New to Sage... Need Help

[cmgtrumpet]

Good day to all - I am new to SageTV and have been playing around with it long enough to know that I want this as the backbone for my whole house media solution.... problem is I have yet been unable to stabilize the system and prevent it from crashing. I have formatted and rebuilt this system trying many different Java options, and many different hardware configurations and still always end up with the system operating stable for a week or so and then the sage executable starts to run-away with it's memory useage.... then we are lucky to get through any program completely before sage crashes. Just the user interface, not the service.... any programs currently recording will not be interrupted unless the crashing of sagetv.exe locks up the whole system and forces a reboot. The SageTV service is not running away with it's memory useage.

I have dedicated the PC (windows XP base) to Sage, so it isn't being used for other general purpose home computer tasks.... I just really need assistance with getting the machine optimized for use with Sage. I still believe my security software and other operating system services that would normally be desired when using the machine for normal home computing are interfering with the smooth operation of SageTV.

Bottom line, if Sage is more of a "hobby" than a truly reliable whole house media solution, I am going to flex to an off-the-shelf provider of whole home DVR/Media hardware... If Sage really can have the bugs worked out and can operate as reliably as the commercial providers set top boxes, I like the interface and support flexibility and would choose to gut out the pain required to get everything working nicely.

The PC hardware is configured as follows - Let's start with this info and if this system doesn't have enough horsepower, then we will adjust the hardware as necessary. If Sage ends up being the backbone media solution, the plan is for this machine to be the main media server. It is currently a stand-alone client machine for the home theater.

- Operating System: Windows XP Professional, SP3
- Mainboard: ASUS PTGD1-LA (PufferM-UL8E)
- Power Supply: Corsair VX Series (550W)
- Processor: Pentium 4 HT, 3.00 GHz
- System Memory: (4x) 1GB Corsair XMS3200
- Video Adapter: PCI Express x16 - AMD HD5450 1GB DDR3 (Passively Cooled) includes integrated audio adapter for HDMI audio output - currently non fuctional due to unknown reason.
- Mainboard Audio: Realtek ALC880
- HDDs: 250GB SATA internal, 500GB Western Digital My Book external (connected via USB 2.0)

[mgpaulus]

My suggestion would be 2 fold:

(Got my flame retardant underwear on) Drop the ATI 5450, and go with an nVidia card, like the 620GT. Basically, look for a Geforce card that is optimized for HD (supports PureVideo). You may not get the gaming performance that a dedicated gamer would want, but it should allow HD video to display with no problems.

Use a dedicated Front End device at the TV, like an HD300. It's small and quiet, and you shouldn't have any performance issues.

[MattHelm]

1. What tuner are you using.

2. Can you switch to 3GB of RAM? There is still some motherboards and drivers out there that don't support 4GB of RAM well on a 32 bit OS.


As to your question about system stability, I've left SageTV "home alone" for 5+ months at a time. The only reason I didn't go longer, was a Windows update messed up the OS. (a lot of people switch update off, and now a days, I run mine manually.

Currently "My" system (first system in sig) normally gets about a once a week reboot (because "I" play with it too much, not SageTV). (BTW, sig is currently wrong, I'm using a HDPVR, not the colossus)

My "Dad's" (second in sig) normally get about 1 month per reboot.

My "cousin's" (3rd in sig) only gets a reboot because of a power outage, or when I remember to make a system backup (about every other month).

I really don't remember the last time I've had SageTV go crazy on me.

[Naylia]

Yes, decoupling your media server from playback goes miles towards stability.

Although for years I was running my Sage server and playback on the same machine. I also got a little lazy dealing with performance and just scheduled a nightly reboot around 3AM, although many people here run for months at a time without rebooting.

[OneOfMany]

The Sage backend can be rock-solid stable. I have a dedicated WHSv1 TVServer on a Core2Duo processor that has been running for years non-stop. Only time it has been rebooted was when UPS ran out during an extended power out, or it's been moved. Currently runs 3x PVR-150s for whats left of SD here and 1x HD-PVR for my settop box. Just got email confirmation that my USB-UIRT is on way, and once it arrives I will be switching to 3x HDPVR for HD settops.

Run 3 PC Clients full time, and occasionally a fourth is on, and occasionally the Placeshifter. It is the most robust client/server solution I have tried. Good luck

Grant

[stanger89]

Just to point out the potentially not so obvious (to a new person) but do you have a license, or have a license lined up? Sage isn't being developed or sold anymore. Just want to make sure you're (the OP) aware of that before you go too far.

[will]

Originally Posted by cmgtrumpet

Bottom line, if Sage is more of a "hobby" than a truly reliable whole house media solution, I am going to flex to an off-the-shelf provider of whole home DVR/Media hardware... If Sage really can have the bugs worked out and can operate as reliably as the commercial providers set top boxes, I like the interface and support flexibility and would choose to gut out the pain required to get everything working nicely.

Honestly, Sage is both a hobby and an amazing media server. Sage is a way of life when it comes to video media (I wish the company was still around to make music/photos as great...). After you use Sage for a few months you will wonder how you ever got by without it.

When I first got into Sage, in December of 2009, I had major stability issues. I had my main capture card causing blue screens every 30 to 60 mins and I had playback issues on my first extender (an HD200). It took me weeks of troubleshooting to figure everything out before I found a solution. After that, I started adding in HD-PVRs and I had a slew of other issues (such as device lockups).

After years of using Sage I have an incredibly stable system now. Sure, my HD-PVRs lock up every month or two because of cable box updates but I wrote a script that reboots a network controlled power switch so I don't even have to be bothered going into the basement to reboot them.

I suggest you put Sage on a dedicated server, don't try to run the server as a client. Run a clean install of Sage with no plug-ins, and get everything configured and stable. Once you have achieved stability you can start to experiment with plug-ins and configuration tweaks (always back up your Sage directory before installing any plug-in).

You have to like doing this stuff though because Sage isn't a plug-in-and-play solution. It requires some work and if you stick with it you will have a pretty amazing TV system that gives you tons of flexibility.

Good luck; it is worth the effort and you will eventually get a system that is rock solid.

[cmgtrumpet]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Just to point out the potentially not so obvious (to a new person) but do you have a license, or have a license lined up? Sage isn't being developed or sold anymore. Just want to make sure you're (the OP) aware of that before you go too far.

That is a very good point - especially with Google's acquisition of SageTV... and yes, Thankfully I did purchase a license.

Now the only problem looks like acquiring additional client/extender/placeshifter licenses... especially if the big G doesn't open the for sale gates again.

Response to MattHelm: I ended up having to drop to 3GB RAM for the system to boot - very strange though as it has been running on all 4 GB for years now... Something has occurred over the last month or so to cause instability with all 4 sticks installed. The tuner is a VistaView Saber DA-1N1-I.

I think I'm going to wipe the OS and start a fresh build.


Response to mgpaulus: No need for flame retardant undies - I hear what you are saying and almost went the Nvidia route for graphics, but I was more interested in the passive cooling on the 5450. That with the bubble-pump cooler on the processor makes for a very very quiet system and since this computers only function in life is as the SageTV "set top box" for the home theater, I wasn't worried about gaming performance. All I wanted was a quiet 1080p capable solution with HDMI - and the graphics side doesn't seem to be where I am experiencing problems... All my technical issues start showing up when sage's executable starts running away with its memory usage.

Can anyone advise what is normal with regards to memory usage for the sagetv.exe process? I need to find and fix the source of my memory leak... I believe that will go a long way towards stabilizing my system.

[MattHelm]

Originally Posted by cmgtrumpet

Now the only problem looks like acquiring additional client/extender/placeshifter licenses... especially if the big G doesn't open the for sale gates again.

Get one, even a HD100. It takes SageTV to a whole new level. (If you get a HD100, make sure you get the license, it needs one. Also make sure the Caps have been swapped, or plan on doing it yourself. The HD200 and HD300 do not need either.)

Originally Posted by cmgtrumpet

Response to MattHelm: I ended up having to drop to 3GB RAM for the system to boot - very strange though as it has been running on all 4 GB for years now... Something has occurred over the last month or so to cause instability with all 4 sticks installed.

That's why I suggested it, as even drivers can mess this up if not written correctly.

Originally Posted by cmgtrumpet

The tuner is a VistaView Saber DA-1N1I.

After a quick search, it looks like this MIGHT be your problem. It seems not to play well with SageTV. You using it for analog or digital? I would suggest adding a new thread with the tuner in the title, to see if anyone else has this tuner working correctly, and if so, what driver are they using.

[will]

Originally Posted by cmgtrumpet

Can anyone advise what is normal with regards to memory usage for the sagetv.exe process? I need to find and fix the source of my memory leak... I believe that will go a long way towards stabilizing my system.

SageTV is a 32bit program so it can't address more than 2 gigs of RAM. Typically, my insistence, with 5 extenders turned on uses around 1.2 gigs. I also have modified my Java heep settings to the max.

As for stability, you shouldn't have to pull out DIMMs to increase stability. Since you are on Windows XP, I suggest you disable DEP (Data Execution Prevention) to see if that helps with stability - I know it was part of a solution for me.