Introducing Grive

Grive source code is available at GitHub if you want to tinker with it. Setup is a bit of a pain right now, and it requires some command-line work, which is not uncommon in Linux. But, I am here to show you how to install it on RPM-based Linux (CentOS, Fedora and Red Hat).

For starters, you need a dedicated machine or virtual server, as well as a reliable Internet connection.

In this scenario, let's use CentOS. As you may know, CentOS is an enterprise-class Linux distribution derived from sources freely provided to the public by the Upstream OS Provider (http://www.redhat.com/rhel).

I strongly recommend using CentOS 6.0, because CentOS 6.0 has been completely rebuilt with a newer build system and library checks to confirm upstream binary compatibility. It also brings a new kernel, new versions of key server components and improved virtualization support.

Before you install Grive, you need to do some preparatory work. Note: all the following commands must be run as root.

First, update your CentOS. This is optional, but I strongly recommend it. Run the yum command:

[root@system ~]# yum update 

Next, disable SELINUX, and simply edit the /etc/selinux/config file:

[root@system ~]# vi /etc/selinux/config

Then add a line like:

SELINUX=disabled

Now, you need to enable an extra repository, ATrpms.

ATrpms is a third-party RPM repository. Its original focus was upon software used in natural sciences, especially in the field of high-energy physics, such as tools for numerical programming or for scientific publications. Since then, this repository includes many non-scientific software titles, like system tools or multimedia packages, resulting in a far more generic repository. Currently, packages are built only for Red Hat Linux flavors.

Install and enable ATrpms in CentOS by running the following commands:

[root@system ~]# cd /tmp
[root@system ~]# wget http://packages.atrpms.net/RPM-GPG-KEY.atrpms
[root@system ~]# wget http://dl.atrpms.net/el6Server-i386/atrpms/
↪stable/atrpms-repo-6-5.el6.i686.rpm  
[root@system ~]# rpm --import RPM-GPG-KEY.atrpms
[root@system ~]# rpm -ivh atrpms-repo-6-5.el6.i686.rpm

Next, you must run the following commands to install the required packages:

[root@system ~]# yum install automake autoconf  \
openssl openssl-devel json-c json-c-devel curl \ 
curl-devel libcurl-devel libcurl libarchive \
libarchive-devel libidn libidn-devel expat \
expat-devel binutils binutils-devel

CMake is a cross-platform build system generator. CMake is used to control the software compilation process using simple platform- and compiler-independent configuration files. Check your CMake package version:

[root@system ~]# rpm -qa | grep -i cmake

If the version of CMake is <2.8, you need to update the CMake package by running the following commands:

[root@system ~]# yum remove cmake
[root@system ~]# yum install cmake  \ 
--disablerepo=*  --enablerepo=atrpms-testing 

Boost provides free peer-reviewed portable C++ source libraries. Boost libraries are intended to be widely useful and usable across a broad spectrum of applications.

Now, check your Boost package version:

[root@system ~]# rpm -qa | grep -i boost

If the version of Boost is <1.46, you need to update the Boost package by running the following commands:

[root@system ~]# yum remove boost boost-devel 
[root@system ~]# cd /tmp
[root@system ~]# wget http://sourceforge.net/projects/boost/
↪files/boost/1.49.0/boost_1_49_0.tar.gz/download  
[root@system ~]# tar -xvf boost_1_49_0.tar.gz
[root@system ~]# cd boost_1_49_0
[root@system ~]# ./bootstrap.sh --prefix=/usr
[root@system ~]# ./b2 install

Installing the Boost libraries will take up to 15 minutes, depending on your hardware, so be patient.

Make sure your system time and date are correct. Run the following command if required:

[root@system ~]# ntpdate -b -p 8 -u pool.ntp.org

With all the pieces in place, you are ready to install Grive. The project's Web site offers access to the source code using Git. To download Grive, run:

[root@system ~]# cd ~
[root@system ~]# mkdir -p ~/.grive
[root@system ~]# cd /tmp
[root@system ~]# git clone https://github.com/Grive/grive.git
[root@system ~]# cd grive
[root@system ~]# cmake \
-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=/usr .
[root@system ~]# make all install

The first time you run Grive, use the -a argument to grant permission to Grive to access to your Google Drive. The -a option is needed only the very first time you run Grive:

[root@system ~]# cd ~/.grive/
[root@system ~]# /usr/bin/grive -a

After running the command above, a URL should be displayed in the terminal—copy that URL and paste it in a Web browser.

You will need to log in to your Google account if you have not done so. In the newly loaded page, you will be asked to give Grive permission to access your Google Drive, and after clicking "Allow access", an authentication code will be displayed. Copy this code and paste it in the terminal where you ran Grive:

-----------------------
Please go to this URL and get an authentication code:

https://accounts.google.com/o/oauth2/auth?scope=
↪https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fuserinfo.email
↪+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.googleapis.com%2Fauth%2Fuserinfo.profile
↪+https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Ffeeds%2F
↪+https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.googleusercontent.com%2F
↪+https%3A%2F%2Fspreadsheets.google.com%2Ffeeds
↪%2F&redirect_uri=urn:ietf:wg:oauth:2.0:oob
↪&response_type=code&client_id=
↪22314510474.apps.googleusercontent.com

-----------------------
Please input the authentication code here

That's it. Now, each time you want to sync Google Drive with your local grive folder, navigate to the .grive folder and run /usr/bin/grive (this time without the -a, because you already have authenticated Grive with Google Drive). You can set up a cron job if you want to do this on a regular basis.

If everything works fine, Grive will create a .grive file in your home directory. It also will start downloading files from your Google Drive to your current directory. After all this business is done, all you need to do to refresh your Google Drive files is run Grive from the terminal.

Is it as convenient as Google's official desktop solutions? No, but you are not running Linux because you are looking for easy solutions.

Ending Notes

If you get a "crash" (a bunch of error messages on the screen), you should run:

[root@system ~]# /usr/bin/grive   -l   log.txt

Because the file will contain a log of the sync operation, you may want to edit the file first to remove personally sensitive information and then send it to Grive developers.

Keep up with the posts at https://plus.google.com/116411649000013553715/posts and https://github.com/grive/grive/issues for the latest information, especially regarding news on newly discovered bugs and when you need to download and build again!

Resources

The Grive Project—an Open-Source Linux Client for Google Drive: https://github.com/Grive/grive

The Official Google Blog, "Introducing Google Drive": http://googleblog.blogspot.in/2012/04/introducing-google-drive-yes-really.html#!/2012/04/introducing-google-drive-yes-really.html

"Grive: Open Source Google Drive Client for Linux": http://www.webupd8.org/2012/05/grive-open-source-google-drive-client.html

The Google Drive FAQ: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57420402-93/the-google-drive-faq