UNC paths for dummies?

[btrcp2000]

Trying to set up commercial skipping with dirmon and showanalyzer, but I know I need to switch to UNC paths first. I cannot find any info about getting these set up in the first place, everything seems to deal with the next steps afterward.

Current sage directory is e:\media files\tv recordings
Computer name is sagetvserver, it is dedicated but not headless

I tried sharing the entire media files directory within windows and specifying
\\sagetvserver\media files\tv recordings. It took it, and my older shows still appear and play, but now I have lost live playback, it gives me a filesystem access error.

where am I going wrong?

thanks!

[Protoman]

There is another way you can try setting up the UNC paths. This would be the way I have them setup on my system and I have not had any issues.

On all the computers that are going to connect to the Shared folder I have the same username and password setup for each computer.

Instead of having spaces in the name and using shared folders I would use the following:

\\sagetvserver\e$\media-files\tv-recordings\

the e$ is a hidden Admin Share that Windows graciously creates out of the box. There is a hidden Admin Share for EACH drive you have. So for example, the C:\ drive would be \\sagetvserver\c$. This should work both locally and across the network (as long as your other computers can talk to sagetvserver).

edit: I am also using DirMon2 and ShowAnalyzer, and my clients are running Sage 6.2.10 with the default STV and using the STV Import: Comskip Playback for Default STV (http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/down...o=file&id=154).



Hope this helps,
Protoman

[btrcp2000]

I kind of thought the spaces weren't helping. Do I need to actually rename the files themselves within Windows explorer using dashes instead of spaces, or do I simply specify within sage exactly what you have given me and let the compuer figure it out?

thanks!

[Protoman]

As far as the filenames themselves go you might have to do trial and error. I know all of my filenames do NOT have any spaces in them. You could rename one to ahve no spaces and have another with spaces and see how that works. I would interested in hearing the results.

Thanks,
Protoman

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Protoman

There is another way you can try setting up the UNC paths. This would be the way I have them setup on my system and I have not had any issues.

On all the computers that are going to connect to the Shared folder I have the same username and password setup for each computer.

Instead of having spaces in the name and using shared folders I would use the following:

\\sagetvserver\e$\media-files\tv-recordings\

the e$ is a hidden Admin Share that Windows graciously creates out of the box. There is a hidden Admin Share for EACH drive you have. So for example, the C:\ drive would be \\sagetvserver\c$. This should work both locally and across the network (as long as your other computers can talk to sagetvserver).

edit: I am also using DirMon2 and ShowAnalyzer, and my clients are running Sage 6.2.10 with the default STV and using the STV Import: Comskip Playback for Default STV (http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/down...o=file&id=154).



Hope this helps,
Protoman

Actually from a Best Practices /Security perspective you don't want to share out the Admin shares.

You definitely want to use same user name and password. So for example:


The trick is what are you calling the share and where is it located? In this example "Sharedocs" is what you have called the share. Let's say the server name is My Server. On your E drive you have a Docs folder. If you share the E:\ drive from the root of E: and you call the share "Sharedocs" the UNC path to that folder is \\My Server\Sharedocs\Docs.

Now you could share the actual Docs folder. If you did that and still called the share "Sharedocs" now the UNC path to that folder is \\My Server\Sharedocs.

You need to make sure what you are calling the share. An easy way to make sure is go through Network Places from a machine that is NOT the share and look in the address bar as you drill down into the share. It will tell you exactly what the UNC path you should be using.

So in your example \\sagetvserver\media files\tv recordings did you create a share and what did you call it? We know you have a directory called media files. If you didn't name it I think it takes the drive letter which would be e. So it would have a UNC path of \\My Server\e\media files\tv recordings.


Gerry

[btrcp2000]

gerry-

your last line is exactly what I tried and was able to view the pre-existing recorded files, but nothing live due to the filesystem error. maybe all will be hunky dory if I just remove and reinstall all my video sources. i'll do that tonight after my real life has gone to bed and my obsessive all night hobbies get to come out and play. this is all fun, but I hope I am still interested in tv when it's over!

[KrisAcker]

Originally Posted by btrcp2000

gerry-

your last line is exactly what I tried and was able to view the pre-existing recorded files, but nothing live due to the filesystem error. maybe all will be hunky dory if I just remove and reinstall all my video sources. i'll do that tonight after my real life has gone to bed and my obsessive all night hobbies get to come out and play. this is all fun, but I hope I am still interested in tv when it's over!

To me it sounds like SageTV doesn't have permission to write to the share. This wouldn't just stop live tv but also any new recordings. Make sure you can write a new file on the share and delete it using the userid SageTV uses. This might be a different user than the one you log on with if you're using the service. Don change anything in SageTV untill you are sure you can write and delete on the share when logged on with SageTV's userid.

[Protoman]

Originally Posted by btrcp2000

gerry-

i'll do that tonight after my real life has gone to bed and my obsessive all night hobbies get to come out and play. this is all fun, but I hope I am still interested in tv when it's over!

I know how you feel. I am slowly coming to a realization that I do not need the digital channels (100+) and that the only TV I really watch is the locals. Then my obsessiveness kicks in and says "HEY! There is a local station missing via QAM , but is available via OTA. Get a third HD tuner just for this channel, and in case I want to record 3 HD channels!" Let me put it this way... You know you are having problems when you have to buy an 8-Way Amp/Splitter and that it is almost filled within a week and you only own 1 TV. Raise your hand if this is happened to you. Well, I should get back to work now, and lay off the caffeine.



Protoman

[btrcp2000]

i bet you have an electroline amp/splitter just like mine, but i'll one up you:

I still have the crappy unamplified one the cable co installed coming off of the 8 way (gee, wonder if I'm degrading my signal) . i'm keeping it set up so that the rest of the house/fam can still use the regular cable lines until i do my full sage rollout. I have a pretty high WAF, so I don't want to tell her to start using it then have to take it all down for some reason. If she had her way, we would have a 13 inch black and white and maybe splurge on a vcr for christmas.

One of you is going to punch me in the face, but I just realized I don't even have user accounts set up, let alone with passwords I suppose that's an integral part of UNC paths?

I thought I had decent knowledge of computers, then I discovered sage!

[Protoman]

You are correct in two ways...

First: I do have the Electroline with Active Return Path. Previously I had a 2-way splitter in the wall. One went to the Cable Modem, the other to a 4-way variable gain AMP/Splitter. The 4-way was not enough for my 6 tuners (currently only using 5 , and there is a 7th one (Hauppauge PVR-USB2) collecting dust ).

Second: Username and Passwords are a fairly large part of file/folder sharing. Ideally a person would use separate username and passwords for security reasons and the super paranoid.

But for simplicity and ease of use you only need to use 1 username and password. The way I have it setup is that I use the same username and password for my Sage Server as I do for my Sage Client. To prevent the need for typing in a username and password each time you want to watch TV you can do an auto login. So when I start up my Sage Client in the living room it starts up and then opens up Sage in fullscreen with the push of the power button.

Here's the how-to for Vista:
http://www.msfn.org/board/Vista_Tips...71#entry587471

Here's the how-to for XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315231


Protoman

[btrcp2000]

Well, Krisacker wins the prize! All I did was check allow users to change files on the shares, and everything came back up. I still don;t get how this is related to having different windows user profiles, but it's workng. I suppose I'm susceptible somehow to some kind of electronic shenanigans, bt that's what my firewall and backups are for. one thing at a time. thanks!