Using the SageTV server as a client

[tonysathre]

I just formatted my HTPC and would like to be able to use SageTV on it. I have a separate box that hosts my movies, that also runs the SageTV server. Can I install the SageTV server package on my HTPC, and connect it to my other SageTV server? I know I could just buy a license for a SageTV client but I'm short on funds at the moment.

Thanks,

Tony

[Fuzzy]

Do you have two server licenses? That's about the only way I can see it plausible. Other than that, you're gonna need a client license to connect to the server. Now, if you just want to watch some movies or something, that's a different story... you could just browse to the shared folders and watch the video files themselves... y'know, since money is tight.

[Taddeusz]

Even if you have two server licenses I don't believe a server will act as a local client unless you're also running the server in service mode. And in that case the client will only connect to its own server service. I know of know way to start a server specifically in client mode without the server service running.

Also, if you only have a single server license you won't be able to use it in two different locations. The servers don't like it when they find more than one server running with the same license. I believe the second one will refuse to run in that case.

[nyplayer]

.I have 2 servers running in service mode and can connect to either one of them by starting sagetv.exe with the -client switch. To connect to the remote server. See page 260 of pdf manual I believe.

[tonysathre]

Thanks, I'll try that.

[GKusnick]

You'll still need a second license to run SageTV on a second machine beyond the trial period.

Do you have an MVP or HD100 extender? In that case you could turn off the extender and use Placeshifter on your second PC to connect to the server without an additional license. Any other scenario will require a new license of some kind. A full server license is overkill, so you'd be looking at either a Placeshifter or SageTV Client license. A Placeshifter license would also let you connect over the Internet when you're away from home.

[wayner]

Yes you can use a server license as a client. I decided to buy a full Sage server license in conjunction with a HD-200 as when you do this you pay $45 for the server license and in my opinion it is worth the extra $15, versus a client license at $30, to be able to run a second server as a backup or as a test environment.

You can use the following shortcut to start Sage in client mode and connect to "server1"

"C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\SageTV.exe" -client -connect server1

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by wayner

You can use the following shortcut to start Sage in client mode and connect to "server1"

"C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\SageTV.exe" -client -connect server1

If you excluded the "-connect server1" parameter, and just used the following shortcut:

"C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\SageTV.exe" -client

would the client locate the currently running server instances, and allow you to select which one you want to connect to, similar to how the extenders work? Seems better than hardcoding a server name in the shortcut.

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

If you excluded the "-connect server1" parameter, and just used the following shortcut:

"C:\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\SageTV.exe" -client

would the client locate the currently running server instances, and allow you to select which one you want to connect to, similar to how the extenders work? Seems better than hardcoding a server name in the shortcut.

Yes. But when I tried it this way I could connect to any of my servers EXCEPT the one it was running on. To do that connection I had to remove the "-client" also. That was with SERVICE mode running on that server. I got the same connection dialog come up as a regular SageTV client does. But like I said I got an error connecting to the same server.

I was testing my ability to connect to all of my servers from the server I have running in the living room - yes I have multiple SageTV servers - 3 more in basement. Why do I have more than one? To long and gory a story to post here. If interested I will however.

Basically since extenders are gone for now/good I'm trying to conserve the 3 I have by using just one in the bedroom and PCs everywhere else.

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by BobPhoenix

To long and gory a story to post here. If interested I will however.

Basically since extenders are gone for now/good I'm trying to conserve the 3 I have by using just one in the bedroom and PCs everywhere else.

I feel your pain. Let me guess....WAF?

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by graywolf

I feel your pain. Let me guess....WAF?

Actually no.
So here is the gory details:
Was still watching some live TV at the time so had one STB in basement and another STB in livingroom for the live TV. Was getting conflicts so I added SageTV Recorder software to computer in living room to make it a network recorder. But found that it was trying to record earlier showings because it had multiple tuners right when live TV was needed. So I retired my SageTV Recorder and got a 2nd server for the living room. Now the conflicts in the basement were getting more numerous and I was missing some recordings that weren't being repeated. It was a pain to try and remember where things were and when live TV could and couldn't be watched too. So I added more STBs to the basement to bring total to 6 tuners/encoders in that server. Now I replaced the STB in the living room with a DVR HD STB. The HD-PVR came out so I put the second server back into use again to record from the HD STB. But the conflicts with live TV were bad again so I purchased another HD-PVR and replaced 2 STBs in the basement with HD versions. Was able to record 2 HD shows at once. Now after a while this way I noticed that besides the problems with the HD-PVRs I was also getting problems on the other tuners. I found out that when a HD-PVR had a problem it took out the other encoders that were recording at the same time. So I setup 2nd server in the basement and split the HD-PVRs to their own box. Still had problems with them but the SD recordings on the other box were unaffected. Now went along this way for quite a while but wanted another HD-PVR because two wasn't enough some times (I always have padding and don't let Sage remove it on back to back recordings) So I thought how about adding another HD-PVR to the DVR HD STB in the living room again. So added a third server that was only used when more than 2 HD-PVRs were in use at a time. Now switched from cable to satellite. Found that because I still have internet with cable company I can get QAM channels - just locals but can record them and leave the HD-PVRs and the SD encoders for satellite and QAM for locals. So added tuners to servers. Had conflicts because I was watching more local shows so added more QAM tuners. Still was having problems with split recordings like I got with the HD-PVRs (on both servers in basement) so figured it was the bad cable signal causing the QAM tuners problems. So got a 4th server just for QAM. Was going to buy some HD300s next tax refund season (might have been HD400s by then!) to replace the HD200s. Also thought I might switch to Linux servers to save OS upgrade costs in the long run. May be going GoogleTV if their offering will allow DRM-free recording to local drives. Oh and I have a 40TB unRAID server (78% full currently - 58% recordings 20% rips) for the recordings to be stored on. If I record it I usually keep it.