Sleeping servers

[sleonard]

I have a sleep question and issue. First, the question.

If you have your server set up to sleep when its not being used how do you wake it when you want to watch something from a client? I know it's possible to have Sage (or SageWake) set wake timers for upcoming recordings but if my server is sleeping and I try to connect from a client I get failed connections.

Now for the issue. I cannot get the server to sleep on its own. I made sure that I setup power management in the bios before installing XP. It is set to use S3 when sleeping. In XP I set up PM to turn off the monitor after 5 min., turn off hard drives after 10, and sleep after 30 but it never sleeps unless I manually put it to sleep (and it does sleep in S3, the fans are off).

The server has an Abit IC7-G mobo.

[mdmint]

Originally Posted by sleonard

I have a sleep question and issue. First, the question.

If you have your server set up to sleep when its not being used how do you wake it when you want to watch something from a client? I know it's possible to have Sage (or SageWake) set wake timers for upcoming recordings but if my server is sleeping and I try to connect from a client I get failed connections.

I played with sleeping (actually using hibernating else my RAID HDs don't turn off) my Sage Server and automating waking it up. You need to have a NIC that supports wake on lan (in my bios it's wake on PCI) and know your Server's IP, will need to be a static IP so you always know what it is. I set the IP in my router. Then all I did was add ping with Server's IP address in Client Windows Startup. I also made ping routine icons on all Clients to manually wake up Server.

Now for the issue. I cannot get the server to sleep on its own. I made sure that I setup power management in the bios before installing XP. It is set to use S3 when sleeping. In XP I set up PM to turn off the monitor after 5 min., turn off hard drives after 10, and sleep after 30 but it never sleeps unless I manually put it to sleep (and it does sleep in S3, the fans are off).

The server has an Abit IC7-G mobo.

Can't help you there. Don't know if it's a mobo or Win issue.

[korben_dallas]

If it won't sleep on its own, that means it thinks there is still a running process. Check what you have running in your Systray for unneeded items, and in the Registry check in HKLM>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Run and HKLU>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Run

[Scriber]

Originally Posted by sleonard

If you have your server set up to sleep when its not being used how do you wake it when you want to watch something from a client? I know it's possible to have Sage (or SageWake) set wake timers for upcoming recordings but if my server is sleeping and I try to connect from a client I get failed connections.

Its a NIC/WOL setting issue. Works fine here with my onboard lan once I played (no idea what I was doing) with the WOL settings. All I do now is start Client and while it takes a moment or 2 longer than if already awake, it does wake the Server.

I've never really found a good explanation of various the WOL settings I found in the device settings but perhaps if you can find which is correct it will help. Best way to find out if WOL is supported (more than likely unless its an old card) is to go to the NIC mfr's website. If onboard, you can look to the mobo specs and then find out who the integrated NIC mfr is.

As for the IPs, I reserve IPs for the particular box on the router instead of using static IPs. I find that simpler.

[thatdude90210]

Wake on Lan (mine is onboard lan so the setting was in the bios setup), it works very well in waking my server from the clients. Takes a few seconds, and the client at first will say it can't connect, then just hit the main menu button while the server finishes waking.

Thanks to the other guy with the tip about checking running process, my server wouldn't go into standby on its own lately, had to manually do it. Checking the processes, it might have been the Sun Java updater, I deleted it from "run" and my server just went into standby on its own for the first time in weeks.

[sleonard]

Ok, I got wake on lan working pretty good. A ping or a Sage client wakes it up. I'm still testing since a couple of times it became unstable after waking. Once or twice there was no video, mouse or keyboard functioning but the Server service continued working. Another time it froze before fully awake. But I flashed the bios and reset the defaults, set to WOL and sleep = S3 and it has been waking fine so far.

It still will not go to sleep on it's own. Shuts off the video signal at 5 min. correctly but goes no farther. Hard drive may or may not shut off at 10 (can't tell from the fan noise) and definitely no sleep at 15.

Checked the suggested registry keys, exported a copy of HKLM/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run before deleting one at a time till none were left. No change. I have checked and rechecked both Windows and bios PM settings and they look correct every time I recheck

My latest idea is that the KVM switch it is connected thru might be keeping it awake but I doubt it. Still, now that I thought about it I'll have to test.

It will sleep to S3 (fans are off) IF I use the sleep button on the keyboard OR use the power button. Both are set that way in Windows PM. Actual settings are monitor off in 5, HD off in 10, and sleep in 15. Disabled Hibernation. In bios, set sleep = S3 Suspend to Ram, Wake from USB (hmmm, got only a USB-UIRT on USB, wonder if IR from my other remote is ... will have to test this in the morning too.) and PS2 ports, WOL is also selected and working.

[Scriber]

Try setting the sleep to 1 minute and see what happens. Seems to me there was another poster with an issue like this if the box was set to sleep after 5 or 10 min.

Instead of spending countless hours of expirimentation it might be time for a clean install as you start adding components and apps you can test and see which causes the issue.

Btw, I don't run Sage service on my server due to an occasional issue I had awhile back. Try running Sage normally and see if that helps w/your instability

[jptaz]

If you use UNC Paths then every 5 minutes when SageTV checks files it will prevent sleep since Windows sees this as network activity and resets the sleep timers.

John

[AJ Bertelson]

what is the advantage of putting your server into sleep mode?

[JasonJoel]

Save electricity, reduce noise.

A server machine can easily use $5-$10/month in electricity (depending on your local electric costs). More if you are in California and some other select areas...

Jason Bottjen

Originally Posted by AJ Bertelson

what is the advantage of putting your server into sleep mode?

[thatdude90210]

Originally Posted by thatdude90210

Checking the processes, it might have been the Sun Java updater, I deleted it from "run" and my server just went into standby on its own for the first time in weeks.

Looks like that wasn't it... might have just because it was a fresh reboot. If I run Sage (latest version & starts on tray) either from client or the server even once from a reboot, the server no longer goes into standby on it's own. Humm... I'm going to have to look into this a little more.

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by Scriber

Try setting the sleep to 1 minute and see what happens. Seems to me there was another poster with an issue like this if the box was set to sleep after 5 or 10 min.

Originally Posted by jptaz

If you use UNC Paths then every 5 minutes when SageTV checks files it will prevent sleep since Windows sees this as network activity and resets the sleep timers.

Thanks guys, I use UNC paths so that was it. I set it to sleep at 1 min. and it worked so I tried 3 min. and that also worked. Then I tried 5 min. and no sleep. I guess I'll have to keep it at 3 min.

So far, so good. It is now sleeping and waking, I just have to keep an eye on the wakes to make sure it stays stable and functional after multiple wakes. I have seen some posts where this is a problem and may be a bug in Sage.

[thatdude90210]

Mine wouldn't go into standby even when set to one minute if Sage (latest beta) is in the tray, and I'm not using UNC paths.

Sage acts as if it's recording something, I know it isn't - no manual recordings, no fav, no client connected, and I don't use IR. Taskmanager shows system using 0 - 2 - 4 % cpu consistantly, same usage as if a show is being recorded. I exit out of Sage from the tray, it goes to 0, so it has to be Sage doing it.

My current solution is to just use Service. Using Sage as a service, standby works fine, and it comes out of standby to record a show ok.

[sleonard]

Well, after two days of testing, I am disabling the Windows sleep timers and only putting it to sleep manually. Three minutes is just not long enough and I keep getting delayed write errors on the recording drive. Sometimes it will go to sleep even when navigating the menu or watching a DVD on the client. In the middle of a DVD the client stopped playing and went to a "lost connection to the server" screen. Had to restart the movie from the beginning. The server woke almost immediately, probably from network traffic from the client but it was too late.

They really need to do something so that the sleep timer can be set to longer than 3 minutes when your using UNC paths.

Auto wake to record has worked every time but once yesterday. I got home from work and the server was still asleep even though a favorite was scheduled. If this keeps happening I won't even be able to sleep manually.