Messages

31

Installation issues / Re: Starting CORE software automatically. Beta1.1

« on: August 26, 2007, 04:39:41 pm »

How To Start The Core Software automatically at boot:

First: Ubuntu/Kubuntu doesn't use anymore the System-V init  process, instead it uses upstart, more info on: http://upstart.ubuntu.com/
Second: The LMCE config file is: /etc/pluto.conf . Here you can configure if you what to automatically start the core and/or the orbiter:

            AutostartCore=0 : the CORE will not automatically start after Launch Manager starts
                               =1 : the CORE will automatically start after Launch Manager starts
   equivalent with the "Autostart CORE" check box from the Launch Manager

            AutostartMedia=0 : the Orbiter will not automatically start after Launch Manager starts
                                =1 : the Orbiter will automatically start after Launch Manager starts
   equivalent with the "Autostart Media Station" check box from the Launch Manager

Third:
A.How to change from: "Primary used as PC -- KDE starts by default" to "A dedicated LMCE System - You can start KDE when you need
it"
Step0: Open a console (ALT+CTRL+F2), login, go root (sudo su - and your password when asked)
Step1: modify AutostartCore=1 option in /etc/pluto.conf file
          nano /etc/pluto.conf
Step2: rename /etc/init.d/kdm to /etc/init.d/kdm.saved
          mv /etc/init.d/kdm /etc/init.d/kdm.saved
Step3.1: create pluto file in /etc/event.d
          nano /etc/event.d/pluto
and write this line in it:
         
start on runlevel 2

stop on shutdown
stop on runlevel 3
stop on runlevel 4
stop on runlevel 5

script
/usr/pluto/bin/Startup_Core-Hybrid.sh
end script

Step3.2: Save it and set 644 rights on it
      CTRL+O , Enter, CTRL+X (in nano) ,
      then in console:
      chmod 644 /etc/event.d/pluto

Step4: Reboot your PC

B.How to change from: "A dedicated LMCE System - You can start KDE when you need it" to "Primary used as PC -- KDE starts by default"

Step0: Open a console (ALT+CTRL+F2), login, go root (sudo su - and your password when asked)

Step1: rename /etc/init.d/kdm.saved to /etc/init.d/kdm
          mv /etc/init.d/kdm.saved /etc/init.d/kdm

Step2: delete the pluto file from /etc/event.d
          rm /etc/event.d/pluto

Step3: Reboot your PC

Ok, the above doesn't work without modification..

The options mentioned in pluto.conf aren't there, so, you have to add them, not just change them.
The actual command to run is /usr/pluto/bin/StartCoreServices.sh since the other one starts the graphical launch wizard.  That seems to startup the core service as I want.

The other script that should be made, is one that calls StopCoreServices.sh on shutdown.

Bill

32

Feature requests & roadmap / Re: DHCP Configuration options.

« on: August 25, 2007, 07:47:05 pm »

I've checked out the pages recommended, and have not found any options in order to specify the IP address of the default router, or the IP address for the nameserver to use.
All that I see is the ability to specify the IP address mappings for machine mac addresses.

Bill

33

Feature requests & roadmap / Re: Displaying weather, etc.

« on: August 25, 2007, 07:37:24 pm »

Check out the Myth Weather module.

34

Installation issues / Re: PLEASE HELP!! ATIX1650

« on: June 08, 2007, 05:59:37 pm »

The ATI fglrx driver includes a command line tool that will allow you to modify the xorg.conf file.  This will allow you to enable and disable the composite/svideo out vs the VGA out for the card.  You might wish to google for "fglrx composite out" or "fglrx tv output".  That's what I had to do.  Just being told how to get into an editor for the xorg.conf file will not be enough.  For doing this kind of stuff, I will normally open up a terminal window and do a "sudo su -" in it, to have root access.

Just be warned, the current LinuxMCE has a bias towards NVidia based cards, because of 3D composting capabilities that are not included in the ATI driver.  That is what allows the fancy UI2 menus that are shown off in the video you saw.  I eventually gave up messing with the ATI video driver when I found out that the ATI based system board I was using couldn't run both the VGA and Composite/SVideo at the same time!  Good thing I didn't buy that $300 case that has the VGA LCD on the front!  I am presently using the ATI based machine as my core in the "server room"(basement). 

And, yes the video shows you what all this work to set it up is for :-)  It's unfortunate that the installation is not as simple as it could be, but things are actually getting better.

The actual commands I would do in the terminal window are like this...

xhost +localhost
sudo su -
DISPLAY=:0.0
export DISPLAY

Then I would start up an something that needs to display to the screen like xterm just to verify that root can display to the screen.  That's what the xhost line is for.  If xhost +localhost doesn't work, then do xhost + instead.  The reason why I don't recommend that, is that it allows anybody on any machine to access your X server.  The +localhost only allows access from your local machine.  127.0.0.1 should be equivalent to localhost.  You can close the extra xterm right away if you want, it really only needs to be done once to verify that the xhost line is correct, after you determine the proper xhost command you don't need to perform that test again.

Hope this helps a bit..

Bill

35

Installation issues / Re: Starting CORE software automatically. Beta1.1

« on: June 08, 2007, 05:37:18 pm »

Yes, but I don't want to be running the X server normally on the core, and, now that I've got it installed, I want to have the core software start at boot, but the orbiter to only start when I ask it to.  I do not want to have to log into the machine to get the core to start.  I want the core to start as part of the init process like it would if I chose core rather than hybrid install.

Bill

36

Installation issues / Re: Beta1.1 Problem with network boot MD

« on: June 08, 2007, 05:34:43 pm »

I was trying to get it installed...  That's a useful link to remember :-)  I eventually got if fixed by copying the linux kernel and initrd from /boot to /tftpboot/default replacing the copies that were there, then the machine started to boot properly

It worked for a bit, then it got upset about not using the nvidia driver and in the process of it trying to automatically install the nvidia drivers, the video got all messed up.  I'm now working to try to resolve that issue.  At least before it got messed up, I was able to view a video stored on the core.  So things are starting to work.

Bill

37

Users / Media streaming

« on: June 07, 2007, 06:32:20 pm »

Hello,
  I would like to know if it is possible to have the media playback be multicast?  Like VLC can do.  Where you have a VLC server running streaming the video/audio out, and multiple VLC clients can be viewing the same stream.

  I'm not sure I like the remote file mounting for media that seems to prevalent for media center PCs.  I'd even like the pictures to be streamed this way as well.  If there are any MDs in screen saver mode, then the screen saver should be running on the core streaming out to any MDs that care, when all of the MDs are active, then the screen saver can sleep for a while.

  Don't know if this really belongs in users or not..

Bill

38

Installation issues / Starting CORE software automatically. Beta1.1

« on: June 07, 2007, 06:13:50 pm »

Hello,
  When I installed, I chose the option that the machine would be used primarily as a PC (I would have liked primarily as CORE) since I didn't want the orbiter to start automatically, but I'd still like the CORE backend software to start.  I just don't wan't the orbiter starting automatically.  I'll probably also turn off the automatic starting of X/KDE when I get things working smoothly.

  So, what do I need to do to get the CORE to start at system boot, not when the LinuxMCE application is run from a desktop.  I tried putting the shell script that the LinuxMCE application calls to start the core into /etc/rc2.d, but that didn't seem to work.  I don't like having to log in in order to get the CORE running.  I would change it to autologin, but I still need to enter a password for starting LinuxMCE, which kind of defeats the purpose of autologin.

Options I'd like to see at install time:
1) Install as CORE only
2) Install as Hybrid which includes CORE and Orbiter running at boot
3) Install as Hybrid with just CORE running at boot, Orbiter can be started by itself from the desktop.
4) Install as Media Director, with no CORE, Just Orbiter and other Media display functions

Bill

39

Feature requests & roadmap / DHCP Configuration options.

« on: June 07, 2007, 05:43:47 pm »

Hello,
  I would like the DHCP options for nameservers and routers to be able to be specified, let them default to the LAN IP, but allow them to be changed/added to.
Presently I have modified the dhcp scripts to have a sed line that fixes the dhcpd.conf file after being generated by PlutoDHCP.  I looked at the PlutoDHCP source code and see that it seems that this would require modifying database schemas to accomplish, since it just uses the local IP for both of those config options.

Bill

40

Installation issues / Beta1.1 Problem with network boot MD

« on: June 07, 2007, 05:37:24 pm »

Hello,
  I have a hybrid core that is running on an ATI based platform, and a NVidia based MD. 

  As of last night, the MD doesn't even boot all the way anymore.  It loads the kernel from the core, and starts to boot, after it detects the network it reboots.  It was booting at one point, getting to the point where it was telling me that it was notifying orbiters of a new MD, but the orbiter on the CORE never displayed anything,  So I went through the web page and reclicked the setup diskless MD, just in case.

Anything I should be looking at?

Bill

41

Users / Re: Minimum install for MediaDirector

« on: April 26, 2007, 11:29:44 pm »

No, I was wanting to have everything running off of the CF drives.  (solid state, no unnecessary network traffic)

Bill

42

Users / Re: Missing Network boot option in BIOS.

« on: April 26, 2007, 11:27:37 pm »

There is another option...  Just turn off the onboard NIC, and put one in that does do network boot...  I'll go back and revisit the CF boot later, when the waste of a NIC card gets too me :-)

That boots at least, now I'm sitting here with a message saying it announced itself to the router, and to use an Orbiter to continue...   I thought this would boot into an orbiter!  Oh well, back to searching for answers.

Bill

43

Users / Minimum install for MediaDirector

« on: April 26, 2007, 04:30:19 am »

Hello,

  How much disk space is really needed on a director?  Could we set up a micro dist that would include enough to work as a director and still fit in < 128 meg?
There are some mostly working BitBake receipies for the orbiter, that somebody was doing up to have a Zaurus as a director, so maybe Open Embedded would work as a starting point?

I know, I know.. Do it myself...

On that note...  What are the critical packages that need to be installed and working for a MediaDirector that can still stream media.  But, don't hold your breath waiting for me to roll it :-)

I have a couple of RCA RM-4100 (AKA MSNTV2) boxes that are in the process of having LinuxBIOS ported to them, that will soon be perfect for MediaDirectors,  They have 1Meg of
BIOS memory to play with, and come with a 64meg CF card, that can be replaced.  To give you an idea..  One of the LinuxBIOS folks has installed a complete working Linux with an X Server in a 2 Meg BIOS chip.

Bill

44

Users / Missing Network boot option in BIOS.

« on: April 26, 2007, 04:19:43 am »

Hello,
  I got this Soyo SY-P4RC350 board, partially because it had onboard Composite and S-Video out, and partly because I had a P4 2Ghz processor from a dead machine lying about.  I had it working with Knoppmyth, and would like to use it "mostly" diskless.  I have some 64meg IDE Flash drives, that I'd like to use for the initial boot (just one if possible).  Can anybody point me the correct way to do this..  The BIOS doesn't seem to have an option to enable network boot, and I don't see it doing the PXE inquiry at all.

  More clearly (possibly :-)

  I want the machine to boot the Linux kernel from the Flash drive, and then act as if it is a diskless boot client by getting the rest of it's system from the Core system.

  .. So much to do, so little time <hmm> ..

Bill