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SABnzbd in Container Manager on a Synology NAS

Important or Recent Updates
UpdateDate
New guide update for DSM7.2 and Container Manager06/05/2023
Moved from UI setup to Project Setup which is more flexible and easier to maintain.21/10/2023
Added an addition element to the compose to restrict the container from gaining additional privileges and also umask environment variable25/10/2023
Historic updates.


What is SABnzbd?

SABnzbd is a binary newsreader, it is used to download files from Usenet, and where required will also repair and extract releases. It works on its own or in conjunction with other tools such as Lidarr and Radarr.

Let’s Begin

In this guide I will take you through the steps to get Sabnzbd up and running in Container Manager. We will be using the new Projects (Docker Compose) feature to get this running as it will save you time vs manual setup using the normal UI

In order for you to successfully use this guide please complete the three preceding guides

Folder Setup

Let’s start by getting some folders set up for the containers to use. Open up File Station create the following.

Folders
/docker/projects/sabnzbd-compose
/docker/sabnzbd

Container Manager

Next we are going to set up a ‘Project’ in Container Manager. Open up Container Manager and click on Project then on the right-hand side click ‘Create’.

In the next screen we will set up our General Settings, enter the following:

SectionSetting
Project Name:sabnzbd
Path:/docker/projects/sabnzbd-compose
Source:Create docker-compose.yml

Next we are going to drop in our docker compose configuration, copy all the code in the box below and paste it into line ‘1’ just like the screenshot.

YAML
services:
  sabnzbd:
    image: linuxserver/sabnzbd:latest
    container_name: sabnzbd
    environment:
      - PUID=1234 #CHANGE_TO_YOUR_UID
      - PGID=65432 #CHANGE_TO_YOUR_GID
      - TZ=Europe/London #CHANGE_TO_YOUR_TZ
      - UMASK=022
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/sabnzbd:/config
      - /volume1/data/usenet:/data/usenet
    ports:
      - 8080:8080/tcp
    network_mode: synobridge
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    restart: always

Environment Variables

We are now going to amend some key variables to make sure the container has access to our folders and also knows where we are in the world. Don’t change any other settings other than those I mention.

VariableValue
PUID(required) The UID you obtained in the user setup guide
PGID(required) The GID you obtained in the user setup guide
TZ(required) Your timezone wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones

Once you have made the edits you can click ‘Next’

You do not need to enable anything on the ‘Web portal settings’ screen click ‘Next’ again.

On the final screen click ‘Done’ which will begin the download of the container images and once downloaded they will be launched!

The image will now be downloaded and extracted. You should see ‘Code 0’ when it has finished.

Firewall Exceptions

(Skip if you don’t have the Firewall configured)

If you have enabled and configured the Synology Firewall you will need to create exceptions for any containers that have a Web UI or have any incoming or outgoing connections. This section covers the basics of how to add these. (Please note this is a generic section and will not show the specific ports used in this guide however it applies in the same way)

Also, I would like to refer people to the great guide on getting the Firewall correctly configured over on WunderTechs site.

Head into the Control Panel> Security > Firewall, from here click Edit Rules for the profile you set up when you enabled the Firewall.

Next click on Create and you will see the screen below. Source IP and Action will be automatically selected to All and Allow, I will leave it up to you as to your own preference on whether you want to lock down specific Source IPs from having access. In this example we will leave as All.

You will now choose ‘Custom‘ and then the Custom button

Now select Destination from the drop-down menu, most web based containers require TCP access but check the guide as it will show the port and protocol. Then add comma separated ports. Then press OK.

Click OK a couple of times to get back to the main screen. You will see by default the new rule is added to the bottom of the list. You must always have your Block All rule last in the list as the rules are applied top down so move your container up.

You have now completed the Firewall changes and can continue with the guide.

Some final steps

SABnzbd will now be running on port 8080 you can connect to it by going to the IP address of your NAS with that port

e.g. 192.168.0.40:8080

Once you have completed the setup wizard, go into the settings and amend your folders to the following

SettingPath
Temporary Download Folder/data/usenet/intermediate
Completed Download Folder/data/usenet/completed
Watched Folder/data/usenet/nzb

If you are using SABnzbd for your download client in the Arrs you will want to add some categories and paths as shown below. When adding SABnzbd to each of the Arrs match up the category in the download client settings, like the example below in Sonarr.

You are now configured to get downloads working, there are quite a few options in the configuration sections of the app that can both improve and hinder performance. These really depend on the capability of your NAS so keep this in mind.




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Published inDockerDownload Tools 7.2Synology

100 Comments

  1. drew drew

    Thanks Doc! Love your work. I’ve had problems with Sab (docker container) causing my server (DS420+) to lock up during unpacks, so I’m planning to get an M.2 drive and isolate all IO there so it doesn’t affect the performance of the RAID with the rest of the media and apps (Overseerr / Radarr / Sonarr / Plex). What’s the right way to configure this? I’m guessing I’d still install Sab on volume1, but I’d have to make the following changes:

    1) Set up a separate volume2 on the M.2., and put the /usenet folder (and complete, incomplete, etc. subfolders) there instead
    2) Install Sab per above guide, but row 12 of docker compose would say volume2 not volume1 (“/volume2/data/usenet:/data/usenet”)
    3) Point to the correct folders in Sab setup after completing setup wizard

    Any advice / corrections to the above? Thank you!

    • Dr_Frankenstein Dr_Frankenstein

      Hey
      Your logic is sound, if you already have the ‘data’ share on volume1 then you can create a ‘downloads’ folder on /volume2/downloads/usenet:/downloads/usenet then pass that into the container and then dont forget to add this same exact path to the Arrs, so they can grab the downloads.

  2. pmd pmd

    Sorry for the mails – I found the issue with Sabnzbd not restarting in the container. By default Sab enables IPV6 hosting… once I disabled that option in the sab special tab the app correctly restarts… looks like even though Docker has ipv6 disabled sab needs to have that flag unticked…. might be worth adding to the guide?

    • Dr_Frankenstein Dr_Frankenstein

      I wonder if they changed this as it’s disabled for me and I never turned it off. I will do a fresh setup and see what happens

  3. pmd pmd

    Actually to my earlier message the forum posts on solving the sabnzb fails to restart don’t work for me at all. I’m running on 1019+ Synology with latest DSM 7.2 version…. followed the guide for Sab install but as soon as I click “Restart” within Sab I can no longer access sab until I restart the whole container in Container Manager.

    • Dr_Frankenstein Dr_Frankenstein

      Thanks, this is an old issue from when the PATH variable changed in the Container but back then the Docker package when set up via the UI it held onto the old path. It should not be an issue today at least from what I have seen.

  4. pmd pmd

    Thanks for the guides! I’m migrating from an old set up I followed from your prior guides (non-atomic moves). However after SABNZB finishes and the movie or TV show is now in:

    /data/usenet/completed

    I actually want it to move movies to

    /media/movies

    and then TV shows to

    /media/TV

    (Which are where Plex monitors for new downloads to add to its library)

    With this guide won’t I send up with all my SABNZ downloads in one folder with a mix of TV shows and Movies etc etc?

    How do I get them to the right final folder depending on whether they are a TV show or a movie and preferably via atomic move?

    • Dr_Frankenstein Dr_Frankenstein

      The answer depends on if you are using Radarr, Sonarr to manage your media. What’s your overall setup?

      • pmd pmd

        Yes using Radarr and Sonarr per your prior guides… so they pass to SABNZB downloads usenet then I’d like to keep the final move in my /media/movies and /media/tv folders but per the new guides here I think that doesn’t work and it needs to be under the new /data folder you detail? Or can I leave in /media/.. etc? The folders are all on the same volume of the Synology.

        • Dr_Frankenstein Dr_Frankenstein

          OK you just need to make a couple of adjustments, make sure Sonarr and Radarr have /data mounted to them so they can reach into the folder and move the files to your /media share. This will avoid SAB making any file moves.

          • pmd pmd

            Thanks – But the benefit of me actually moving my existing /media/… folders under /data is that then Sonarr/Radarr would then ALSO be able to move the files without having to do a complete file copy and delete?

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