Transmission fixes as it doesn't follow its own docs

roles/transmission/README.rst

@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ After saving your changes in 'settings.json', restart Transmission by running::
 
   systemctl restart transmission-daemon
 
+*2021-03-14: Transmission 2.94 and 3.00 were intermittently* **ignoring** */etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json (presumably when the file was deemed problematic/missing/etc) and creating their own* ``/var/lib/transmission-daemon/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json`` *(i.e. suddenly a FILE instead of transmission-deamon's out-of-the-box SYMLINK to /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json).  IIAB `PR #2707 <https://github.com/iiab/iiab/pull/2707>`_ should fix this problem, by reversing the direction of the symlink created by apt.  See* `Troubleshooting <./README.rst#Troubleshooting>`_ *below.*
+
 Adding Torrents
 ---------------
 
@@ -95,7 +97,7 @@ More advanced configuration and status are in directory ``/var/lib/transmission-
   blocklists/
   dht.dat
   resume/
-  settings.json -> /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json
+  settings.json <- /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json (`PR #2707 <https://github.com/iiab/iiab/pull/2707>`_ CREATES THIS SYMLINK!)
   stats.json
   torrents/
 

roles/transmission/tasks/install.yml

@@ -19,13 +19,38 @@
     state: stopped
   ignore_errors: yes
 
-- name: Install /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json from template
-  template:
-    src: settings.json.j2
-    dest: /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json
+- name: Back up prior /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json (original file from apt, or new symlink contents) to /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json.old*
+  copy:
+    src: /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json
+    dest: /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json.old
+    mode: preserve
     owner: "{{ transmission_user }}"     # debian-transmission
     group: "{{ transmission_group }}"    # debian-transmission
-    # mode: '0600'
+    backup: yes
+  ignore_errors: yes
+
+- name: "Back up IIAB's templated version to /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json.iiab"
+  template:
+    src: settings.json.j2
+    dest: /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json.iiab
+    owner: "{{ transmission_user }}"     # debian-transmission
+    group: "{{ transmission_group }}"    # debian-transmission
+    mode: '0600'
+
+- name: Install /var/lib/transmission-daemon/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json from template
+  template:
+    src: settings.json.j2
+    dest: /var/lib/transmission-daemon/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json
+    owner: "{{ transmission_user }}"     # debian-transmission
+    group: "{{ transmission_group }}"    # debian-transmission
+    mode: '0600'
+
+- name: "Reverse Transmission's fragile OOTB symlink -- instead we establish /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json -> /var/lib/transmission-daemon/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json -- REASON: /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json was intermittently being IGNORED, as Transmission sometimes breaks its own symlink from /var/lib/transmission-daemon/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json (by turning it into a file instead)"
+  file:
+    path: /etc/transmission-daemon/settings.json
+    src: /var/lib/transmission-daemon/.config/transmission-daemon/settings.json
+    state: link
+    force: yes
 
 
 # RECORD Transmission AS INSTALLED

roles/transmission/templates/settings.json.j2

@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@
     "message-level": 2,
     "peer-congestion-algorithm": "",
     "peer-id-ttl-hours": 6,
-    "peer-limit-global": 240,
-    "peer-limit-per-torrent": 60,
+    "peer-limit-global": 200,
+    "peer-limit-per-torrent": 50,
     "peer-port": {{ transmission_peer_port }},
     "peer-port-random-high": 65535,
     "peer-port-random-low": 49152,
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
     "rpc-url": "{{ transmission_url }}",
     "rpc-username": "{{ transmission_username }}",
     "rpc-whitelist": "{{ transmission_whitelist }}",
-    "rpc-whitelist-enabled": "{{ transmission_whitelist_enabled }}",
+    "rpc-whitelist-enabled": {{ transmission_whitelist_enabled }},
     "scrape-paused-torrents-enabled": true,
     "script-torrent-done-enabled": false,
     "script-torrent-done-filename": "",

vars/default_vars.yml

@@ -512,8 +512,8 @@ transmission_group: debian-transmission
 # Monitor downloads at http://box:9091 or http://box:9091/transmission using Admin/changeme
 transmission_http_port: 9091
 transmission_url: /transmission/
-transmission_whitelist: 127.0.0.1,192.168.*.*,172.18.96.*,10.8.0.*
-transmission_whitelist_enabled: false    # Use lowercase
+transmission_whitelist: 127.0.0.1,::1,192.168.*.*,172.18.96.*,10.8.0.*
+transmission_whitelist_enabled: "false"    # LOWERCASE STRING for settings.json
 transmission_peer_port: 51413
 
 # Provision Transmission with torrent(s) from http://pantry.learningequality.org/downloads/ka-lite/0.17/content/