MediaPortal "Extender" Computer? (1 Viewer)

LinkDJ

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December 4, 2008
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Hey,

I've been running MediaPortal for about 6 months now on my main HTPC:

2.8GHz P4, 1.5GB RAM, GeForce 6600GT, 1.5TB RAID5, Vista SP1

I' ve got almost 4000 tv shows on it (using MP TV-Series) and it's been working great. So I built another HTPC for the bedroom, and I've had nothing but problems with it:

Athlon 64 3400+, 2GB RAM, GeForce 6200, 250gb HD, XP SP3

The problem is that this HTPC doesn't have any files stored on it, it gets everything from the main HTPC's RAID. It's shared over a hundred megabit network. I've got a separate MP-TV Series database on this machine and everything, but when I try to play any file it locks up.

Both machines are running MediaPortal 1.0.0.0 RC4 with PureVisionHD 2.1 and the latest SVN of MP-TV Series


So anyways, does anyone have any better ideas to accomplish what I'm going for here, or ways to solve this problem? Do you think upgrading to a gigabit network would help? Any suggestions would be very appreciated!
 

ronzelver

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  • March 13, 2008
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    Doesn't it play at all, or just a little bit and then locks? It might be an issue with your router/switch (suppose you have one in between). I had issues like this when I was transferring large amounts of data across a (bad) router/switch, it just blocked all network traffic. So you might try to test with another router/switch or even a direct (cross)cable running between the two PC's.
     

    LinkDJ

    Portal Member
    December 4, 2008
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    MediaPortal/TV-Series locks up before I can even select an episode. I'll drill down the menus, The Colbert Report > Specials > and before it can list anything it freezes.

    I can play videos (shared from the main HTPC) on this machine through VLC just fine.

    It would seem like MediaPortal is having problems before even getting to the playing video part though.
     

    moab

    Portal Pro
    April 22, 2008
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    I have a similar set up to you. My recordings work fine on the client downstairs. Main server is upstairs.

    Sanity check first...
    Look for OS problems: look in the eventvwr and check the system log and app log. Should be free of errors.
    Look for network problems: do a "ping PC1 -t" test using the computer name. Packets should return 100% with trip time of 1ms or less.

    It could be a simple computer browser issue. Configure your c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file to hard code the name resolution. This eliminates all browsing issues and is the optimal way to do name to IP address resolution. XP first looks at the hosts file before it even browses. It should be done on both PCs so they can instantly convert the remote computer name to an IP address.

    Temporarily turn off any anti virus software as these often cause problems.

    Permissions: are you using pass through security? i.e. you need the same user account and password on both PCs. Verify permissions and browsing by looking at the shared files in windows explorer. To ensure authentication I map a shared folder to S: for share. This is set to reconnect at login so it forces a connection. As a side note I use the share to store all the DVD iso images. I use the S: to verify connectivity. It should open instantly all the time. I had some MP sporadic connection issues which were fixed by setting up the host files. You need a flawless connection. XP has issues (delays and hickups) browsing in a peer to peer network configuration.
     

    LinkDJ

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    Look for OS problems: look in the eventvwr and check the system log and app log. Should be free of errors.

    You're right! In the system event logs:
    The browser service has failed to retrieve the backup list too many times on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8D15022-874A-4C25-9FBD-F824F25B4F34}. The backup browser is stopping.

    The browser was unable to retrieve a list of servers from the browser master \\TETRAHEDRON on the network \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8D15022-874A-4C25-9FBD-F824F25B4F34}. The data is the error code.

    So it looks like you're onto something here!

    Look for network problems: do a "ping PC1 -t" test using the computer name. Packets should return 100% with trip time of 1ms or less.

    Looks good, no dropped packets and always <1ms:
    Reply from 192.168.1.104: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128 (from HTPC2 to Main)
    Reply from 192.168.1.103: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128 (from Main to HTPC2)

    It could be a simple computer browser issue. Configure your c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file to hard code the name resolution. This eliminates all browsing issues and is the optimal way to do name to IP address resolution. XP first looks at the hosts file before it even browses. It should be done on both PCs so they can instantly convert the remote computer name to an IP address.

    This is now done.

    Temporarily turn off any anti virus software as these often cause problems.

    Neither machine has AV. If I manage to get a virus from video files, it's my own fault.

    Permissions: are you using pass through security? i.e. you need the same user account and password on both PCs. Verify permissions and browsing by looking at the shared files in windows explorer. To ensure authentication I map a shared folder to S: for share. This is set to reconnect at login so it forces a connection. As a side note I use the share to store all the DVD iso images. I use the S: to verify connectivity. It should open instantly all the time. I had some MP sporadic connection issues which were fixed by setting up the host files. You need a flawless connection. XP has issues (delays and hickups) browsing in a peer to peer network configuration.

    Yes, I'm using pass-through security. All my machines have the same username and password for this purpose.

    When I was first setting this up, I tried doing it with a mapped network drive, but whenever I tried to play a file in MediaPortal, it would say "Please insert disk: RAID" so I switched to using the UNC instead (\\HTPC\LinkDJ\Videos\TV). But that was with RC2 so I might have different results now

    Anyways, I'm at work at the moment, so while I can do any troubleshooting imaginable, I can't run MediaPortal through LogMeIn.com. I'll do some testing when I get home and I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!
     

    moab

    Portal Pro
    April 22, 2008
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    Look for OS problems: look in the eventvwr and check the system log and app log. Should be free of errors.

    You're right! In the system event logs:
    The browser service has failed to retrieve the backup list too many times on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8D15022-874A-4C25-9FBD-F824F25B4F34}. The backup browser is stopping.

    The browser was unable to retrieve a list of servers from the browser master \\TETRAHEDRON on the network \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8D15022-874A-4C25-9FBD-F824F25B4F34}. The data is the error code.

    So it looks like you're onto something here!

    Look for network problems: do a "ping PC1 -t" test using the computer name. Packets should return 100% with trip time of 1ms or less.

    Looks good, no dropped packets and always <1ms:
    Reply from 192.168.1.104: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128 (from HTPC2 to Main)
    Reply from 192.168.1.103: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128 (from Main to HTPC2)



    This is now done.

    Temporarily turn off any anti virus software as these often cause problems.

    Neither machine has AV. If I manage to get a virus from video files, it's my own fault.

    Permissions: are you using pass through security? i.e. you need the same user account and password on both PCs. Verify permissions and browsing by looking at the shared files in windows explorer. To ensure authentication I map a shared folder to S: for share. This is set to reconnect at login so it forces a connection. As a side note I use the share to store all the DVD iso images. I use the S: to verify connectivity. It should open instantly all the time. I had some MP sporadic connection issues which were fixed by setting up the host files. You need a flawless connection. XP has issues (delays and hickups) browsing in a peer to peer network configuration.

    Yes, I'm using pass-through security. All my machines have the same username and password for this purpose.

    When I was first setting this up, I tried doing it with a mapped network drive, but whenever I tried to play a file in MediaPortal, it would say "Please insert disk: RAID" so I switched to using the UNC instead (\\HTPC\LinkDJ\Videos\TV). But that was with RC2 so I might have different results now

    Anyways, I'm at work at the moment, so while I can do any troubleshooting imaginable, I can't run MediaPortal through LogMeIn.com. I'll do some testing when I get home and I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!


    The browser errors look like the smoking gun and host file fix will resolve the issue.
     

    LinkDJ

    Portal Member
    December 4, 2008
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    The browser errors look like the smoking gun and host file fix will resolve the issue.

    I was hoping, but nope, same thing. I can select a series, a season, but before it can list the episodes MediaPortal crashes.
     

    phertiker

    Portal Member
    June 29, 2005
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    The browser errors look like the smoking gun and host file fix will resolve the issue.

    I was hoping, but nope, same thing. I can select a series, a season, but before it can list the episodes MediaPortal crashes.

    That's because the error you were seeing in the event log had nothing to do with any name resolution issue; it indicated that your secondary computer is trying to act as a backup browser on the network (standard behavior when it loses the election for master browser) and is failing to retrieve a full list of PC names for your network.

    It DOES know the other PC that exists as indicated by the following when it mentions it by name:

    The browser was unable to retrieve a list of servers from the browser master \\TETRAHEDRON on the network \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8D15022-874A-4C25-9FBD-F824F25B4F34}. The data is the error code.

    Windows networking is stupid and lazy; just go into services.msc on your secondary PC and turn off the "computer browser" service. Your main PC is already acting as the only browser computer you need.

    Follow revs advice and try playing files outside of MP. What happens there?
     

    LinkDJ

    Portal Member
    December 4, 2008
    9
    0
    Home Country
    United States of America United States of America
    The browser errors look like the smoking gun and host file fix will resolve the issue.

    I was hoping, but nope, same thing. I can select a series, a season, but before it can list the episodes MediaPortal crashes.

    That's because the error you were seeing in the event log had nothing to do with any name resolution issue; it indicated that your secondary computer is trying to act as a backup browser on the network (standard behavior when it loses the election for master browser) and is failing to retrieve a full list of PC names for your network.

    It DOES know the other PC that exists as indicated by the following when it mentions it by name:

    The browser was unable to retrieve a list of servers from the browser master \\TETRAHEDRON on the network \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{A8D15022-874A-4C25-9FBD-F824F25B4F34}. The data is the error code.

    Windows networking is stupid and lazy; just go into services.msc on your secondary PC and turn off the "computer browser" service. Your main PC is already acting as the only browser computer you need.

    Follow revs advice and try playing files outside of MP. What happens there?

    I've now disabled the computer browser service. It doesn't appear to have made anything better or worse. Here's what I've found with more testing:

    Video works fine with VLC... until I try using MediaPortal. Once MediaPortal tries to run and locks up, I have for force it to close. After that, I can't browse to the main HTPC share at all. It tries for a long time and then says it can't find \\TETRAHEDRON

    Also, MediaPortal locks up whenever I try to list any videos on that machine, not limited to the MP TV-Series. For example, if I try to run My Videos, MediaPortal locks up right there, without even leaving the main menu.
     

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