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Topics - ajward

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Hi,
I just want to check I'm not missing something obvious, but I think there's a bug in the Web Admin Advanced->Network->Network Settings screen.
:-
For various historical reasons, I wanted a non-default host name and domain name for the dcerouter. This screen seems to suggest that you can change them.

Sure enough, if you change the default values of dcerouter and (from memory) LinucMCE for host and domain, they seem to change. BUT, if you reboot, they seem to revert to dcerouter and pluto respectively.

Looking into the scripts in /usr/pluto/bin, it seems that whenever changes to this page are submitted, the dhcp and named configuration areas (probably some others) are re-written.

That's not completely unreasonable given the purpose of LinuxMCE, but it would be nice to be told  :).

Also, the domainname seems to be forced to the value of /etc/default/domainname. The dcerouter host name is hard coded into the network scripts.

However, some of the dhcp and named configuration files do change with changes to the network setting page.

So, in summary,

  • it isn't clear that manual changes to the network configuration will be overwritten when you make *any* change through the network setting page.
  • it isn't possible to get consistent settings if you change the domain name and host name though that page

I have made some minor changes to make this work consistently, but I'm not familiar enough with php and the relationship to the pluto network scripts to get everything right, but I've got what I want out of it.

If someone wants to see the changes ask me, but the reason for the post was to ask someone who knows this area if I've got the wrong end of the stick.

Andy.

2
Developers / embedded Ethernet control device support in LinuxMCE
« on: March 11, 2011, 04:21:43 pm »
Hi,

I'm proposing to use embedded Ethernet control devices to do much of the legwork in my home automation system. It isn't something that LinuxMCE seems to support, but I think it should: here's my reasoning...

It strikes me one of the limitations of LinuxMCE is that the Core runs on a single PC, and is by definition a single point of failure. If that PC has a brain fart at the wrong moment, the whole house in non-functional. Not acceptable, in my book.

Nevertheless, the idea of a central system integrating security, cameras, lighting control, multimedia entertainment etc. is seductive. That's why I'm persevering.

The Barionet is a small, DIN rail device that can be commanded over TCP/IP (including SNMP, MODBUS RTU & HTTP), and has local digital I/O, and support for 1-wire devices and RS232/RS485 connected slave devices (typically more MODBUS). It also has local intelligence, programmed in a variant of Basic (ho hum!).

For those of you who haven't heard of this kind of device, details are available here...

http://www.barix.com/Overview/781

There are other, similar devices, this one for example...

http://www.h2m8.com/products/product.php?type=5&detail=1&liststyle=mainlist

...but this is the most suitable I've found so far.

My plan is that things like heating and lighting control are configured and controlled from LinuxMCE, but most of the low-level functions (lighting scenes, heating control loops) are delegated to the Barionet devices.

I think I then get the best of both Worlds - central control, distributed intelligence: resilience.

I realise this is a fair amount of work, I'm just wondering what people think of my analysis, and my plans.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Andy.

3
Developers / Specifying a pipe for a non-DCE device
« on: February 13, 2009, 06:18:23 pm »
Hi guys,

Still making progress with the Dusky Control device for Sky boxen.

I have the device working, and I have the "ReceiveCommandForChild()" method picking up the fact that a Sky box is a child to the control box, and the control box DCE device has to change channels on the child Sky box.

I need to refine the templates so that I can identify the Video signal from the Sky box as an output (typically connected via a SCART lead to an input in the TV).

I can't work out how to do it. In the device template definition, the only relevant thing seems to be something like "Edit Audio/Video Attributes". And when I click on that, it tries to download IR codes, and fails. I'm not sure if it fails because there are no relevant IR codes, or if there is still a problem with the linuxmce.org service that offers these codes. Anyway it seems to be fatal to the process, and I can't get any further.

Where do I define that a non-DCE device (a set-top box) has a video output?

Again, sorry if it's obvious and I've missed it, but I've spent a frustrating few hours looking, and this is hopefully the last step.

Cheers,
Andy Ward.

4
Developers / How do I get to Device data in a C++ DCE device? [solved]
« on: January 23, 2009, 01:33:52 am »
Hi,

Sorry if there's a simple answer in an obvious place for this, but I couldn't find it!

I have a USB DCE device (it's the Dusky Control USB Sky device), and I have it working (Hurrah!).

...but the implementation only works with one device, because I can't translate the box_num/device_num identification system used by the Dusky software to what I need.

The solution seems to be to parse the /dev/bus/usb/nnn/mmm string that LinuxMCE generates against the Device Data/Block Device parameter when it auto-detects the device.

I've found that data in the database, but I can't work out how to get retrieve it given only the DeviceID. I could use sqlCpp and query it directly, but surely there's a utility method for doing this?

I suspect it might have something to do with ::GetConfig() and the DATA_ configuration parameters, but I can't work out the calls to make from the code.

Can anyone find it in their hearts to help me out with a simple example, please?

TIA
Andy W.

5
Users / Stupid IR blaster question
« on: January 11, 2009, 01:34:37 am »
Hi,

I have an IRTrans box, and I want to  use it to control my plasma TV in LinuxMCE. I've been through the AVWizard, and it has correctly generated most of the other config.

I have the results of a learning session in a .rem file in /usr/pluto/bin/remotes. I know from previous experience that irserver would happily use the appropriate remote and key when told to. I assume the IRTrans support in LinuxMCE will do no less.

The problem is this: I have set everything up, but where do I tell the system what codeset to use to control the TV?

Surely it is a characteristic of the TV device template, along with "controlled via device category IR". But I can't see how it can work it out automatically, and I can't see where it would be entered.

Sorry if I've missed it in the documentation, but I have had a good look. Honest.

Cheers,
Andy.

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