How to install the Hornetdrive Client for secure cloud storage on Arch Linux

If you are looking for a secure cloud storage service that is hosted in Germany, encrypts your data before it is uploaded into the cloud and has a client that runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, then Hornetdrive is a possible choice. The business account allows for collaboration in a team without charging you for each user, which I find to be the one feature that truly sets it apart from most other offers. In summary, I looked around at the time and found them to be the best choice in terms of features provided and price. I have no affiliation with the company.

Now, the client software is supplied by the company for Windows, Mac and Linux. The linux version comes in two flavours, a .run-file for “RHEL 6 (or derivatives e.g. CentOS 6, Oracle Linux 6) and above, latest versions of Fedora & SUSE Linux” and a .deb-file for “Debian Linux, Ubuntu Linux (latest versions and current Ubuntu LTS release)“.

This post briefly describes how to get a package for arch linux that can then be installed like any other package using the pacman packet manager. The route taken is to use the debtap script/programme to automatically convert the .deb package into an arch package without having to do any work. Well, almost none. I have chosen this path because I have no knowledge of package maintenance myself, and while interested in general, I simply can’t find the time to learn more about it at the moment. So, thank you to the people who created the amazingly useful debtap package.

Here is what you have to do:

  1. Download the hornetdrive client for Ubuntu from the hornetdrive homepage.
  2. Install the debtap package from the AUR. If you are unfamiliar with this process, then please read here for more information. More information on the debtap programme can be found on their github page.
  3. After you have installed the debtap programme, change into the folder that contains the Hornetdrive.deb package and call on it using debtap as follows (no super-user rights required):
    debtap ./Hornetdrive.deb
  4. The programme will ask you for a name for the package. I put “hornetdrive”.
  5. Next it will ask you for the license for the package. At this stage I am unsure what to refer to. The .deb package includes information on “section” and calls it “non-free/net”, so that is what I entered.
  6. The final step asks whether you would like to edit the created .PKGINFO file. Here you have to say yes i.e. choose an editor. This is necessary because arch linux recently unsplit the libdbus package into the core/dbus package, and so we have to make a small change to the dependencies of the automatically generated .PKGINFO file.
  7. When the file is open in your editor, it should look like this:
    pkgname = hornetdrive
    pkgver = 4.1.6-1
    pkgdesc = Sync and share any folder in your file system with HORNETDRIVE. HORNETDRIVE is a highly secure collaboration software which keeps your data synchro
    nised between various computers across Linux/Mac/Windows OS. Sync and share any folder in your file system.
    url = http://hornetdrive.com
    builddate = 1472905315
    packager = hornetdrive
    arch = x86_64
    size = 194796487
    license = non-free/net
    depend = alsa-lib>=1.0.16
    depend = expat>=2.0.1
    depend = fontconfig>=2.9.0
    depend = freetype2>=2.3.9
    depend = gcc-libs>=4.8
    depend = glib2>=2.35.9
    depend = glibc>=2.15
    depend = harfbuzz>=0.9.11
    depend = libcap>=2.10
    depend = libdbus>=1.2.14
    depend = libgl
    depend = libx11>=1.4.99.1
    depend = libxcomposite>=0.3
    depend = libxcursor>1.1.2
    depend = libxdamage>=1.1
    depend = libxext
    depend = libxfixes
    depend = libxi>=1.2.99.4
    depend = libxrandr
    depend = libxrender
    depend = libxtst
    depend = nspr>=4.9
    depend = nss>=3.14.3
    depend = zlib>=1.1.4
    
  8. Find the line that says the following:
    depend = libdbus>=1.2.14
    and change it to this:
    depend = dbus>=1.10.10
  9. Now save / leave the editor, and the script should continue to create the final package. That is it. You now have a functioning package for the hornetdrive client.
  10. To install it, call pacman as follows:
    sudo pacman -U path-to-package
    e.g. in my case:
    sudo pacman -U ./hornetdrive-4.1.6-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz
    That is it!

I hope this was helpful.
Cheers.