AppServer does not start

[RichardP]

I'm trying to install 704, as a first-timer trying to familiarise myself with LinuxMCE before 710 is released.

I keep having a problem with AppServer not starting up, and a black screen saying not all devices have successfully started up (not the exact wording).

I've installed several times, each time doing a fresh install with different installation options - with/without DCHP server, with/without different hardware, always with the same error.

So, what does device #15, AppServer do, and what can affect it during startup? Any ideas?

[hari]

I'm trying to install 704, as a first-timer trying to familiarise myself with LinuxMCE before 710 is released.

I keep having a problem with AppServer not starting up, and a black screen saying not all devices have successfully started up (not the exact wording).

I've installed several times, each time doing a fresh install with different installation options - with/without DCHP server, with/without different hardware, always with the same error.

So, what does device #15, AppServer do, and what can affect it during startup? Any ideas?

iirc the appserver segfaults when using amixer without a sound card. Do you have a sound card?

regards,
Hari

[RichardP]

iirc the appserver segfaults when using amixer without a sound card. Do you have a sound card?

I do. At first I've tried to use the onboard sound on the motherboard. I'm away from the computer at the momemnt, and I can't remember what type it is. After that I bought an Audigy Value, put that in and disabled onboard sound. The change to the Audigy was not a response to the problem - it was simply to have a soundcard which gave me digital sound that I could put into my Dolby surround system.

Playing further over the last few days, I've found that MythTV won't work inside LinuxMCE, although it works under the Kubuntu desktop. I'm assuming that this is due to appserver not running.

Thanks for the reply Hari. I'll check the iirc channels (have to learn how to do that first). Although I don't think Appserver is segfaulting, the info might give me some other insight into what it's doing or expecting. Everything helps.

[hodge]

Hello,

Have you found a solution to your problem?  I seem to be having the same issue as you.  I did notice in the LMCE launcher on the soundcard tab the driver box was blank, but the sound works..  Could this be the issue?  Still trying to find my way around on the system.

I've tried running the App_Server manually and I get a seg fault right away.

If anyone can help point me in the right direction it would be great.

Thanks,
Hodge

[RichardP]

Hello,

Have you found a solution to your problem?  I seem to be having the same issue as you.  I did notice in the LMCE launcher on the soundcard tab the driver box was blank, but the sound works..  Could this be the issue?  Still trying to find my way around on the system.

I've tried running the App_Server manually and I get a seg fault right away.

If anyone can help point me in the right direction it would be great.

Thanks,
Hodge

Not yet. Still working on it. I'm currently searching the iirc channels, but no luck yet. Can you post your hardware configuration, and also what the return code from appserver is when it dies? Have a look at the logs in LMCE Launcher.

[hodge]

There was one log file were I found it trying to start and it was throwing an error code of 139.

I'll have to look into the soundcard thing some more when I get home, maybe amixer is being weird.  Wish work didn't block ssh so I would have something fun to do all day.  I guess thats why its blocked.

[hodge]

RichardP

Looked at my hardware and it turns out i have a Creative Labs SB Audigy LS.  Also when I try playing a video in mplayer it says "Alsa-control unable to find simple control 'PCM',0.  I can get it to work by selecting the use a software mixer option but this might be causing some sort of an issue with my system.

Will investigate further, I can control the output using the alsamixer app.

[hodge]

Okay i threw the core file its dumping into gdb and this is what I found:

Core was generated by `./App_Server'.
Program terminated with signal 11, Segmentation fault.
#0  0xb7bf4509 in snd_mixer_selem_has_playback_volume () from /usr/lib/libasound.so.2
(gdb) bt
#0  0xb7bf4509 in snd_mixer_selem_has_playback_volume () from /usr/lib/libasound.so.2
#1  0x0806b4de in MasterMix::GetVolumeLimits (this=0x807260c) at amix.cpp:41
#2  0x0806b559 in MasterMix (this=0x807260c) at amix.cpp:20
#3  0x0805b641 in App_Server (this=0x80723c0, DeviceID=0, ServerAddress=@0xbfa5a238, bConnectEventHandler=true, bLocalMode=false, pRouter=0x0)
    at App_Server.cpp:74
#4  0x08057a9e in main (argc=1, argv=0xbfa5a304) at Main.cpp:196

Some random web browsing brought me to the ALSA wiki page for the driver i'm using. http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/Audigyls which states:

WARNING: The Audigy LS is a very basic sound card. It has no hardware mixer, no DSP, and no interpolators.

So right now I'm assuming that the reason it is segfaulting is because the card itself does not have a mixer on it and requires a software mixer inorder to work properly.  Can anyone verify this for me?  I'm going to swap my sound card with another as soon as I get some dinner.

[RichardP]

There was one log file were I found it trying to start and it was throwing an error code of 139.

I'll have to look into the soundcard thing some more when I get home, maybe amixer is being weird.  Wish work didn't block ssh so I would have something fun to do all day.  I guess thats why its blocked.

139 is the same error I'm getting. My soundcard works fine though, both on analog and digital, so I doubt that that is the problem. If there are settings you want to compare with mine, let me know where to find them and I'll post them. I'm sure the LS and the Value are based on the same innards.

[hari]

Okay i threw the core file its dumping into gdb and this is what I found:

Core was generated by `./App_Server'.
Program terminated with signal 11, Segmentation fault.
#0  0xb7bf4509 in snd_mixer_selem_has_playback_volume () from /usr/lib/libasound.so.2
(gdb) bt
#0  0xb7bf4509 in snd_mixer_selem_has_playback_volume () from /usr/lib/libasound.so.2
#1  0x0806b4de in MasterMix::GetVolumeLimits (this=0x807260c) at amix.cpp:41
#2  0x0806b559 in MasterMix (this=0x807260c) at amix.cpp:20
#3  0x0805b641 in App_Server (this=0x80723c0, DeviceID=0, ServerAddress=@0xbfa5a238, bConnectEventHandler=true, bLocalMode=false, pRouter=0x0)
    at App_Server.cpp:74
#4  0x08057a9e in main (argc=1, argv=0xbfa5a304) at Main.cpp:196

Some random web browsing brought me to the ALSA wiki page for the driver i'm using. http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/Audigyls which states:

WARNING: The Audigy LS is a very basic sound card. It has no hardware mixer, no DSP, and no interpolators.

So right now I'm assuming that the reason it is segfaulting is because the card itself does not have a mixer on it and requires a software mixer inorder to work properly.  Can anyone verify this for me?  I'm going to swap my sound card with another as soon as I get some dinner.

to quote my previous post: iirc the appserver segfaults when using amixer without a sound card. Do you have a sound card?
have been there...

[teedge77]

i had the same problem with the appserver never starting...also have an audigy. ill try switching mine out sometime soon too.

[hodge]

to quote my previous post: iirc the appserver segfaults when using amixer without a sound card. Do you have a sound card?
have been there...

Hari,  I have a sound card, and it works properly, there is audio and everything.
I believe the problem is that according to ALSA:

The Audigy LS does not have a master volume control. For analog output, use "Analog Front", "Analog Rear" and "Analog Center/LFE" for volume.

  http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/Audigyls_playback

From what It looks like the App_Server is trying to access the the Master volume control.

[hodge]

Well that seems to be the problem.

RichardP do you want to try the following and see if you can get it to load?

See if this command returns anything:

Code: [Select]

amixer controls | grep -i master
If not that is most likely your problem.  You have to create a new softvol control in ALSA.  Here is a reference link for more information:
http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/Softvol
http://alsa.opensrc.org/index.php/How_to_use_softvol_to_control_the_master_volume

Here is what I did to get it to work, as root I created the ~\.asoundrc file and it contained the following:

Code: [Select]

pcm.!default {
    type            plug
    slave.pcm       "softvol"   #make use of softvol
}

pcm.softvol {
    type            softvol
    slave {
        pcm         "dmix"      #redirect the output to dmix (instead of "hw:0,0")
    }
    control {
        name        "Master"       #Create the Master softvol volume control
        card        0
    }
}

Then throw out a speaker test so ALSA reads the .asoundrc file and create the softvol

Code: [Select]

speaker-test -twav -c2 -l1  You should hear it go through a speaker test (the c option is the number of channels) Excute the same command as at the begining to verify you now have a master volume control

Code: [Select]

amixer controls | grep -i master should return something and you should be able to start App_Server. 

I haven't tested this with rebooting but I'm going to do that right now.

[hodge]

It doesn't save the mixer on reboot, and you have to play a sound inorder to get it back in there so the App_Server fails on reboot.

I did find that you can issue the command alsactl store stores your current mixer settings and mine were restored on reboot, so everything is working now.

Let me know if this fixes your problem.

hodge

Update:  It loads but you can't control volume, so it will probably need some tweaking.

[RichardP]

It doesn't save the mixer on reboot, and you have to play a sound inorder to get it back in there so the App_Server fails on reboot.

I did find that you can issue the command alsactl store stores your current mixer settings and mine were restored on reboot, so everything is working now.

Let me know if this fixes your problem.

hodge

Update:  It loads but you can't control volume, so it will probably need some tweaking.

It Works
That was the problem all along. Who would have thought it - there were references to Appserver segfaulting when there was no soundcard, but I was discounting that because I had working sound.

Thanks Hodge!

I no longer have any sound, but that is probably a minor problem - I suspect the newly installed software mixer is sending the sound into the bitbucket. I do some reading up on the software mixer and see what it needs. I'm just too excited right now to have everything working to worry about a little thing like sound. Maybe I'll learn to lipread!