Power scheduler functionality (3 Viewers)

[VdR]

I have a few questions on the power scheduler functionality for a multi seat MP RC 1.1.0 RC1 installation.

I'm not sure how to formulate this in a simple way, let me phrase how I expect this to work and correct me if I'm wrong.

With the BIOS setting I wake up the TV server from shutdown at 6:45 in the morning.
With windows scheduler I run mc2xml at 6:50 to grab an EPG update.
With the TV server setting I allow standby between 7 and 2.

The TV server will go into standby between 7 and 2, but wake up for scheduled recordings and stay awake for those recordings.

In the clients I set for a WOL to be send to the TV sever. That means a WOL will be send when MP starts and there is a heartbeat signal as long as MP is running on the client. This brings the TV server out of standby if necessary for a client connection and will keep it from going back into standby as long as a client is active.

At 2:00 the client will wake up because the standby periods ends (this is unclear to me).

With windows scheduler I run shutdown at 2:05 to shut the TV server down, until the BIOS wakes it at 6:45 again.


Will this work as I assume?


MediaPortal Version: 1.1.0 RC1
MediaPortal Skin: StreamedMP
Windows Version: XP professional SP3
CPU Type: Client1: Intel P4 3.0 GHz HT - Client2: Intel ATOM 1.6 GHz - TVserver: Intel Core Duo 3.0 GHz
HDD: Client1: 500 GB WD - Client2: 160 GB Samsun - TVserver: 2x 500 GB WD + 4x 1 TB Samsung
Memory: Client1: 2 GB DDR400 - Client2: 2 GB - TVserver: 4 GB
Motherboard: Client1: ASUS PTGD-LR - Client2: Zotac - TVserver: MSI
Video Card: Client1: Sapphire Radeon HD 4350 512 MB - Client2: NVIDA ION - TVserver: ATI Radeon X300
Video Card Driver: Client1: Catalyst 10.3
Sound Card: Realtek Intel High Definition Audio (7.1) 24 bits / 96 kHz
Sound Card AC3: Client1: S/Pdif coaxial to Logitech Z5500 - Client2: S/Pdif optical to Logitech Z5500
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: Client1: n/a - Client2: n/a - TVserver: 2x BlackGold GDI
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
1. TV Card Driver: GDI 5.17.107.43
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: Client1: MPC - MPEG-2 Video Decoder - Client2: MPC - MPEG-2 Video Decoder - TVserver: n/a
MPEG2 Audio Codec: Client1: MPC - MPA Decoder Filter - Client2: MPC - MPA Decoder Filter - TVserver: n/a
h.264 Video Codec: Client1: ffdshow DXVA - Client2: ffdshow DXVA - TVserver: n/a
Satelite/CableTV Provider: none
HTPC Case: Client1: HP Z522 - Client2: ZOTAC MAG - TVserver: CM690
Cooling: Client1: Cooler Master KDH-5067K - Client2: - TVserver
Power Supply:
Remote: Client1: HP MCE remote - Client2: HP MCE remote - TVserver: n/a
TV: Client1: Samsung LE32R41B 32" - Client2: Epson HD 1080p 108" - TVserver: n/a
TV - HTPC Connection: Client1: Sub-D - Client2: HDMI - TVserver: n/a

 

[vecnar]

Hi,
If your bios supports scheduled wakeup from shutdown mode than it should work.
In your case i can see one flaw which is when your client turns on at 2.10 and wants to watch tv, client will not be able to connect as you scheduled "shutdown.exe -f -s -t 05" (at least i assume so) to run at 2.05. Another scenario when your client turns on at around 1.59, wakes up server and starts watching tv but scheduled task will shut down server and client will loose connection.
So if you don't have any recordings after 2 and your clients are not going to be on after 2 then i don't see a reason why it wouldn't work but the best way to make sure is to test your scenario on your hardware as different hardware gives different problems.

 

[VdR]

Thank you for looking at this boring subject.

Yes, the bios supports that, the TV server wakes up like that now, but stays on (no standby) until the shutdown at 2:05.

The client could actually wake up the TV server between 2:05 and 6:45 because WOL is enabled on the network card. This works now already like that.

But indeed a TV schedule cannot wake the server between 2:05 and 6:45. Or? Also a recording going on until after 2:05 will be brutally interrupted with a scheduled shutdown. In my experience a recording between those hours happens once a year, I rather have the 5 hours of energy savings per day.

VdR

 

[vecnar]

I think this subject is very important in todays time when everybody wants to save energy.
I personally use suspend mode for all day long and any client might wake it up at any time. So in your case it is either shutdown at 2.05 and save more energy or use standby and be able to wake it up at any time.
If you want i can do a few tests on my system with 350W 80+ psu in shut down mode and in standby mode. I have a socket meter.

 

[Gixxer]

a bit confusing all you do there, let me explain what i do and works perfectly.

as i want my computer to go to sleep during the night and wake up in the morning i have created a schedule using SetPower - Power Management Software
therefore my server wakes up at 9am and goes to sleep at 1am.
recordings during the night will wake up the server and then go back to sleep.
4therecord works perfectly and wakes up computer.

 

[VdR]

Connecting my socket meter is the next step after setting this up properly We can do some comparison. Thanks for your help.

I just moved my TV cards into my file server so I need only one server, but I realized that that means that the disk array (the biggest power hog) is going to be running much longer unless I get this automatic standby to work properly without missing recordings, that's why I'm looking into this in so much detail. Indeed to save the planet, or at least not destroy it all by my account.

VdR

Gixxer, I think the difference is that we want to save even more power, by actually shutting down in the night and going to sleep during the day when the server is not needed by a client or for recording. I probably should find out if this is all worth it by looking at the power consumption in sleep mode. Better not check right now; active recording for the wife.

VdR

 

[Gixxer]

i understand, that is my next goal at home.

my plans (in case u are interested) are to continue with my setup. plus make the energy plan created by the software above, go into standby after x minutes of inactivity.
another option in mind is to maintain my setup, plus use powerscheduler, but i need to find out if if will allow the computer to keep awake when streaming to clients NOT using mediaportal.

i also use a socket meter, for now i read 85W at idle, a bit more when cpu goes up or hard drives activate.
i have amd cool and quite which cuts around 20W by undervolting

please share your findings

 

[vecnar]

Hi Gixxer,
What do you mean by "allow the computer to keep awake when streaming to clients NOT using mediaportal", is it only accessing files? Powerscheduler plugin has ability to prevent standby by specifying network bandwidth limit, so you can use this to prevent pc going into standby while clients copy files and if you can create a batch script which will wakeup tv server pc and they will be able to access files again.
My meter readings 130W when running 3 hard drives,vga graphics card, 1 tv tuner and power hangry p4 prescott socket 478.
Will test standby readings and powered down readings later.

 

[Gixxer]

i mean that some of the computers at home are not running mp however i need the server awake for them.

so i dont want that the server goes standby . i will try the powerscheduler option of bandwidth however that may be a problem if downloading stuff as traffic could be confused.

so pending...
1. how to make my htpc (movingpicts & tvseries) wake the server when comes out of standby???? im not using tv section in that htpc so cant use that. ANY IDEA ???
2. check that server does not go standby when streaming to a pc without mp.

any help is appreciated.

 

[VdR]

Yes I'm very interested in your plans. You bring up an interesting subject. How to power manage servers and clients if they do not all run MP and MP TV server.

I had that same issue when I still had the separate file server for MP media, not running MP itself. The MP clients woke that server from shutdown with a WOL, but the it stayed on until a scheduled shutdown at 2:00 because there is no way to know if the client is still accessing it.

It would be good to have a stand alone utility that you would run on all computers in the network and that can wake up other computers (WOL), keep other computers awake (heartbeat) or keep the local computer awake because another computer is sending a heartbeat.

MP and TV server could connect to this utility locally for recording scheduling and EPG grabbing.

VdR