LinuxMCE Forums
General => Installation issues => Topic started by: rocketlynx on August 05, 2009, 07:54:42 am
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After reinstalling LinuxMCE 810 Alpha2-Latest on my Core, in LinuxMCE Admin, "Admin --> Files & Media --> Media Files Sync" does not list my existing (sdb1) data drive containing my Media previously ripped, so that editing/updating of Media can be done. The Audio and Video files (CDs and Movies) are still present and can be accessed from any Orbiter and played on all Media Directors as before, however, since the drive no longer shows up in "Admin --> Files & Media --> Media Files Sync", they cannot be accessed to correct cover art and titles and obtaining missing information from Amazon and IMDB as previously done.
The drive, "ST31500341AS (sdb1)-CORE", is listed under : "Admin --> Show Device Tree --> My Devices --> Core", which brings up the template #1790, as it did before.
How can this be corrected? Is this possibly a new Alpha2-latest bug surfacing, or is this to be expected when reinstalling the Core/Hybrid and re-attaching an existing data drive with media from another installation?
I was running LinuxMCE 810 Alpha2.24 prior and reinstalled the core with the latest, Alpha2.26.
Regards,
Charles
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Hi,
I'm using LinuxMCE directory tree.
When I go to Files & Media|Media Files Sync the left window shows home>public>[data]>audio,avwizard-sounds,documents,games,other,pictures,pvr,samples,tts,videos
(The right hand window is blank)
If I select videos the right hand window gets populated. In the Files on disk section my disks are listed there.
In the left window under videos my drive are listed there.
Are yours?
If the disk(s) are listed but unchecked under "files on disk" they are only on the the disk.
To get them checked again (you just reloaded from scratch) you have to resynchronize the drive.
Then the disk will be checked and exist both on the drive and in the database.
Then when you click on the drive under videos in the left window the "Files on disk" section in the right hand window will be populated with your files.
Cheers.
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Hi,
I'm using LinuxMCE directory tree.
When I go to Files & Media|Media Files Sync the left window shows home>public>[data]>audio,avwizard-sounds,documents,games,other,pictures,pvr,samples,tts,videos
(The right hand window is blank)
If I select videos the right hand window gets populated. In the Files on disk section my disks are listed there.
none... no files!
In the left window under videos my drive are listed there.
Are yours?
Not anymore... They were...
If the disk(s) are listed but unchecked under "files on disk" they are only on the the disk.
To get them checked again (you just reloaded from scratch) you have to resynchronize the drive.
Then the disk will be checked and exist both on the drive and in the database.
Then when you click on the drive under videos in the left window the "Files on disk" section in the right hand window will be populated with your files.
No disks are listed so I can't see or check anything.
As stated, the Orbiters still can list them and they can still be played on my Media Directors as before.
Only Admin has the problem.
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Hi,
I'm using a NAS so my templates are differerent, #1837 for the NAS and #1768 for the shares.
What fields are populated with what settings on a #1790 template? Please included checked buttons.
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Hi,
I'm using a NAS so my templates are differerent, #1837 for the NAS and #1768 for the shares.
What fields are populated with what settings on a #1790 template? Please included checked buttons.
Here's the info on 4 images:
http://www.rocketlynx.net/web_images/lmcesdb1_problem.jpg
http://www.rocketlynx.net/web_images/lmcesdb1_problem2.jpg
http://www.rocketlynx.net/web_images/lmcesdb1_problem3.jpg
http://www.rocketlynx.net/web_images/lmcesdb1_problem4.jpg
Please note, the 2nd drive, ST31500341AS (sdb1)-CORE (data drive) is not listed.
I hope you can see the jpegs of the Device #30
Thanks,
Charles
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Hi,
I saw that you are using "public" folder and not LMCE directory structure.
I just went through a whole big thing with public compared to LMCE directory structure.
Could you delete the disk from device tree, reboot and allow to be re-discovered and instead of making things public use the lmce directory tree.
Then move you data into the LMCE folder structure
Public>
Data>
audio
blah
videos
LMCE builds a directory tree (folders) for you and doesn't wipe the data on the HDD.
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Hi,
I saw that you are using "public" folder and not LinuxMCE directory structure.
I just went through a whole big thing with public compared to LinuxMCE directory structure.
Could you delete the disk from device tree, reboot and allow to be re-discovered and instead of making things public use the lmce directory tree.
Then move you data into the LinuxMCE folder structure
Public>
Data>
audio
blah
videos
LinuxMCE builds a directory tree (folders) for you and doesn't wipe the data on the HDD.
Thanks, pigdog. I did what you said and it worked except I did not have to move anything.
This image shows the results:
http://www.rocketlynx.net/web_images/lmcesdb1_problem_fixed.jpg
If there is something I still have to do to be proper, please let me know.
Thanks again for your help and support.
Best Regards,
Charles
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Hi Charles,
Looks good.
Cheers.
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Hi,
I saw that you are using "public" folder and not LinuxMCE directory structure.
I just went through a whole big thing with public compared to LinuxMCE directory structure.
Could you delete the disk from device tree, reboot and allow to be re-discovered and instead of making things public use the lmce directory tree.
Then move you data into the LinuxMCE folder structure
Public>
Data>
audio
blah
videos
LinuxMCE builds a directory tree (folders) for you and doesn't wipe the data on the HDD.
Thought I had it fixed but weird things are happening. Before, the media, videos, audio and just any and all content already stored on (sdb1) was always available on the Media Directors/Orbiters, and not accessable from Admin->Files & Media | Media Files Sync. After doing the routine you explained (deleting-letting LinuxMCE re-discover the drive and then using LinuxMCE's dircetory structure), All seemed correct. The media on the (sdb1) was now still available on MD's and Orbiters, as well as, accessable from Admin, however, the media on (sdb1) now dissappears, that is, it dosen't show up on Orbiters to be able to play on Media Directors. I've tried this several times. I'll go to the device tree, delete the external drive, reboot the Core, let the drive be re-discovered, pick LinuxMCE's directory structure, and then it's back, For A While. It's available to Orbiters, in order to play on Media Directors, and it is accessible from Admin to edit or update the artwork and such.
But then it dissapears from the Orbiters, but now, it's still avilable on the Admin->Files & Media | Media Files Sync, the opposite of my original problem.
Reloading the Router and even rebooting the Core dosen't fix it! Only redoing the outlined procedure gets it back for a while. I've tried picking Public Content. That dosen't work.
Pigdog, I hope this helps to understand these strange things I'm experiencing and you or someone can really explain what the hell I'm doing wrong. This was not ever a problem until I had to reinstall the Core because of a runnaway log file that filled up my original smaller OS drive and crippled the original installation.
Thanks, Charles
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Hi,
How soon before media disappears?
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Hi,
How soon before media disappears?
Within a day or two.
I just did the routine again. LinuxMCE has already, on it's own, resyncronized the media, and now it appears in both, the database and on the disk. It's presently both, in Admin-> Media Files Sync and available to the Orbiters. I'll try and track it very carefully to see what transpires and what I do prior to it happening, when it dissappears again.
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Does it all get deleted at once or piece by piece?
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Does it all get deleted at once or piece by piece?
Answer: All at once!
Sorry I was modifying my post when you were replying.
You missed this modification:
I just did the routine again. LinuxMCE has already, on it's own, resyncronized the media, and now it appears in both, the database and on the disk. It's presently both, in Admin-> Media Files Sync and available to the Orbiters. I'll try and track it very carefully to see what transpires and what I do prior to it happening, when it dissappears again.
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When it disappears again, take a look at the "online" tick box in the drive device data. It may be going offline, in which case the media will disappear (this is correct behaviour as you don't want to see media that is on a device that isn't currently available)
If so, then you need to troubleshoot why the system thinks the device is offline (just reticking the box will not fix the underlying issue!)
You should also see in the UpdateMedia log file whether UM can actually still see the files, but is marking them offline, or whether UM can't even see the files.
Things that spring to mind that could cause a problem are the autofs automouting is screwed up, the symlinks from /mnt/device to /home/public/data/etc are screwed up, or the storage device radar is having problems and thinking the device is offline... all should be fixable, but you need to determine the above first.
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When it disappears again, take a look at the "online" tick box in the drive device data. It may be going offline, in which case the media will disappear (this is correct behaviour as you don't want to see media that is on a device that isn't currently available)
If so, then you need to troubleshoot why the system thinks the device is offline (just reticking the box will not fix the underlying issue!)
You should also see in the UpdateMedia log file whether UM can actually still see the files, but is marking them offline, or whether UM can't even see the files.
Things that spring to mind that could cause a problem are the autofs automouting is screwed up, the symlinks from /mnt/device to /home/public/data/etc are screwed up, or the storage device radar is having problems and thinking the device is offline... all should be fixable, but you need to determine the above first.
Thanks, I'll follow up.
Regards,
Charles
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Hi,
I've just rebuilt from scratch (now at 2.29) and will have to add my MD's.
I'll watch for your problem.
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When it disappears again, take a look at the "online" tick box in the drive device data. It may be going offline, in which case the media will disappear (this is correct behaviour as you don't want to see media that is on a device that isn't currently available)
If so, then you need to troubleshoot why the system thinks the device is offline (just reticking the box will not fix the underlying issue!)
You should also see in the UpdateMedia log file whether UM can actually still see the files, but is marking them offline, or whether UM can't even see the files.
Things that spring to mind that could cause a problem are the autofs automouting is screwed up, the symlinks from /mnt/device to /home/public/data/etc are screwed up, or the storage device radar is having problems and thinking the device is offline... all should be fixable, but you need to determine the above first.
Collin, it has happened again. But this time, as per pigdog's comments, I watched very carefully what transpired before the failure. After adding several devices which required several router reloads, all was ok with the media drive. It was only when I had to reboot the core, with a proper shutdown, after the reboot, I then checked the orbiters and all showed the video and audio files missing.
I checked the device tree from admin and the drive was still shown as before. Checking the drive info data, the online box was ticked as to be online, but viewing the files from Admin-> Files & Media | Media Files Sync, there were no videos (movies), listed.
This whole setup is different than when I originally installed the core on 810-alpha2, and then aquired the 1.5TB drive to be added as a seperate media disk. When I originally set up the 1.5TB, I partitioned the drive and formatted for ext3, plugged it in, rebooted the core and it was discovered and asked the normal questions. I selected use it, all public, and it was then presented to me anytime I inserted a DVD for example, and chose to copy it. The system defaulted to it instead of the smaller OS drive and I copied the DVDs to the Public area. Never A Problem. Many router reloads and many Alpha2 updates and many Reboots of the core never destroyed the setup or the Orbiters/Media Directors from seeing and using it.
Also I remember that when I went into Admin-> Files & Media | Media Files Sync, the drive was listed on the left, without having to go into videos, under data, under public, under home. I just went into Admin-> Files & Media | Media Files Sync, selected the drive, ST31500341AS (sdb1)-CORE [79], selected show content, and all of my movies, for example, was there, both in the database and on the disk. Never a problem!
Only after having to reinstall the core, did problems begin to surface regarding the media drive, (sdb1). It has never been correct or reliable since then. I have tried to view UpdateMedia.log with several programs but it is so damm large, Kate, nor other, even windows programs, will open it. It's over 2gig large. I haven't deleted it yet, but I have copied it over my network and stored it on my on-Line drive for access by other Linux and Windows computers. If I looked into the (sdb1) drive with Dolphine I could then figure out what the original structure was because I don't remember it having the LinuxMCE structure vs. the Public, and it worked, flawlessly.
I've tried deleting and letting it be rediscovered several times, picking the LinuxMCE structure makes it work until a core reboot and picking the public dosen't even let it show up, period.
It's got about 190 DVD movies and a handful of cds ripped to it. To many to start over ripping.
Any help would be more that appreciated.
Thanks,
Bewildered Charles
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OK, firstly it isn't that you have selected LMCE folder structure instead of public.... the vast majority of people use that method without any issue, and it is the correct method to use in 95% of cases for a long list of reasons. The behaviour you are seeing is not normal, and my guess is there was a problem during your most recent install. That being said, one approach would be to reinstall again - heavy handed and long winded, however extremely likely to solve your problem. Failing that we need to troubleshoot.
Some tips... don't try to open log files with desktop apps, go to a terminal (command line) either on the core's desktop or remotely using an ssh program like Putty. To browse back and forth in a large log file use the command "less /var/log/pluto/logfilename.log" and you can page up and down very quickly irrespective of how big the file is. But if you want to see realtime changes, use "tail -f /var/log/pluto/logfilename.log" as this will continually display the bottom of the log file as new events are added... very useful.
Lets establish if the standard linkages for media drives are in place. First get the device number of your drive. Now from a terminal session:
ls -al /mnt/device
You should see a list of disk devices in there that are just a number. One number per device, and one of the should be the number you noted above. For instance if the device number is 30, then....
drwxrwxrwx root root 0 2009-08-15 20:15 30
The first bit are the permissions and ownership - check these are the same as above. (drwxrwxrwx root root) Now...
ls -al /mnt/device/30
You should get a directory listing of what is on that drive starting with public and user_1/2. Do a few more ls's into the directories to confirm that the content is all there. If so, then at least you know that the drive is 1) accessible and 2) mounted correctly.
Now LMCE patches each of the media folders into the correct media library location using symbolic links. Do a,
ls -al /home/public/data/videos
This should list an entry for each media storage device, and you can see that it is a link back to the /mnt/device location - confirm that all looks fine and is pointing to the correct location. The permissions should look like this:
lrwxrwxrwx root public
Note the first letter is "l" meaning "link". Now try ls'ing inside that link (it behaves just like the directory it points to) and you should be able to see the contents of the drive, but in this new location rather than its mounted location. This will confirm that the link is in place, right permissions, active and pointing at the right thing.
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I would also like to add, that sometimes devices are in their unmounted cycle, which means they won't show up in /mnt/device until they've been accessed. It's the nature of our automounter.
-Thom
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Charles,
It sounds like the same underlying problem is in http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=8684.0 "Data Disk lost after latest update"
Have you been able to find a cure?
thanks,
joseph
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Charles,
It sounds like the same underlying problem is in http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=8684.0 "Data Disk lost after latest update"
Have you been able to find a cure?
thanks,
joseph
Just to let everyone know, I took collinjones suggestion and reinstalled the core with Alpha2.29. I kept my old core's installation because I had a clean, spare drive to use as a new Core OS. Upon installation, I quickly discovered a host of improvements, new messaging as things were loaded/started, and the new default Titanium-Blue menus. I left the 1.5TB data drive in and connected for the new install, and during the later part of the installation, the drive was discovered and I selected the LinuxMCE structure and all went well. I have had several Router reloads as per adding X10, Z-Wave, Ip Cameras, Analog Cameras on Bluecherry PCI card and many core reboots to test the installation and I haven't yet had a problem with my (sdb1) data drive being lost as before.
The only bug I've found is in the new Titanium Menus. The first time the menu for the Core was generated during the initial setup, all of the buttons were present. The second time, when the system requested to regenerate the Orbiters after device installations, the media buttons on the core's Orbiter were all gone.
I remembered this strange behavior on the prior installation when one upgrade included the Titanium menus the first time. I simply edited the Orbiter's menu choice in Admin back to Basic from Titanium, saved, reloaded the router and regenerated the Orbiter and the media buttons were back.
There has to be a bug in the regeneration script for Titanium that dosen't show up in the initial build/first generation.
I hope this helps others and thanks to all who contributed to supporting my problems.
Charles