Client recordings failing

[SLR_65]

Hi Sub,

I thought my earlier problems were just a glitch as I had the client setup downstairs in my test bench and things seemed to be working lately, but I installed the client upstairs in the entertainment center so of course things have to get funky . . .

My daughter went to schedule a program to record and all went well until she hit the record button - then the machine froze up. she came and got me and sure enough it was froze up. I rebooted the machine and it booted up fine but when I went load PVRX2 it would give an hour glass and never load. Since it was in the entertainment center I didn't have a mouse or keyboard so I pulled it back out and took it back downstairs (I have the green Windows button on the remote programmed to load GBPVR so I can load it without a keyboard). Once downstairs I got the same problem. The machine wasn't locked up as I could call up task manager and stop PVRX2 when it stuck at the hour glass. I pulled up the config program and unchecked the client box in the tuner setup and then I could pull up GBPVR. I then wondered if it were a server problem.

I checked the server, it wasn't locked up or anything and would do anything I requested of it. None the less it wasn't recording anything so it wouldn't hurt to reboot so I rebooted it.

That fixed the problem and I could get the client to pull up after that. The show my daughter was trying to set a recording up for was also listed in the pending que.

OK, a few test runs and it seemed to be all good so I installed it back upstairs.

I then decided to try a recording scheduled from the client to see what would happen.

I scheduled Friends on channel 4 at 5 pm and it set the recording up just fine and showed it in the pending que.

At a little after 5 pm I checked to see if the show were recording and it wasn't. Hmmm, it showed up in the pending que as pending.

I went downstairs and checked the server and it showed the same thing. I exited the program and pulled up the GBPVR Tray and it said all the tuners were sleeping.

I then went back into GBPVR on the server and then checked to see if maybe reloading the program did something - it didn't, it was still showing the show as pending.

I then went to LiveTV just to check and see if the tuners were working. They were and I saw LiveTV, changed a channel, etc..

After that I went back to the pending que and the program was now recording! Both the server and client showed it recording and when it completed I checked and it had not been recording the first ten minutes as the recording was only 20 minutes long.

It seems recordings setup up from the client wont wake up the tuners unless they are woke up for LiveTV viewing on the server.

Attached are the server logs. I don't have the client logs as I forgot to share that directory so I can't pull them up through the network right now. The wife and kids are watching the client right now so I can't go pull it, but I will either later tonight or tomorrow afternoon and get the network setup so I can access the client fully.

Thanks Sub!

Steve

[SLR_65]

It's getting to be one of those days . . . I'm sure I attached the zip with the server logs, but I don't see it attached . . . we'll try again!

[SLR_65]

Hi Sub,

OK, it's doing it again. Today when I got home from work I thought I'd try to create the problem so it was recent in both the server and client logs.

I was on the client and I set it to record King of Queens on channel 7 at 5pm and once again it failed to start the recording.

About ten after five I checked and found it wasn't recording. I went down to the server and tried what I did yesterday - exiting GBPVR and reloading it, entering LiveTV, etc. and nothing helped. I finally rebooted the server and as soon as it started the recording service it turned green and started recording the show.

For some reason it's just not liking recordings to be setup from the client.

I put both the server and client logs in the attached zip.

Thanks Sub!

Steve

[sub]

2009-03-17 16:26:20.093 ERROR [1] Unexpected error: System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it

It looks like firewall software is getting in the way of communication. This leads to the Recording Service never getting the message to reload the recording list from the database.

[SLR_65]

Thanks Sub, I would've never dug that out of the logs (but not for lack of trying, I was going crosseyed!).

OK, how do I fix this? Is it on the server or the client? (the server I'm guessing as rebooting it fixed it today)

They are both running XP Service Pack 3 and are using the stock Windows firewall.

I did make exceptions in the firewalls for PVRX2, the Recording Service, and the Tray on both machines.

I forgot to share the directories on the client machine, which I fixed today, so I'm wondering if it weren't a problem created by that? i.e. the share/write permissions weren't there so that caused something to fail?

Thanks again - I can't wait to get this part working as so far the wife acceptance factor has been much better than expected!

Steve

[sub]

OK, how do I fix this?

Sorry, I'm not a firewall configuration expert, so I couldnt tell your what firewall configuration changes you need to make.

Is it on the server or the client?

I have no way of knowing. It could be either.

I forgot to share the directories on the client machine, which I fixed today, so I'm wondering if it weren't a problem created by that? i.e. the share/write permissions weren't there so that caused something to fail?

I dont think so.

[SLR_65]

Okey dokey, I'll drop the firewall on the client and see if that fixes it, if it doesn't I'll drop it on the server. One of them should be it. Beyond that I dunno what to do, hopefully someone else on the forum is a firewall expert and can offer some advice!

Thanks again!

Steve

[wodger]

I am about to set up my first client - ie. i'm going to network GBPVR for the first time, so haven't tried this yet, but wouldn't you just set up pvrx2.exe as an exception on the windows firewall in both the server and the clients?

[SLR_65]

I've already done this. I setup PVRX2 (the main GBPVR program), the recording service, and the tray program as exceptions on both the client and server.