Use FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TEMPORARY and FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE for time shift files (1 Viewer)

[Andy_2639]

Started on: 2023-12-26
last update: 2023-12-26

Summary:
Minimize the amount of data written to disk by simulating a tempfs RAM disk on Windows via file open attributes

• FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TEMPORARY
• FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE

Area:
TVServer

Description:
Time shift files are just used temporary. As they can take quite some space, virtual memory (im my case 16 GB RAM + 32 GB swapfile) is most likely to small. So they have to be written on disk (current situation). Windows can "simulate a RAM disk" by opening/creating the time shift files with the attributes

• FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TEMPORARY
• FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE

Such files are written to disk only if necessary (Windows and its memory management take care of it).

The advantage is that the disk/SSD has less written data and thus less wear and less power consumption.

I don't know whether this flags are available from C#. I don't know how the flags behave when the file is opened multiple times (TVServer writing it and TVServer reading it (RTSP) or MediaPortal client reading it).

List of RAM drive software - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I don't know the MediaPortal source code, so usage of this flags might be already the case.

 

[doskabouter]

Found the place where the file is opened (for writing): MediaPortal-1/DirectShowFilters/TsWriter/source/MultiFileWriter.cpp at master · MediaPortal/MediaPortal-1
Not sure though if there are any unwanted side-effects to adding those flags....

 

[framug]

Hello,
Just another idea.
Maybe, more interesting could be, in case of recording direct TV, to merge the TS buffer at the beggining of the recording.
Not sure in this case that pushing timeshifting in RAM could continue to give this potential possibility...

 

[CyberSimian]

Maybe, more interesting could be, in case of recording direct TV, to merge the TS buffer at the beggining of the recording.

I think that this plugin does that. However, I have never used it, and I don't know whether it still works with current releases of MP1.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[framug]

I think that this plugin does that. However, I have never used it, and I don't know whether it still works with current releases of MP1.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

THX for info.
0.62 plugin version doesn't crash with MP 1.31 therefore, it seems to me to be little buggy...