Anyone running Sage on Server 2003 or WHS?

[CaptSammy]

I am at a crossroads caused by putting th e cart before the horse.

I thought the ideal system would be a server with its functionality, as well as SharePoint and SageTV all running. If you need a server, and a sage box and both run 24/7, why not combine them?

My first thought was Server2003, but cant seem to find drivers for my MCE remote. Add that to the poor judgment of installing server2003 64bit and you see where I now sit, in a mess.

Now I see Windows Home Server, and bought a copy...before research. Now I see it has issues with storage (I dont like the bloated filesystem it uses, and dont know if it is a forced filesystem) and not sure if there is a MCE remote driver for it either. Also found to my dismay that it cant run MOSS2007.

Now I am back to the drawing board: Has anyone any suggestions/opinions on my direction? This box will connect to my TV via DVI and serve as a client viewer as well. Am I asking too much of this machine?

I assume that if I can find a driver for my Remote for WHS, it will work on Server2003 as well.

Machine specs: AMDx2 with 2 gig RAM and an nVidia 8600GT video card. Lots of drive space.

[rlvogel322]

I've been running SageTV with WHS since the WHS beta. I use a StreamZap remote and keep the SageTV drives out of the WHS pool. It's worked flawlessly once I got it set up.

Now when the HD100 gets back in stock I'll be moving the WHS and continue to run SageTV on it. It just won't be used for the display on the projector.

I'm not a huge fan of M$ but I think they did a great job on WHS. Sure it has it's issues but for a simple file server that takes care of backups and serves media files it works great.

[stanger89]

I think if you want to use it as a "client", ie if you want to use Sage directly on the machine (not just as a server), you don't want either of those, you want XP or Vista if you're going to be using Sage directly on the machine. Server just has too much stuff disabled (namely directshow) to be really well suited.

For a server though (no playback, no direct access), 2003 or WHS should work fine.

If you really want to make 2003 work, you should be able to enable the stuff necessary, disable all the added security, and you should be able to just use standard XP/2000 drivers on 2003.

[azmouse]

I have been using WHS since beta, and the sage Add In since it was avalible.

It has been rock solid. I have about 1.8TB of storage pooled and managed by WHS that contains music, videos and pictures, then I have a single 200GB drive out of the pool formated apropriatly for Sage to use for recorded TV.

The HD Homerun and Hauppauge PVR-500 cards work great. I have the USB UIRT controlling an iPro1000 Satelite reciever a Sage HD Extender and a Sage Client running on XP. I use Placeshifter from my office or laptop.

This has been the implementation I have been trying to acomplish for 10 years now and I will say Sage did an excelent job.

[CaptSammy]

Thanks for all the input!

I went ahead and tried with Server 2003 32bit. Installed the OS, vid drivers, hauppauge drivers (latest), audio drivers, patches, .net 2 and 3 and all runs sweet, except for Sage.

When I start it I get the splash, and messages running allong the bottom untill user interface, at which point it pops what looks like the beginnings of the GUI, then disappears.

Did I miss a step in this two-step boogie?

[stanger89]

You're going to have to do a fair bit of fanagling to get 2003 to work like XP, a lot of the more "fun" things (eg, media playback, directx, etc) are disabled by default in Server 2003.

[CaptSammy]

I installed and tested DirectX. How do you manage video playback? Is there a guide anywhere? I turned on hardware acceleration as well.

[stanger89]

I don't, I don't do anything on my server, it just runs the service and feeds my Extenders and clients. The extent of my knowledge about 2003 Server for "normal use" is that there's a bunch of stuff you need enable or disable to get it to work like XP or Vista for "normal" things.

[nyplayer]

Originally Posted by CaptSammy

I installed and tested DirectX. How do you manage video playback? Is there a guide anywhere? I turned on hardware acceleration as well.

You might want to take a look at this site.

http://win2k3.msfn.org/


http://win2k3.msfn.org/hardwareacc.htm

[jm987]

Originally Posted by CaptSammy

I installed and tested DirectX. How do you manage video playback? Is there a guide anywhere? I turned on hardware acceleration as well.

I was able to get it working after setting hardware acceleration to full and updating Java to 1.6. I wasn't a fan of running WHS as a client and have it WHS running as a file server in the back end without Sage integration.

JM

[CaptSammy]

DOH! My bad. I re-downloaded the install file and it went right in, I must have gorped the exe on my first download somehow.

System running GREAT so far. Do I need to install any codecs to watch avi and/or divx files? Have not tried yet, but wonder if I need third party software for DVD playback as well. Any suggestions for any third party add ons?

Still have not gotten my MCE remote working :/ Does anyone have a suggestion for a remote that would come with 2003 drivers thats really nice and works with Sage?

Last thing I need to worry about is what is going to happen when I promote the box to a PDC....

THANKS AGAIN ALL!

[jm987]

Originally Posted by CaptSammy

DOH! My bad. I re-downloaded the install file and it went right in, I must have gorped the exe on my first download somehow.

System running GREAT so far. Do I need to install any codecs to watch avi and/or divx files? Have not tried yet, but wonder if I need third party software for DVD playback as well. Any suggestions for any third party add ons?

Still have not gotten my MCE remote working :/ Does anyone have a suggestion for a remote that would come with 2003 drivers thats really nice and works with Sage?

Last thing I need to worry about is what is going to happen when I promote the box to a PDC....

THANKS AGAIN ALL!

PDC... Wasn't that only the NT4 days? Aren't they just all DC's now?
I ended up purchasing a USB UIRT and it works in 2003. Then you can use any remote you want. I have one from a Shaw HD PVR box that I wasn't using and works like a charm.

[rlvogel322]

For remotes, you can check into StreamZap. It works with WHS just fine but I'm not sure they have the drivers for 2003. HTH.

[CaptSammy]

I like the idea of the USB UIRT, but is it a bear to set up? Streamzap looks kinda blah, but should work if it works on WHS (WHS is using a 2003 kernel I believe).

What is the snazzy looking remote on the Sage hardware site in pictures with all the chrome and such ( http://www.sage.tv/sagetv.html?sageSub=tv )? I may be going blind, but I don't see it sold or referenced (maybe its just the remote that come with the extender?).

I would like to find that snazzy (or similar) remote to go with the USB UIRT if there is one that is easy to configure.

I remember years back trying to get IRblaster and girder to work, finally threw my hands in the air and installed MCE2005...

I appreciate your help and opinions.

[rlvogel322]

If you haven't, you might want to look into the Logitech Harmony remotes. I use the StreamZap receiver with the Logitech 880. Works great, easy to configure and passes the "baby sitter test" (macros work great).

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by CaptSammy

I like the idea of the USB UIRT, but is it a bear to set up? Streamzap looks kinda blah, but should work if it works on WHS (WHS is using a 2003 kernel I believe).

What is the snazzy looking remote on the Sage hardware site in pictures with all the chrome and such ( http://www.sage.tv/sagetv.html?sageSub=tv )? I may be going blind, but I don't see it sold or referenced (maybe its just the remote that come with the extender?).

I would like to find that snazzy (or similar) remote to go with the USB UIRT if there is one that is easy to configure.

I remember years back trying to get IRblaster and girder to work, finally threw my hands in the air and installed MCE2005...

I appreciate your help and opinions.

That's a Logitech Harmony 520. Get that and a USB-UIRT and you'll be all set. (You'll want to double check the USB-UIRT drivers on WS2k3 though.)

Gerry

[CaptSammy]

NICE remote! Is there a setup file or something for that combo (Harmony with USB UIRT) to make setup easier?

Also, do I need to install a codec pack to play avi files, any suggestion on a good one that is Server 2003 friendly?

[CaptSammy]

Issues so far, in case anyone has an idea how to fix:

Adjusting the sound slider in the GUI does not change the loudness.
DVD's wont play, I just get a swirling clocker.
AVI's dont play, error displayed.

Notes:
Found that promoting the machine to Domain Controller removes all the local accounts, had to reconfigure Sage on first log in with my user in the domain, probably to be expected.

Currently have SQL Server 2005, SharePoint 2007 Ent with all the frills and sage running watching a recorded show and recording Supernatural. Mem usage only at @45%, Proc usage averages around 25%. NOT BAD!