Diskspace Rules?

[jpwegas]

Does anyone know why you can't set the Diskspace Rule on the default Video Recording Directories screen? For example, I'd like to set it up to use all except 10G. (The manual seems to indicate that the Windows version doesn't have this restriction, but I haven't used SageTV on Windows so I can't confirm this.)

I can add a new directory (say on a different drive) and set a Diskspace Rule on that, but I'm confused why SageTV doesn't let me set a rule on the default directory (/var/media/tv).

I could always set the default partition to a tiny (say 1G) size and add a new directory on another partition with the limits I want, but that seems silly.

John

[Opus4]

In Linux, the paths listed on the seeker/default_linux_recording_paths property are locked down, so you can't change them. Don't clear that property, or else it will just return to the default value, but you can try changing the path(s) listed there to something else that won't affect your actual recording location. I don't think there are any negative effects.

- Andy

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Opus4

In Linux, the paths listed on the seeker/default_linux_recording_paths property are locked down, so you can't change them. Don't clear that property, or else it will just return to the default value, but you can try changing the path(s) listed there to something else that won't affect your actual recording location. I don't think there are any negative effects.

- Andy

I don't see that setting in Sage.properties at all, or anything similar that starts with "seeker", does it only appear if you set additional paths? I'm running 6.1.9.1 if it makes a difference.

I'm still interested in the reasoning why SageTV doesn't allow me to set a "reserve XX GB" value for the default location.

In practice, when does SageTV consider the disk "full" and start deleting things - when there is only 1G left? 500M? 20M? There must be some safety margin.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to set this margin somehow (the Diskspace Rule seems most obvious) so that if I'm managing and pushing content to SageTV from another source (say for pictures or music) and syncing the data over I don't accidentally fill up the media partition.

John

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by jpwegas

I don't see that setting in Sage.properties at all, or anything similar that starts with "seeker", does it only appear if you set additional paths? I'm running 6.1.9.1 if it makes a difference.

Oh -- it is a property that is local to the UI, for some reason. It will be server based in the future, but for now, check the Placeshifter properties in the server's "clients" subdirectory.

- Andy

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Oh -- it is a property that is local to the UI, for some reason. It will be server based in the future, but for now, check the Placeshifter properties in the server's "clients" subdirectory.

- Andy

I don't see this setting in anything in the clients directory either. I did a string search on all the Sage files (including binaries) and I don't see the string "default_linux_recording_paths" anywhere.

It seems strange that this would be in clients - what would happen if different clients have different settings, that might possibly conflict. Although... this could actually be an interesting feature - different placeshifter or mvp clients point to different recorded tv paths.

--John

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by jpwegas

I don't see this setting in anything in the clients directory either. I did a string search on all the Sage files (including binaries) and I don't see the string "default_linux_recording_paths" anywhere.

That sounds like you were looking in the 'client' directory, not the 'clients' subdirectory of the 'server' directory. There should only be .properties files in that dir, no binaries. Look in /opt/sagetv/server/clients/

It seems strange that this would be in clients - what would happen if different clients have different settings, that might possibly conflict.

That's why I said:

Originally Posted by Opus4

... It will be server based in the future ...

- Andy

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Opus4

That sounds like you were looking in the 'client' directory, not the 'clients' subdirectory of the 'server' directory. There should only be .properties files in that dir, no binaries. Look in /opt/sagetv/server/clients/

- Andy

Sorry, I wasn't very clear in my previous message.

I first looked in "clients" (i.e. /opt/sagetv/server/clients, which just has .properties files), and none of those files contained the string "default_linux_recording_paths".

So I decided to take the brute force method and recursively search everything under /opt/sagetv:

cd /opt/sagetv
find . -exec strings {} \; | grep -i default_linux_recording_paths

No results.

Maybe that value is only added to the .properties files in certain situations?

--John

[Opus4]

I'm not sure what to suggest. The exact name of the property in the default STV is:

seeker/default_linux_recording_paths

On my Linux system, it is in a properties file in the /opt/sagetv/server/clients/ directory, with a value of /var/media/tv

The properties are in alphabetical order, so if it isn't in the 'seeker' area, then I don't know why my system is different.

- Andy

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I'm not sure what to suggest. The exact name of the property in the default STV is:

seeker/default_linux_recording_paths

On my Linux system, it is in a properties file in the /opt/sagetv/server/clients/ directory, with a value of /var/media/tv

The properties are in alphabetical order, so if it isn't in the 'seeker' area, then I don't know why my system is different.

- Andy

Ok, so I did a little more digging and look what I found in Sage.properties:

seeker/video_storage=/var/media/tv,20000000000,3;

I'm assuming this is the equivalent setting and it was renamed at some point and default_linux_recording_paths is a leftover in your properties file from the earlier version. Since I'm new here (started with 6.1.9.1) my property files were created new and don't have the older names.

I did a little experimenting and if you add video recording directories, they appear at the end of this list. The larger value appears to be the size (in bytes) to use or to leave free. The last number is (1) use only, (2) leave free or (3) use all.

I'm not sure if the large value has any meaning if it's "use all". Perhaps this is the freespace threshhold point at which SageTV decides the disk is "full" and starts to delete things? (Since actually filling up the disk to 100% is usually a bad thing. )

--John

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by jpwegas

Ok, so I did a little more digging and look what I found in Sage.properties:

seeker/video_storage=/var/media/tv,20000000000,3;

I'm assuming this is the equivalent setting and it was renamed at some point and default_linux_recording_paths is a leftover in your properties file from the earlier version. Since I'm new here (started with 6.1.9.1) my property files were created new and don't have the older names.

Since I wrote the STV, I'm pretty sure mine is up to date. That property is still in use.

The seeker/video_storage property is completely different & is used to define all recording dirs. The other one limits your ability to modify the default path in the UI when using Linux.

One thing I forgot to suggest is to go to the "Run Configuration Wizard" menu & then exit that menu. That forces the properties to be saved -- for all I know, maybe the property just hadn't been saved yet for some reason. I thought it would have been saved by now.

I did a little experimenting and if you add video recording directories, they appear at the end of this list. The larger value appears to be the size (in bytes) to use or to leave free. The last number is (1) use only, (2) leave free or (3) use all.

I'm not sure if the large value has any meaning if it's "use all". Perhaps this is the freespace threshhold point at which SageTV decides the disk is "full" and starts to delete things? (Since actually filling up the disk to 100% is usually a bad thing. )

Yes, you could manually edit the list of recording dirs & change those numbers yourself, as you've seen. Getting the other property changes makes it easier for you to change those recording dir settings in the future. Oh -- and, that number has no meaning for the "Use All" option.

- Andy

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Since I wrote the STV, I'm pretty sure mine is up to date. That property is still in use.

Oh.

Originally Posted by Opus4

The seeker/video_storage property is completely different & is used to define all recording dirs. The other one limits your ability to modify the default path in the UI when using Linux.

Ah! Enlightenment! It just clicked. Sorry it took so long.

Originally Posted by Opus4

One thing I forgot to suggest is to go to the "Run Configuration Wizard" menu & then exit that menu. That forces the properties to be saved -- for all I know, maybe the property just hadn't been saved yet for some reason. I thought it would have been saved by now.

The clients/*.properties file had been saved recently but I did this again. The timestamp on the file was updated but I still don't see that value.

Originally Posted by Opus4

Yes, you could manually edit the list of recording dirs & change those numbers yourself, as you've seen. Getting the other property changes makes it easier for you to change those recording dir settings in the future. Oh -- and, that number has no meaning for the "Use All" option.

So sort of back to my original question. At what point does SageTV start thinking the disk is "too full" and needs to start deleting things - I'm assuming there is some sort of safety margin. (If it's on the order of 10+ GB or so then I think I'm fine.) It sounds like I can safely change the video_storage value in Sage.properties so that it's "leave free 20G" instead of "use all". Is the default not changable in the GUI simply to avoid people changing the setting to a value that wipes all their recordings?

--John

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by jpwegas

So sort of back to my original question. At what point does SageTV start thinking the disk is "too full" and needs to start deleting things - I'm assuming there is some sort of safety margin. (If it's on the order of 10+ GB or so then I think I'm fine.) It sounds like I can safely change the video_storage value in Sage.properties so that it's "leave free 20G" instead of "use all".

It uses as much as it thinks it safely can use. That's about as much detail as I can give.

If you want to control how much space is left free, then you'll have to use the "Leave Free" setting.

- Andy

[Opus4]

Sorry -- I now understand why you couldn't find the property I was telling you to change, and I can't believe I did this to you! When I'm answering questions on the forum, I try very hard not to describe how to use something that isn't in the public release version, but as I was looking over some of the new features for the v6.2 STV, I realized that the seeker/default_linux_recording_paths property is new for v6.2.

In other words, my STV was too new. The change was made right about the time v6.1.9 came out, so I figured it was in that version... that's the excuse I'll stick with.

The v6.2 beta release lists Linux downloads that should have this setting now. (I haven't yet updated my Linux system using those downloads.)

- Andy

[jpwegas]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Sorry -- I now understand why you couldn't find the property I was telling you to change, and I can't believe I did this to you! When I'm answering questions on the forum, I try very hard not to describe how to use something that isn't in the public release version, but as I was looking over some of the new features for the v6.2 STV, I realized that the seeker/default_linux_recording_paths property is new for v6.2.

In other words, my STV was too new. The change was made right about the time v6.1.9 came out, so I figured it was in that version... that's the excuse I'll stick with.

- Andy

Andy,
Not a problem! I understand.

(Sorry I didn't reply sooner, I had lost track of this thread somehow.)

Thanks,

--John