HD100 LAN Login Inconsistency

[pendragonsound]

We have a variety of HD100/200/300 extenders that access our Sage server over our LAN, and one HD100 used as a Placeshifter over the Internet. I have gone through forum threads that indicate by default Sage will require Placeshifters to login, but the extenders on the LAN will not have to. The Placeshifter does require a login. All of the HD200/300 extenders and a couple of the HD100s connect on the LAN without having to login, but the remaining HD100s on the LAN require a login. Is there any way to fix the latter?

The following line appears in the client property files for HD100s that always require logins, but isn't present in the property files for the HD100s that connect automatically:

secure_remote_login_stv7=C\:\\Program Files\\SageTV\\SageTV\\STVs\\SageTV7\\SecureLogin.xml

Being naive, I shut down all of the clients and the Sage server, removed this line from one of the client property files and deleted its property backup file. After restarting Sage and powering up that particular HD100, the login is still required and the above line has been restored to the property file. Is the HD100 forcing this to be restored from its non-volatile settings? Is there any way to change the HD100s that require a login to connect so that this is no longer necessary? Thanks!

[waynedunham]

Just curious, do the offending HD100(s) have anything in the server list under the SageTV Servers in the extender main menu? I have multiple extenders, none of which require a login and I have never put anything in the "edit server list" section of any of them.
Perhaps if you have something in there and the login information is incorrect on the extender that is why SageTV is requesting a login.

Pure WAG (wile a**ed guess), but thought I'd ask.

[pendragonsound]

I've never added a server to the server list for any of our HD100s, offending or not. Nevertheless I just verified this for two of the offending boxes, and even tried changing the options to auto-connect and adding a server to the list. Unfortunately a login is always required.

My hazy memory says all three of my original HD100s with the early firmware did not require logins. As I upgraded the firmware and bought more HD100s (presumably with newer firmware installed) the original boxes kept the same behavior, but all of the new ones required logins. That was actually useful at the time because we put those units where the kids access them, and parental control was desirable. However now it is nothing but a nuisance, and one of the original boxes got 'poisoned' along the way; how I do not know.

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by pendragonsound

I've never added a server to the server list for any of our HD100s, offending or not. Nevertheless I just verified this for two of the offending boxes, and even tried changing the options to auto-connect and adding a server to the list. Unfortunately a login is always required.

My hazy memory says all three of my original HD100s with the early firmware did not require logins. As I upgraded the firmware and bought more HD100s (presumably with newer firmware installed) the original boxes kept the same behavior, but all of the new ones required logins. That was actually useful at the time because we put those units where the kids access them, and parental control was desirable. However now it is nothing but a nuisance, and one of the original boxes got 'poisoned' along the way; how I do not know.

That does seem odd. I never had that kind of issues with my HD100s, and I was running the last version of the firmware on both of them. I updated them every time a new version of the firmware came out.
So I don't think it is a firmware version issue, but something else. Perhaps something in the settings for the HD100s in question on your server? Each extender has its own properties file in the clients subfolder of SageTV. Maybe try moving/renaming the files (.properties and the backups too) to force SageTV to build new ones and see if that makes a difference. With the 100's I think you'll have to re-register them since unlike the 200's (did they?) and 300's they don't auto-authenticate.

[pendragonsound]

I've tried to completely wipe a particular HD100's settings before, but I figured it was worth doing this again for one of the offending units (one that requires a login). My procedure just now was:

1. Shutdown the Sage server
2. Delete the properties file and backup for the unit, by its MAC address, in the Sage Clients folder
3. Power down the offending HD100
4. Start the Sage server
5. Do a factory reset of the HD100 on power-up (hold Menu & Up buttons for > 3 seconds)
6. Enter the static IP address, mask, DNS, and gateway into the extender's network settings
7. Configure the video (HDMI - 1080p) and audio (SPDIF) outputs for the extender
8. Connect extender to Sage

It still required me to login, and Sage recreated the client properties file with the dreaded secure_remote_login_stv7 property. That makes me think there is something in the server settings that causes this, but I have yet to find anything when going through the menus and properties files.

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by pendragonsound

I've tried to completely wipe a particular HD100's settings before, but I figured it was worth doing this again for one of the offending units (one that requires a login). My procedure just now was:

1. Shutdown the Sage server
2. Delete the properties file and backup for the unit, by its MAC address, in the Sage Clients folder
3. Power down the offending HD100
4. Start the Sage server
5. Do a factory reset of the HD100 on power-up (hold Menu & Up buttons for > 3 seconds)
6. Enter the static IP address, mask, DNS, and gateway into the extender's network settings
7. Configure the video (HDMI - 1080p) and audio (SPDIF) outputs for the extender
8. Connect extender to Sage

It still required me to login, and Sage recreated the client properties file with the dreaded secure_remote_login_stv7 property. That makes me think there is something in the server settings that causes this, but I have yet to find anything when going through the menus and properties files.

Hmm that is odd. I would think that if it were a setting in the server side of SageTV it would effect all the extenders, not just certain ones.

[Opus4]

I'm told that if the HD100 and server are not on the same subnet, you'll see the login screen, as if it were a placeshifter connection.

Andy

[pendragonsound]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I'm told that if the HD100 and server are not on the same subnet, you'll see the login screen, as if it were a placeshifter connection.

This was the critical piece, although with a twist. My Sage server is configured with an IP address of 10.0.0.15 and a netmask of 10.255.255.255. That means any IP address of the form 10.X.Y.Z is in the same subnet as the Sage server.

However Sage and/or the HD100s see this differently. Any HD100 with an address of the form 10.0.0.Z will not require a login, but any HD100 with an address of the form 10.X.Y.Z, where X and/or Y are/is non-zero, requires a login. Thus a HD100 with an IP address of 10.0.0.50 will not require a login, but one with an IP address of 10.0.1.50 will.

Problem solved = Thanks!

Edit: This also appears to apply to HD200 and HD300 units. All of my HD200/HD300 had been configured as 10.0.0.Z, but when I changed them to 10.0.Y.Z, where Y is non-zero, a login was required.

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by pendragonsound

This was the critical piece, although with a twist. My Sage server is configured with an IP address of 10.0.0.15 and a netmask of 10.255.255.255. That means any IP address of the form 10.X.Y.Z is in the same subnet as the Sage server.

However Sage and/or the HD100s see this differently. Any HD100 with an address of the form 10.0.0.Z will not require a login, but any HD100 with an address of the form 10.X.Y.Z, where X and/or Y are/is non-zero, requires a login. Thus a HD100 with an IP address of 10.0.0.50 will not require a login, but one with an IP address of 10.0.1.50 will.

Problem solved = Thanks!

Excellent!! Once again Andy supplies the critical tidbit that gives the answer.