Mutilple Video Drive Question

[mandrews44]

Hi,

I have setup a secondary video drive that goes over the wireless network to a remote PC. The intention is to have it available if or when the 120gig drive on the PVR runs out of space, it can use the remote drive. However, when I add the remote drive, SageTV uses that drive first. When watching TV or recording, it is using network bandwidth when the local drive is sleeping. How can I specify which drive to use first?

The drives are:
d:\Videos with 95 Gigs free
z:\Videos with 88 Gigs free

Sage insists on using the Z:\Videos no matter what order they are in the list.

If I use:

seeker/video_storage=d\:\\videos,20000000000,3;z\:\\videos,20000000000,3;

or

seeker/video_storage=z\:\\videos,20000000000,3;d\:\\videos,20000000000,3;

Both settings yield the same result. My expecited result is it would always either default to the first or last drive all the time or use the drive with the most space. After changing the settings and restarting sage, it insists on using the Z drive unitil I remove it from the Video Folders without regard to my expected result.

Anyone know why it is selecting the Z Drive? Is it because of the drive letter?

Regards,

Mark

[Opus4]

Well... that one isn't in the release notes... how do you have the drives configured regarding how much space SageTV can use on each one? Use All space, Use Only XX GB, or Leave XX GB Free? (Looks like they may both be set to leave 20GB free.) SageTV is supposed to write to the one with the most free space currently available for SageTV to use, not necessarily the one with the most actual free space. Ex: if the 95GB drive is suppose to leave 20GB free (75GB usable), while all of the 88GB drive is usable, the 88GB will get used first.

Also, does either drive have deleted files taking up space waiting to be recovered? Try deleting your deleted files.

Or... maybe there is a problem reading free space over the network. Try changing how much of the 88GB drive can be used to see what happens.

- Andy

[mandrews44]

Hi Andy,

Both drives are the default settings but I am using the "Use All" Diskspace rule. I assumed it will use all space without regard to the 20 gig setting that should be ignored unless I select "Leave Free" or "Use Only" diskspace rule.

The recycle bin is empty.

Even if both were using the Leave Free 20 gig setting, the D Drive would have more space on it. In that respect, the Z drive is a larger drive (160 gig) vs the 120Gig on D. I am going to try changing the drive letter on D to F and setting the remote drive to D and see what happens. If that doesn't work, I have to assume it is looking at the largest physical drive first, not the drive with the most drive space available.

Regards,

Mark

[Opus4]

For me, it correctly checks the amount of space available, so my drives get filled fairly evenly. However, I'm not using a network drive for storage... maybe there is a problem with calculating free space on a network drive, or perhaps someone else using it successfully can say what they are doing differently... now that the drive settings & such are clarified.

- Andy

[mandrews44]

Hi,

I tired to change the drive letters but now I have been cleaning up the the 160 gig drive, it has more space on it than the 120 gig drive. That blows up any volitity of my tests. The real issue isn't bandwidth on the network. It has to do with the 160 gig drive can't run all day because this particular one has an overheat problem and has to sleep at least a few hours a day or it will blow up windows.

As for bandwidth, this is awsome. The 54G wireless network handles using the remote drive to the server and 2 clients (one wireless, one wired to the access point, Server is wireless). When you lay down all the paths of what can happen, 2 people could be pumping 6-7 video streams through the system when accessing the remote drive from the sage server (wireless Server) to another wireless Sage client when the video is access off a computer on the wired lan. When recording and clients are pulling form the remote drive, you are asking for trouble. When using the remote drive, the wireless Sage Server and one sage wireless client the video can be passed across the wireless network 3 times in order to get to the client. RemoteDrive->Wireless Access Point->Sage Server->Wireless Access Point->Sage Client. Each hop takes bandwidth. If I access the video on my local drive via sage, it will take 2 hops across the wireless network. RemoteDrive->Wireless Network->Sage Server->Wireless Network->Access Point->SageClient (on same computer as local drive) Talking about noisy!

My wireless network handles 5 3.2mb/s Video streams at a time without any pausing issues. I have tried Watching a video on the server pulling from the remote drive and 2 clients also watching videos on the remote drive. When you draw it out, that is 7 streams for 3 people due to the remote drive. should only be 2. This is why I don't want the remote drive my main drive. Very noisy!.. I only want to use it as a backup when needed. There is a saying is software, you can't satisfy them all.. Try and you will die.

BTW, I love the product, using it over The "other guys" (I own both).

Regards,

Mark

[TunaBoo]

Sage doesn't really let you give drives priorities. It just does whatever, when it wants.

Honestly, I would can the remote drive and use local drives. A 160 gig IDE drive is like $95 shipped.

Not the solution you wanted, but sorry