Topics

16

Users / Thom, Our Thoughts are with you...

« on: March 29, 2012, 02:56:09 am »

and I am in a critical care ward on death watch for my father.

-Thom

Thom,

I think I can safely say that the LMCE communities' thoughts are with you and your loved ones.  May you cherish and celebrate the memories of the good times you've spent with your father, and I hope that those memories help bring comfort and peace to you both.  May your faith (or the Force ;-) grant you the strength, courage and peace of mind to face what comes.

Our Thoughts and best wishes are with you.  You are not alone.

/Mike

17

Users / Myth, VDR, or no TV at all...

« on: March 23, 2012, 06:24:57 pm »

With the discussion about MythTV 0.25 and it's new services API, I'm curious as to how much each PVR back-end is used.  So, if you're presently using one of the 2 PVR back-ends that are supported in LMCE (either in LMCE or separately), why don't you cast a vote and comment if you want.  Since we don't have a 'popularity contest' capability in LMCE, this could be interesting to see how many people use the TV functionality, and what are the levels of usage for each PVR backend.

Thanks!

/Mike

18

Developers / So, what comes next after 8.10 GA?

« on: September 06, 2011, 04:27:23 am »

This is a followup to my post on the user's forum...

http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php/topic,11889.msg83738.html#msg83738

I'm wondering if there's a roadmap/game plan as to what happens next one 8.10 goes out the door...

In the immediate near future, is the plan for an in-place upgrade from 8.10 to 10.04, or will it be "a blow it away and reinstall" like the transition from 7.10 to 8.10?  Given that I have young kids and a family with a busy extracurricular schedule, I'm looking for some guidance as to where I can best direct my limited time and efforts to provide some useful results.

Thanks!

/Mike

19

Users / Help with Insteon, please! (merkur2k and/or Aviator?)

« on: June 26, 2011, 04:45:52 am »

Hi Folks!

I'm hoping merkur2k and Aviator are monitoring... I've got a 10.04 install running, that I'm trying to migrate over my 2412S PLM from Misterhouse to LMCE for control.  I've looked through Trac tickets 1115 (Insteon PLM work) and 1112 (Insteon PnP detection), and tried implementing both.

I've set up an interface using Template 2103, and I put the PLM detection script from Trac#1112 in /usr/pluto/pnp (which I also symlinked from InsteonPLM.sh to 88_InsteonPLM.sh, to correspond with the Wiki instructions for Insteon).  So far, I'm not having any joy...

From the logs, I get this...

Code: [Select]

== ATTEMPT FRESH START ==
1 06/25/11 21:57:09 /usr/pluto/bin/Spawn_Device.sh 54 (spawning-device) 17376 Dev: 54; Already Running list: 15,16,18,19,29,30,37,21,22,23,26,32,27,51,49,53,
== FRESH START ==
1 06/25/11 21:57:09 /usr/pluto/bin/Spawn_Device.sh 54 (spawning-device) device: 54 ip: localhost cmd_line: Insteon_PLM_DCE
0 06/25/11 21:57:09 54 (spawning-device) Entering 54
========== NEW LOG SECTION ==========
1 06/25/11 21:57:09 54 (spawning-device) Starting... 1
1 06/25/11 21:57:09 54 (spawning-device) Found /usr/pluto/bin/Insteon_PLM_DCE
05 06/25/11 21:57:09.867 Connection for client socket reported NEED RELOAD IP=127.0.0.1, device 54 last error 2 <0xb77db6d0>
05 06/25/11 21:57:09.867 The router must be reloaded before this device is fully functional <0xb77db6d0>
05 06/25/11 21:57:09.870 void ClientSocket::Disconnect() on this socket: 0x807e0a0 (m_Socket: 5) <0xb77db6d0>
05 06/25/11 21:57:09.877 Connection for client socket reported NEED RELOAD IP=127.0.0.1, device 54 last error 2 <0xb77db6d0>
05 06/25/11 22:03:54.274 Got a reload command from 0  <0xb63d8b70>
05 06/25/11 22:03:54.535 void ClientSocket::Disconnect() on this socket: 0x807e310 (m_Socket: 7) <0xb77db6d0>
Return code: 2
2 06/25/11 22:03:55 54 (spawning-device) Device requests restart... count=1/50 dev=54
Sat Jun 25 22:03:55 EDT 2011 Restart
========== NEW LOG SECTION ==========
1 06/25/11 22:04:05 54 (spawning-device) Starting... 1
1 06/25/11 22:04:07 54 (spawning-device) Found /usr/pluto/bin/Insteon_PLM_DCE
05 06/25/11 22:04:09.027 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
05 06/25/11 22:04:10.028 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
05 06/25/11 22:04:11.029 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
05 06/25/11 22:04:12.031 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
05 06/25/11 22:04:13.033 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
05 06/25/11 22:04:14.034 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
05 06/25/11 22:04:15.039 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77f36d0>
== ATTEMPT FRESH START ==
1 06/25/11 22:34:31 /usr/pluto/bin/Spawn_Device.sh 54 (spawning-device) 14314 Dev: 54; Already Running list: 15,16,18,19,29,30,49,
== FRESH START ==
1 06/25/11 22:34:31 /usr/pluto/bin/Spawn_Device.sh 54 (spawning-device) device: 54 ip: localhost cmd_line: Insteon_PLM_DCE
0 06/25/11 22:34:31 54 (spawning-device) Entering 54
========== NEW LOG SECTION ==========
1 06/25/11 22:34:31 54 (spawning-device) Starting... 1
1 06/25/11 22:34:31 54 (spawning-device) Found /usr/pluto/bin/Insteon_PLM_DCE
05 06/25/11 22:37:58.951 Got a reload command from 0  <0xb63c9b70>
05 06/25/11 22:37:59.632 void ClientSocket::Disconnect() on this socket: 0x99f5310 (m_Socket: 7) <0xb77cc6d0>
Return code: 2
2 06/25/11 22:38:00 54 (spawning-device) Device requests restart... count=1/50 dev=54
Sat Jun 25 22:38:00 EDT 2011 Restart
========== NEW LOG SECTION ==========
1 06/25/11 22:38:09 54 (spawning-device) Starting... 1
1 06/25/11 22:38:09 54 (spawning-device) Found /usr/pluto/bin/Insteon_PLM_DCE
05 06/25/11 22:38:11.036 Connect() failed, Error Code 111 (Connection refused)) <0xb77396d0>
I'm presuming merkur2k has only recently started working on the DCE device for the PLM, given the recent date on the trac ticket.  Could you help me out with this?  I can provide testing info for you...

Thanks!

/Mike

20

Users / Upgrade path from 8.10?

« on: March 11, 2011, 03:46:06 am »

Good day folks!

Are there plans for an LinuxMCE upgrade path from 8.10, or will it be a "blow it away and re-install" type upgrade?

Just curious, as I'd like to get an idea of how much effort I should put into the 8.10 environment I'm presently kicking the tires on vs the 10.04 environment I plan on setting up.

Thanks for your time!

/Mike

21

Users / Sambahelper, unix and pluto users, and home dirs.

« on: January 03, 2010, 05:49:00 am »

Hi Folks!

First of all, Happy New Year to all!  All the best to ya for 2010!

I'm plodding along with my setup and testing LinuxMCE in KVM, and trying to understand some things so I can properly merge my existing environment with my future LinuxMCE environment.  One of the things I'm wanting to leverage is the NIS (Network Information Services) for centralized user management, as I'm wanting to have Unix user logins/homes available.  Here's how NIS and the various user types appear to be configured in LinuxMCE based on poking around my systems:

UIDs 0-999: root and Normal Linux service accounts, generally no shell/login for service accounts
UIDs 1000-9999: Unix User accounts, shell and login, merged into NIS passwd maps.
UIDs 10000+: Pluto User accounts, no shell or login, merged into NIS passwd maps.

So, generally it all makes sense, and is a normal Linux environment.  The pluto users don't get login capability, and their homes will never fill up with Unix stuff like dotfiles.  Now, here's the problem or what I don't understand.  A user gets created on the core called "sambahelper" that gets the next available UID in the Unix users range, and it gets pushed into the NIS passwd map.  That same "sambahelper" also gets created on MD's using the first available UID, which may not be the same as the one on the core, or in NIS, as it appears that the user is created using the useradd command without the -u switch.  

Here's what my install looks like right now...

CORE: /etc/passwd
mkbrown:x:1000:1000:Michael Brown,,,:/home/mkbrown:/bin/bash
sambahelper:x:1001:1001:Pluto Samba Share Helper:/tmp:/bin/false

MD: /etc/passwd
sambahelper:x:1000:1000:Pluto Samba Share Helper:/tmp:/bin/false

NIS: (ypcat passwd)
mkbrown:x:1000:1000:Michael Brown,,,:/home/mkbrown:/bin/bash
sambahelper:x:1001:1001:Pluto Samba Share Helper:/tmp:/bin/false

So, when I ssh into an MD as mkbrown, I end up with the following:
sambahelper@moon31:~$ id
uid=1000(sambahelper) gid=1000(mkbrown) groups=4(adm),20(dialout),24(cdrom),46(plugdev),112(lpadmin),119(admin),120(sambashare),1000(mkbrown)

Would it not be better to have this "sambahelper" user set to a lower UID, like 999, so it's not pushed into NIS?  This could likely cause a lot of problems with file permissions, but I'm not familiar with the role of the "sambahelper" user...  Should "sambahelper" even be in NIS?  Seems more like a service account to me... Should I file a bug report to set it to something like UID 999?

I also noticed that the mythtv user was not getting the same UID on the MD as was on the core, but was sharing the same home directory?  Problem?  Bug report?

Now, a question about home directories.  The pluto user homes (user_#) are obviously for Samba shares for Windows users, and are primarily for media storage (especially for personal media when you enter your PIN into an Orbiter/MD.  If I create Unix users and want to avoid duplication, could I add my Unix user to the pluto_user's group (or vice versa) and symlink the various media folders to the other home directory?  Would this break anything?  I know Thom doesn't want us fighting the system, so I'd like to figure out how to work with it without duplicating effort or damaging anything!

Thanks for your time!

/Mike

22

Users / Dallas Semiconductor 1-Wire Questions

« on: November 16, 2009, 03:41:52 am »

Hi Folks!

I'm presently kicking the tires on LinuxMCE, and I have some questions regarding 1-wire support.  There isn't much in the Wiki on 1-wire support, so I'm hoping to be able to flesh it out with what I find out...

How is the 1-wire support implemented?  Is it direct into LinuxMCE as a DCE device, or via something like the 1-wire file system (OWFS) or digitemp?

What devices other than thermometer chips does it support?  Does it support the 1-wire switches for a switched 1-wire network?  Does it support A/D and GPIO type devices?

Is the 9097U serial adapter supported in addition to the 9490R USB 1-wire adapter?

Are you able to input a calibration offset amount into the configuration that gets applied to the individual sensors?  Due to where most of my sensors are located (phone jack height), I offset those sensors by a degree C so they jive with what my Thermostat reads.

I remember some past forum discussion about data logging not presently existing or about to be implemented... so I guessing that in the 8.10 beta there isn't any way of graphing or otherwise recording temperatures... is that correct?  I'm presently feeding a bunch of 1-wire sensors throughout my house into the 1-Wire Weather (OWW) daemon, which feeds that info into Misterhouse, which generates RRD graphs that I can use to analyse tweaks made to the HVAC system.

Thanks for your time!

/Mike

23

Users / Insteon questions

« on: November 16, 2009, 03:19:20 am »

Hi Folks!

I'm new to LinuxMCE, and am presently getting to know it via a KVM VM on my existing system.  I'm also presently starting to build out a mixed Insteon and X10 network.  I've got a few questions relating to the existing documentation on the Wiki...

Is it still necessary for the 8.10 beta to build out the PLM template with the Ruby codes that are in the WIki?  Source page: http://wiki.linuxmce.com/index.php/Insteon_-_Setting_Up_PLM_Template

Is it possible to create Insteon scenes in LinuxMCE and have them pushed into the link tables on the devices themselves?

Is the Insteon driver itself still considered beta?  Is the X10 support information on this page still accurate?  http://wiki.linuxmce.com/index.php/Running_the_Insteon_PLM_Driver_for_the_First_Time

Thanks for your time!

/Mike

24

Feature requests & roadmap / Calendar/Groupware Integration

« on: November 15, 2009, 10:16:51 pm »

Hi Folks!

I'd like to suggest Calendar and groupware integration as a Feature to round out LinuxMCE's feature set.  Integrating groupware like Zarafa, Zimbra, OpenGroupware.org, php/egroupware, or another similar groupware package to leverage it's calendar, tasks, contacts and integrate that functionality into LinuxMCE.  Plus, you could leverage a mobile sync solution like zpush (Open-Source ActiveSync implentation) or Funambol (SyncML), would allow for the integration of mobile devices with the same datastore as in LinuxMCE (and vice-versa).  The idea would be that calendaring/task/contact and sync functionality would be handled by their respective projects, and LinuxMCE would wrap it's functionality much like MythTV or Xine, either with wrappers or API calls.

Usage cases:

You wakeup to an LinuxMCE alarm.  The system reads you your daily appointments as you get ready in the morning.

Your mobile device is synced against the DataStore shared with LinuxMCE. Contacts you have just added to your mobile device are now available to the Asterisk Telephony system.  Birthdays listed in your contact's information are announced a predefined period of time in advance.

LinuxMCE's behaviour is modified by categories or keywords found in your calendar.  For example, you set an earlier wakeup time in your calendar due to attending a seminar, so LinuxMCE automatically starts your morning wake-up routine at the earlier time, rather than at the regularly scheduled time.  You have a party at home, so LinuxMCE automatically engages entertaining mode.

Hopefully this is some food for thought...

/Mike