At wits end with these MVPs!!!!

[2002cbr600f4i]

I'm about ready to chuck these things!

At one point in time I had both units working, and then suddenly one day they stopped. Now I can't get either of them to work right. Here's my setup:


Linksys WRT54GS router (connected to the DSL line)

12 port gigabit switch (a dell rackmount one) The Linksys is hooked to it's uplink

to the switch I have:

HTPC (Shuttle box, running sage 5.0.4, JDK 1.4.2_06). Set to static IP 192.168.0.30. No firewall running.

2 Hauppauge Media MVP units set up in different rooms, each also hooked to the dell switch.

MVP #1: It's an old 1.0 Rev. When I turn it on it will show (in this order):

Looking for DHCP Server (will sit on this for a couple seconds)
Looking for Boot Service (or somehting like that. Will sit on this for a couple seconds)
It will repeat those 2 again, again for a few seconds.
Next it will flash both of those messages VERY quickly and then show:
Loading Application (it will show this for a bit)
Starting Application (again for a few seconds)

Then the screen with go black and then it will repeatedly flash up a SageTV Splash Screen with "Starting Application, please Wait" and it will just sit there and flash and go to black and flash and go to black.



MVP #2: A newer 2.05 rev. (also hooked in via wired to the dell switch)
Plug it in... The boxes at the bottom of the power on screen with go to the right, then it will say:

Confuguring Wired Device
Checking network status...
Media MVP is unable to get an address. Please Veify the network settings.

Then it goes to a screen asking for the preferred server, but it says:
"No streaming server found! Please check networkiung settings and make sure server is running. Ok to rescan oir back to exit."

No matter which I select, it rescans and again doesn't find anything. I can't get it to do anything else.




I tried turning off the Sage software and the turning on the Hauppauge software - same effect. No working.

I tried blowing away the clients folder in SageTV, no difference.

I'm getting seriously fed up with these things. I can't believe they're this fragile. Especially when I can use the placeshifter client on my laptop through my dang cell phone for connectivity! You'd think it'd be EASY to get this to work over wired ethernet and dedicated hardware!

PLEASE give me some suggestions on how to fix this and KEEP it working!

--Mike

[jredwine2857]

I hear you loud and clear. They are VERY particular units.

Have you tried:

1. Creating a DHCP reservation for the MAC addresses of the MVP's in your DHCP server?
2. I didn't notice what you are running dhcp on, but I assume you are doing this off of the linksys. Have you rebooted the linksys ap? (Simple I know, but just throwing some ideas. You never know what's been tried.)
3. Pull the power to the MVP and let it sit for about 10 minutes and try again.
4. Reset the dell powerconnect switch.
5. Reboot Sage server.

I have noticed the MVP's would not pull dhcp from my Windows 2003 server. I had to switch to using DHCP services on my Netscreen firewall. (They would just not pull an ip no matter what.) So it is very evident they are particular to even what is running the dhcp service.

Good Luck. It's always difficult before it's easy with these damned MVP's.

[2002cbr600f4i]

Yup, using the Linksys as the DHCP server.

Unfortunately, I don't see anything in the Linksys settings to let me assign it addresses. The MVP's just will always get the 100 + 101 as the first 2 DHCP addresses.

Why the HECK don't they make the MVPs so you can give them a static IP?!?!?

Yup, I've tried rebootting everything multiple times.

Grrr.

--Mike

[jredwine2857]

I think you can use the firmware from ddwrt.com to flash the wrt54g WAP and it will allow you to add dhcp reservations. I know it should work ok with the default linksys firmware, as a friend of mine just set this up with his wrt54g and it works fine with the MVP.

If you interrupt the MVP when its booting and look at the network config, is it at least pulling an IP every time?

If so, are you able to manually scan for a media server?

Leave the network config page open and see if you can ping the IP address of the MVP. (Don't let it boot any further or the link goes dead.)

I know it is annoying that you cannot set a static IP. If they are going to be so particular about the DHCP server, they should at least allow that to be taken out of the equation.

[2002cbr600f4i]

How do I interrupt the MVP while it's booting? At which point in the process on each of them? (as you can see from my description, they do rather different things during power up.)


On the rev 2.05 when I get to the screen that should be listing all the available servers, I get NOTHING. I remember that when I first got that one it was a PITFA to get working the first time, but then it just WORKED. (And no, I don't remember how I did it...) anyhow, it just keeps prompting me over and over to hit OK to rescan and it never finds anything.

I'd like to try hooking all 3 units directly to the Linksys to see if that would help, but alas, the Linksys is in a different room than where all the network drops come together and get plugged into the switch.

--Mike

[mdnttoker]

I'm using the WRT54GL 1.1 router. The stock firmware didn't work for me. DD-WRT didn't help.

Once I loaded Sveasoft Talisman Firmware, assigned static IP's, and enabled STP, my MVP worked just fine.

I'd give it a go. Much more powerful router w/the DDWRT or Talisman firmware, no harm in trying.

-Dan

[jredwine2857]

Yeah I know what you're talking about. I don't know why but occasionally I'll get that as well. It won't even allow you to back out of finding a media server. It might be worth a try to use the different firmware for the linksys. It sounds like it is getting hung at pulling an ip from the dhcp server. Do you have any other devices laying around you can try and use as a dhcp server. (ie. an old cable/dsl router etc.)

I assume you have tested this, but JIC, can you pull an ip using another device from the dhcp server on the linksys using the same cable drops you are attempting to use for the MVP's? (ie. laptop, desktop, etc.)

[FidgetyRat]

My MVP did similar things until I forcefully mapped its MAC address to a specific IP in the DHCP... That solved every issue ever since.

Not sure if it will help but is a very good start.


Besides the slow menus, my MVP is my favorite little toy.

[2002cbr600f4i]

I think I still have an old Netgear router that I can give a try. I know that runs that the MVPs are hooked to work as I've used them for other devices previously without any problems.

Failing that, I might go ahead and drop the $20 to get the firmware for the Linksys...

Company Xmas party is tonight so I probably won't get to this until Wed night.

I'll keep ya posted. Thanks for the help guys.

--Mike

[Deacon Crusher]

I've noticed for years that the media mvp seems to autosync at 100 meg half duplex with some switches.

i recently installed a dell gig switch (which by the way are apparently notorious for being sensitive to cable quality) and the one I have has a web management interface where you can configure port speeds and other items.

I had the same problem with my mvp when I upgraded to this switch.

So, you can't turn off auto sync, but what you can do is change it so the only speed it can auto sync to (by unchecking check boxes) is 100 meg full and tada it suddenly works and works great. If your switch doesn't have the web console try plugging your mvp back into your wrt and you should see by looking at the lights that it does the auto sense to 100 meg half and you should get your connection back.

Good luck.

[2002cbr600f4i]

Deacon...

Actually, you might be able to help me with that switch. I got it from a buddy who got it as a freebee from Dell (his company buys a LOT of dell gear and they gave it to him as a throw in as part of a purchase.) I have no manual for it. As such, I can't figure out how to get into the web admin console. There's nothing on the web site's documentation about the default IP address or ID/Pass for the switch. Any help you can provide there is appreciated.

If I can't get into that, then I have an older Netgear 10/100 switch I can throw back into the mix. I only upgraded to the gig switch so I could move some of these video files across the network between my various machines faster...

--Mike

[ChePazzo]

I have had very good experiences with my MVP. I only have a 10/100 switch, though.

If your MVP can't get an IP address, it sounds like a networking issue. The only problems I've had where the MVP wouldn't boot into Sage, was when it hung at the booting sage screen. That turned out to be a corruption in my STVi installs. backing out to the default STV (then reinstalling the STVi's later) fixed that for me.

anyway, sounds like you're on the right track with this switch duplex issue. I wonder if there are lights on the front of the switch that indicate the speed/duplex settings. If not and it is a managed switch, you can try to check your DHCP client tables to figure out what the IP is and try to connect to it with firefox.

[AngelofDeth]

This probably isn't your problem, since this was happening to me using a software dhcp server (I think the linksys will always assign a default gateway), but make sure you are assigning a default gateway to the mvp, thats the only time I had ever seen my MVPs first sage screen continually flash. Not sure why since it doesn't need a gateway, or at least it shouldn't.

[Deacon Crusher]

2002cbr600f4i (Mike)

What is the exact model # info for your Dell switch?

I'll see what I can do once I get that.

thanks

[roxy99]

12 port gigabit switch (a dell rackmount one) The Linksys is hooked to it's uplink...

Why not remove that from the equation and try a 10/100 switch? Use the gigabit switch for the rest of your network, but uplink it to a 10/100 switch for just the MVPs.

[mailman]

Is is possible for you to remove the switch completely and plug the Sage box and the MVPs directly into the router? If you could at least do this for testing purposes it would let you know if the switch is causing the problem.

If this is a managed switch, the ports may not be configured properly for your setup. The speed/duplex of some of the ports may be hard set instead of auto-detect and they may be configured for different VLANs.

[2002cbr600f4i]

Ok guys, sorry I didn't get a chance to look at this stuff yet... We had our company Xmas party on Tues night.... And I had WAAYYYY too much to drink , so yesterday was spent laying on the couch with a pounding headache

I'll get you guys the Dell Switch model number when I get home tonight.

I don't know that I'd be able to wire the MVP+Sage machines directly to the router as it's in a different room from where all the network runs in my house come to. Not sure I have long enough cables to reach from teh patch panel to the room down the hall where the router is...

I'm thinking I'm going to go back to basics... Plug the old switch and the old Netgear router in. See if it works like that. If so, then replace the 10/100 switch with the Dell. If that works, then I know it's the Linksys. If it doesn't work, then I'll put the 10/100 switch back in and try the linksys. If that works I know it's the switch. If it doesn't, then it's def the linksys and at that point I'll get the new 3rd party firmware for the linksys.

As far as the Dell managed switch. From what my buddy told me, it was never turned on from the time they got it from Dell, so it should be all set on the factory default settings (which I would assume mean all the ports are set to auto detect.)

--Mike

[heffe2001]

My older model MVP does the alternating black screen/sage screen, but I can turn the power off on it (with the remote), turn it back on and it's at the menu every time. I'm going to be rewiring a good portion of my network this weekend, and hopefully this will help out a bit (I KNOW the cable going up to that machine isn't punched down exactly right, just haven't had time to go back and redo it).

Might give that a shot and see. I also had a problem that if I used Placeshifter and lost connection, or had an error, the MVP's won't connect anymore until the server service is restarted.

[2002cbr600f4i]

Ok, the switch is a Dell PowerConnect 5212

--Mike

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by 2002cbr600f4i

Ok, the switch is a Dell PowerConnect 5212

--Mike

http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...2/en/index.htm is the link to the manuales for the 5212.

The switch should be attempting to get an IP address from your router, that is the default setting. Check the router to see if you can see a DHCP entry for the switch. If the swich has been set to use a static IP address or BOOTP, then you'll probably need to reset the switch. And if you don't know the password, then there's another reason to reset the switch.


From the dell forum on resetting the password,

For the 3248/5212/5224 products:

Note: This password recovery procedure involves rebooting the switch to the Factory Defaults. This will cause the loss of any current configuration on the switch.

Connect to the switch via the console port and manually reboot the switch
As soon as power is applied, press and hold the <Ctrl> and <F> keys simultaneously
At the menu, press R for the "[R]eturn to Factory Default" option
The switch will reboot and all configuration changes and password information is cleared