r5000 insists on recording to nonexistent var/media/tv?

[BobPhoenix]

In linux every path has to be mounted somewhere. SageTV chooses to mount network paths under /tmp/sagetv_shares/. It should be removing that from the path and storing in the database (wiz.bin) only the rest of the path. That should also be the path communicated to network encoders. Not sure if it isn't doing that or what is really going on. At one time when I had SageTV installed in a MINT linux VM I had scripts for SageTV that forced the maps to exist when the VM booted. That mostly worked but I found the path would disconnect but the VM was still running. Plus it was easier just to use the docker since it already had comskip and gentuner installed. So I switched.

When I just looked I see I have scripts that mount to /mnt/<mount point> and symlink that to /tmp/sagetv_shares/<mount point>. The /mnt/<mount point> are always connect and the symlinks happen whenever SageTV boots. I may try to do this again with the docker and see if I can then use a network encoder and UNC paths that way. I currently have imported folders that are network paths but I use Unassigned devices to map them via SMB and then pass /mnt/disks to the docker as a path so that to the docker the path appears as a local path.

[BobPhoenix]

Here are the log messages (errors actually) when I try to setup a network path as an imported folder in the latest SageTV docker:

11 17:11:42.090 [EventRouter-b888e3bc2889@306b4e0d] SMB Mount Path: //vmserver/online /tmp/sagetv_shares/vmserver/online
Wed 10/11 17:11:42.113 [EventRouter-b888e3bc2889@306b4e0d] Executing process: [mount.cifs, //vmserver/online, /tmp/sagetv_shares/vmserver/online, -o, guest,iocharset=utf8]
Wed 10/11 17:11:42.119 [EventRouter-b888e3bc2889@306b4e0d] Started process object: java.lang.UNIXProcess@2ce50bc4
Wed 10/11 17:11:42.170 [ErrorStreamConsumer@37026894] STDERR:java.lang.UNIXProcess@2ce50bc4: mount.cifs: permission denied: no match for /tmp/sagetv_shares/vmserver/online found in /etc/fstab
Wed 10/11 17:11:42.179 [EventRouter-b888e3bc2889@306b4e0d] SMB Mount Failed
Wed 10/11 17:11:42.191 [EventRouter-b888e3bc2889@306b4e0d] Executing process: [sh, -c, mount -t smbfs | grep -i "/tmp/sagetv_shares/vmserver/online"]
Wed 10/11

Why is this looking in fstab for a match? Sine it is a mount with the full path I would have thought it wouldn't need to. In my limited understanding of linux anyway.

I see what I could do to fix this for ME anyway. Add a script that updates fstab and then does a 'mount -A' so that it is read in again. But didn't think this was necessary.

[btrcp2000]

did these logs result when you entered the UNC path in the Path 1 (or 2 or 3) box in the container or did you do it another way?

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by btrcp2000

did these logs result when you entered the UNC path in the Path 1 (or 2 or 3) box in the container or did you do it another way?

That is when I got into SageTV GUI and entered an imported path by navigating to the server and directory I wanted and then "Select Current" in the popup in the SageTV GUI.

[stanger89]

I've had a lot more luck with network paths and SageTV *nix when I used the browse function rather than trying to type paths in.

And make sure you use Placeshifter rather than Client. IIRC I had trouble using client because it would browse from it's own context which doesn't always match the server's context, Placeshifter browses from the server.

[BobPhoenix]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I've had a lot more luck with network paths and SageTV *nix when I used the browse function rather than trying to type paths in.

And make sure you use Placeshifter rather than Client. IIRC I had trouble using client because it would browse from it's own context which doesn't always match the server's context, Placeshifter browses from the server.

If this was directed towards me. This was from HD300 extender and that was how I setup the network path. I browsed to the folder I wanted on another computer through the NETWORK choice rather than the "/" choice. I did no typing in of a directory path. I made it all the way to the folder I wanted on my VMServer unRAID box where my BluRay and DVD rips are. I chose the "Select Current Directory" option. It added the path and the scanning icon showed up in the top GUI bar but immediately vanished. The result in the log is above where it references permissions and fstab.

[btrcp2000]

I am inclined to believe that it is impossible to have Sage Docker instruct 10+ yr old nextcom software on a WinVM to record to a Linux share.

A second instance of sage acting as an encoding tuner doesn;t work, I think because the r5000 is already a network tuner. I can install it and get it running as a standalone server, but then after editing sage.prop to tell it to act as an encoding server, sage docker does not "discover" the tuner. In fact r5000s never get "discovered", as you have to paste a bunch of lines into sage.prop.

Is there an IPort address I can use that would allow sage docker to instruct sage windows client what to record and where? The tuner has its own port, looking for one that would be sage

Other failed attempts last few days include using the unnassigned devices plugin to create a share, but that also cannot find the destination.

I think I'm done unless anyone has any better ideas. I don't know enough to write a network encoder or modify encoders created by others.

[BobPhoenix]

I wondered if it would work with a Windows VM since I thought I remembered the R5000 software making itself available as a network encoder directly. Sorry to hear it didn't work either.

I'm having a weird network encoder problem myself with my Colossus server. When I setup Windows SageTV in the VM and record the recordings come out fine most of the time (10% are bad with AAC audio so won't play on HD300). If I set the property to turn that instance of SageTV into a network encoder > 50% of the recordings turn out bad but not in the same way. Normally a 2 hour movie takes 8GB or greater but as a network encoder that can turn out several MBs in size not GBs and nothing appears to be wrong but I haven't really had a chance to check the logs too close but there are NO system messages in the GUI. I'm going to try ESXi next as the Virtualization platform since I have my HD-PVRs on Windows as a network encoder and it is working perfectly on another server. I did this because I like 5.1 sound on my recordings and that doesn't work for me with the docker and does from a Windows VM network encoder. I used ESXi because I also have a nVidia DualTV to get SD recordings in a PCI slot which unRAID has been unable to pass through like ESXi. I'm hopeful that ESXi will cure my Colossus server too. I kind of expect to have to restart either the docker or the Windows VM like I did when I had the Colossus in a standalone server but with v9 the GUI response is an almost continual spinning circle just trying to navigate around. Even making changes to favorites takes hours when I can make the same changes on a docker SageTV in 15 minutes.

[Fuzzy]

I'm sure a proxy COULD be made that would allow remapping the paths passed from sage into the paths the encoder needs, but I'm not entirely sure the best way to go about it.

[btrcp2000]

It seems like the person named checkbin got this to work in an old thread I resurrected with the right combination of sage.prop paths and nfs shares, but I have not been able to stumble on the right combo. Hoping he/she chimes in soon

[btrcp2000]

Got it working!!! This is the command that finally fixed it (from an elevated prompt on the win10 VM):

mklink /D C:\var\media\tv \\UNRAID\sagemedia\tv
I had tried mapping before, but couldn't figure out how to get it to use a nested folder instead of just the root of a virtual letter drive. Found this link that explained how to set up a symlink, which I also had seen before. I finally figured out that this command wants to create the last folder of the path, but needs the rest of it to already exist. In other words, if you want c:\var\media\tv to map to the UNRAID share, you have to create new folders for var and media in windows explorer, then let the command create the tv folder. In win Exp, that TV folder looks just like a shortcut to a network folder as if you had dragged and dropped it.

I am still shocked that it worked because I could have sworn it would choke on the linux fwd slash vs windows back slash issue. Did not have to change anything in Sage properties other than the usual r5000 lines.

I have both r5000 boxes running delivering perfect digital copies includng 5.1 sound directly to the UNRAID share. Now the challenge is getting the r5000hd app to come up on the VM at startup. Have tried the settings in the app, running a task, copying the shortcut to the startup folder, no luck yet. Once I fix this I'm sure Dish will promptly cease support of the VIP211 boxes...

This has been over a year of on and off tinkering. There are far larger problems in the world, but it always feels good to squish bugs.

Thanks to checkbin for the assist as well!