Run HandBrake & MKVToolNix on a headless FreeBSD jail (FreeNas)

install_MKVToolNix_and_handbrake.sh

# 1 - Create a jail called `convert` using `pluginjail-10.3` template

# 2 - list all jails
jls
 JID  IP Address      Hostname                      Path
   1  -               convert                       /mnt/volume/jails/convert

# 3 - connect to our jail
jexec 1 sh

# 4 - update
pkg update && pkg upgrade

# 5 - OPTIONAL - install bash
pkg install bash
exit

# 5a - connect to our jail with `bash`
jexec 1 bash

# 6 - install all required packages
pkg install xauth
pkg install xkeyboard-config
pkg install mkvtoolnix
pkg install handbrake

# 7 - enable SSH
vi /etc/rc.conf
sshd_enable="YES"

# 8 - enable X11 forwarding
vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
AllowTcpForwarding yes
X11Forwarding yes
X11DisplayOffset 10
X11UseLocalhost no
...
PermitRootLogin yes


# 9 - restart SSH daemon
service sshd restart

# 10 - generate DBUS UUID required by `xkb` (`xkeyboard`)
dbus-uuidgen > /etc/machine-id

# 11 - install `lame` which is required by HandBrake
portsnap fetch extract
cd /usr/ports/audio/lame | make install clean

# 12 - run MKVToolNix or HandBrake
ssh -X root@convert mkvtoolnix-gui
ssh -X root@convert HandBrake

even if you do all this, there won't be an X server running, so ssh -X root@convert HandBrake will fail with : cannot connect to X server

Thanks for this. I didnt use the X Server part, but installed Handbrake in a jail and I am now starting batch conversions with handbrake with a small script and nohup. Works great!

Export your favourite Handbrake Preset from the normal GUI version and put it in the same folder. Change the files and folders in this example to your specific ones:

#!/bin/bash

SRC="/sourcefolder"
DEST="/destinationfolder"
DEST_EXT=mp4
HANDBRAKE_CLI=HandBrakeCLI

for FILE in "$SRC"/*
do
    filename=$(basename "$FILE")
    extension=${filename##*.}
    filename=${filename%.*}
    $HANDBRAKE_CLI --preset-import-file /handbrakepreset.json -Z HANDBRAKEPRESETname -i "$FILE" -o "$DEST"/"$filename".$DEST_EXT
done

Then ssh into your machine

sudo jexec 1
(go into the jail)

cd /folder
(go to the folder of the script and preset)

nohup sh SCRIPTNAME &
(start the script)

Even if you kill the SSH connection, it will continue to convert all files in the folder. Make sure there are only videofiles, otherwise it will stop without converting all of them.