Variable value Image(wiki:KivorExportImages:path.jpg)
 * Click OK on all windows to apply the changes

* Check flac installed correctly by opening a Command Prompt and typing flac followed by enter. Output should be similar to Image(wiki:KivorExportImages:flactest.jpg)

VC8 Runtime

VC8 runtime may be required. Suggest attempt to execute utility, and ONLY if it fails then install this. Installation does not appear to be required on Vista

* Available from Microsoft

KivorExport

* Download here
* Extract the files to a suitable location where the !KivorExport folder will be created - suggest C:\Program Files

!KivorImport Operation

To perform an export from a Kivor

* Map destination (NAS) drive to local drive letter
* Ensure Kivor is connected to network
* Open command prompt
* Change to !KivorExport directory
* Execute command !KivorExport <kivorip> <dest>
 * <kivorip> is the IP address of the Kivor
 * <dest> is the destination of the output files
 * On completion will display some statistics and return to the prompt
 * See example belowImage(wiki:KivorExportImages:startup.jpg)

* To force stop, press Ctrl-Break

* If execution stops or is stopped before completion, it can be restarted in the same manner. Files which have already been transferred are NOT transferred again - transfer starts up at point it left off.

* NOTE - this can take several days to run to completion

Progress monitoring

Progress can be monitored on-screen or by observing the output log files. Operation is as follows:

* Startup Kivor if not already running
* Perform checks for specified Kivor and output folder
* Read list of files from Kivor using Xiva
* Stop Kivor
* Connect using FTP and for every file
 * Transfer file to local PC
 * Transcode to FLAC
 * Copy across to final destination

Log Files

2 log files are created by the utility, and stored in the folder from which the utility was started

* !KivorExport.txt - this stores ALL the information which is displayed on the screen
* KivorExportFAILS.txt - this stores a list of all the files which failed to transfer correctly

Performance Hints

This utility makes intermittent heavy use of network, and the transcoding operation is a heavy processor load, hence some performance related issues are worth considering

* Use wired ethernet connections between ALL devices (Kivor, NAS and PC running utility)
* Use fastest PC available for running utility

Good transfer rates are around 4->500 discs per day

Source code

The source code is written in Python, and converted to a Windows executable using the py2exe utility. The actual Python source can be executed on any machine which has a Python interpreter installed. Hence can use utility on Linux or Mac platform if desired.

* Source may downloaded from SVN
* Licensed under the terms of the New BSD License

Troubleshooting

Please use the Linn Developers Forum for support

Known Issues

* All files fail after being retrieved from Kivor
 * Flac is not available in the command path

* Unable to access Kivor via FTP
 * FTP misconfigured on Kivor

* Specific file or files always fail to transfer
 * Files not actually present on Kivor (possibly due to disc failure)
 * Files contain unexpected metadata characters