Hello I somehow screwed up my serial port when I did the upgrade to RC57. I have two serial ports connected to two DirecTV boxes. Using the directv.pl script. I modified the script to call ttyS0 and ttyS1.

It worked fine from R5A16 to Rb57. The last upgrade screwed it up somehow. When i try to run the script test to change channel "sony1.pl 202" I get an 0x00 error.

Here is output of some checks.


root@mythtvmasterbackend:~# fuser -av /dev/tty[Ss][01]

USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/ttyS0
/dev/ttyS1
/dev/ttys0
/dev/ttys1


root@mythtvmasterbackend:~# ls -al /dev/tty[Ss][01]

crw-rw-rw- 1 root dialout 4, 64 May 7 2004 /dev/ttyS0
crwxrwxrwx 1 root dialout 4, 65 Jul 31 17:45 /dev/ttyS1
crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 3, 48 May 7 2004 /dev/ttys0
crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 3, 49 May 7 2004 /dev/ttys1
root@mythtvmasterbackend:~#

Do you (mythtv user) have membership in the right groups? Usually "uucp" or "tty" or something like that... Hmmm... Looks like it's "dialout" here, which seems reasonable. I'm guessing the answer is "no" because on my system...

Old thread but the problem is back.....

So I am now running R5e50, the only way to fix it at the time was to clean install later version. I then (yes I know this is wrong and I am not supposed to do it) but I just simply chmod 777 /dev/ttyS0 and the script /usr/local/bin/sony0.pl. Its worked fine for like a year.

All of a sudden I had a backend lockup had to reboot and now I can't watch live tv. The stupid udev rules of course changed one of the cards. Yes I never was able to fix that properly. I fixed the card assignment in setup but I still get black screen. So I figured I had better fix this properly.

First thing was to add mythtv to the dialout group as per the known changes for R5e50. Did that.

alexvd@mythtvmasterbackend:/usr/local/bin$ grep mythtv /etc/group
disk:x:6:mythtv
dialout:x:20:mythtv
cdrom:x:24:mythtv
audio:x:29:mythtv
video:x:44:mythtv
plugdev:x:46:alexvd,mythtv
mythtv:x:102:
alexvd@mythtvmasterbackend:/usr/local/bin$

Didnt fix the issue. So now I am stuck again. I could upgrade to the newest release but it won't fix this issue if it comes back again. So I am stuck.

The very odd thing is I have another receiver (different model)on /dev/ttyS1 and using the same script and it works fine.

So what is breaking that is screwing this up?

Here is log to show the errors

2007-06-21 18:00:28.699 MainServer::HandleAnnounce Monitor
2007-06-21 18:00:28.701 adding: mythtvmasterbackend as a client (events: 0)
2007-06-21 18:00:28.706 MainServer::HandleAnnounce Monitor
2007-06-21 18:00:28.708 adding: mythtvmasterbackend as a client (events: 1)
2007-06-21 18:04:40.531 Using runtime prefix = /usr
2007-06-21 18:04:40.601 New DB connection, total: 1
2007-06-21 18:04:40.622 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:04:40.632 Current Schema Version: 1160
Starting up as the master server.
2007-06-21 18:04:40.655 New DB connection, total: 2
2007-06-21 18:04:40.664 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:04:40.668 mythbackend: MythBackend started as master server
2007-06-21 18:04:40.698 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:04:40.714 New DB connection, total: 3
2007-06-21 18:04:40.724 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:04:41.892 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:42.895 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:43.897 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:44.900 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:45.901 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:46.903 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:47.905 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:48.909 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:49.914 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
Error (0x00)
2007-06-21 18:04:50.698 mythbackend: Running housekeeping thread
2007-06-21 18:04:50.916 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:51.919 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:52.921 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:53.932 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:54.934 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:55.936 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:56.938 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:57.940 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:58.942 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:04:59.944 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:00.946 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:01.948 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:02.951 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:03.953 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:04.956 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:05.958 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:06.960 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:07.964 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:08.966 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:09.968 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:10.970 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:11.972 ret_pid(0) child(3203) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:11.973 External Tuning program timed out, killing
2007-06-21 18:05:12.987 ret_pid(3208) child(3208) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:12.990 External Tuning program exited with no error
2007-06-21 18:05:12.991 TVRec(1) Error: Setting start channel '202' failed,
tuned to '2' instead.
2007-06-21 18:05:13.025 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:05:14.379 ret_pid(3211) child(3211) status(0x0)
2007-06-21 18:05:14.383 External Tuning program exited with no error
2007-06-21 18:05:14.385 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:05:14.411 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:05:14.437 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:05:14.464 New DB scheduler connection
2007-06-21 18:05:14.472 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:05:14.480 Main::Starting HttpServer
2007-06-21 18:05:14.506 Main::Registering HttpStatus Extension
2007-06-21 18:05:14.533 mythbackend version: 0.20.20060828-3 www.mythtv.org
2007-06-21 18:05:14.534 Enabled verbose msgs: important general
2007-06-21 18:05:14.536 AutoExpire: Found 5 recorders w/max rate of 560 MiB/min
2007-06-21 18:05:14.540 AutoExpire: Required Free Space: 5.4 GB w/freq: 5 min
2007-06-21 18:05:14.727 adding: mythtvslavefrontend as a slave backend server
2007-06-21 18:05:16.520 Reschedule requested for id -1.
2007-06-21 18:05:25.049 Scheduled 117 items in 8.5 = 7.31 match + 1.22 place
2007-06-21 18:05:25.061 scheduler: Scheduled items: Scheduled 117 items in 8.5 = 7.3
1 match + 1.22 place
2007-06-21 18:05:25.072 Seem to be woken up by USER
2007-06-21 18:05:30.079 AutoExpire: Found 5 recorders w/max rate of 560 MiB/min
2007-06-21 18:05:30.081 AutoExpire: Required Free Space: 5.4 GB w/freq: 5 min
2007-06-21 18:08:28.700 Using runtime prefix = /usr
2007-06-21 18:08:28.963 New DB connection, total: 1
2007-06-21 18:08:29.035 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:08:29.090 Current Schema Version: 1160
Starting up as the master server.
2007-06-21 18:08:29.214 New DB connection, total: 2
2007-06-21 18:08:29.227 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:08:29.236 mythbackend: MythBackend started as master server
2007-06-21 18:08:29.436 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:08:29.534 New DB connection, total: 3
2007-06-21 18:08:29.549 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
Could not open /dev/ttyS0: Permission denied
2007-06-21 18:08:30.976 ret_pid(2714) child(2714) status(0xd00)
2007-06-21 18:08:30.979 ChannelBase: external tuning program exited with error 13
Could not open /dev/ttyS0: Permission denied
2007-06-21 18:08:31.991 ret_pid(2733) child(2733) status(0xd00)
2007-06-21 18:08:32.005 ChannelBase: external tuning program exited with error 13
2007-06-21 18:08:32.006 TVRec(1) Error: Setting start channel '202' failed,
and backup '2' failed as well.
2007-06-21 18:08:32.066 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:08:32.218 mythbackend: Problem with capture cards: Card 2failed init
2007-06-21 18:08:32.232 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:08:32.280 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:08:32.356 EITHelper: localtime offset -4:00:00
2007-06-21 18:08:32.425 New DB scheduler connection
2007-06-21 18:08:32.435 Connected to database 'mythconverg' at host: 192.168.11.50
2007-06-21 18:08:32.443 Main::Starting HttpServer
2007-06-21 18:08:32.473 Main::Registering HttpStatus Extension
2007-06-21 18:08:32.541 mythbackend version: 0.20.20060828-3 www.mythtv.org
2007-06-21 18:08:32.542 Enabled verbose msgs: important general
2007-06-21 18:08:32.613 AutoExpire: Found 4 recorders w/max rate of 488 MiB/min
2007-06-21 18:08:32.618 AutoExpire: Required Free Space: 4.8 GB w/freq: 5 min
2007-06-21 18:08:32.811 adding: mythtvslavefrontend as a slave backend server
2007-06-21 18:08:34.686 Reschedule requested for id -1.
2007-06-21 18:08:44.773 mythbackend: Running housekeeping thread
2007-06-21 18:09:07.143 AutoExpire: Found 4 recorders w/max rate of 488 MiB/min
2007-06-21 18:09:07.490 AutoExpire: Required Free Space: 4.8 GB w/freq: 5 min
2007-06-21 18:09:10.759 Scheduled 117 items in 36.1 = 34.99 match + 1.07 place
2007-06-21 18:09:10.920 scheduler: Scheduled items: Scheduled 117 items in 36.1 = 34
.99 match + 1.07 place
2007-06-21 18:09:10.972 Seem to be woken up by USER

Just to answer a question which I am sure is next.

Running the script gives the following

root@mythtvmasterbackend:~# /usr/local/bin/sony0.pl 7
Error (0x00)

So since I have two boxes I switched the serial cables and can watch Live TV but the second serial port and tuner will not work.

Can anyone suggest troubleshooting steps. Somehow something got messed up but I dont see anything in dmesg and it worked before. So I am stumped

Next obvious question, did you put in the full path to the script and it's the correct path and spelling?
What I may suggest is creating a wrapper script which calls /usr/local/bin/sony0.pl with the appropriate value and echos the passed value to to a file, so that means you can check that script is being called correctly.

Bruce S.

_________________
Updated 2019/10/26: AthlonII X2 265 Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P
16Gb PC 1866 DDR3, 500GB+2TB+4TB SATA HDD,
SATA DVD-RW Asus DRW-24D5MT , NVIDIA GeForce GT1080
Hauppauage Nova-T 500, Nova-T LinHes R8.6.1

Yes I do have the correct path. The script is also in the proper place. As I wrote in the post above if I physically switch the serial cable to the other directv reciever then it works like a champ. Using the exact same script.

Like I said it worked before until the backend crash. I also had this issue on the previous release. Once I did a clean install to the next release it fixed it. If I remember correctly auto upgrade kept giving the same hardware error.

I dont know how to create a wrapper script. Is this simple to do?

Just had a look at your logfile again. Could it be worthwhile looking again at the permissions for your channel change app and the serial port? Just in case something has changed.
Can you run the sony0.pl app as mythtv?
Secondly is your sony0.pl app, is it an add on, as I cannot see it on my R5E50 box?
Also do you have a sample of your logfile which has the working port, well, working and could you post it here, thanks.

Bruce S.

_________________
Updated 2019/10/26: AthlonII X2 265 Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P
16Gb PC 1866 DDR3, 500GB+2TB+4TB SATA HDD,
SATA DVD-RW Asus DRW-24D5MT , NVIDIA GeForce GT1080
Hauppauage Nova-T 500, Nova-T LinHes R8.6.1

Just had a look at your logfile again. Could it be worthwhile looking again at the permissions for your channel change app and the serial port? Just in case something has changed.

I think you could be right with this. So now that the the serial cables are switched the proper script is sony1.pl( which is the same script just different name ) because that is now connected to the other serial port and box. Just so you know previously it controlled this
box with no issues

Here are the permissions output

root@mythtvmasterbackend:/home/mythtv# fuser -av /dev/tty[Ss][01]

USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/ttyS0:
/dev/ttyS1:
/dev/ttys0:
/dev/ttys1:
root@mythtvmasterbackend:/home/mythtv# ls -al /dev/tty[Ss][01]
crwxrwxrwx 1 root dialout 4, 64 Jun 22 17:45 /dev/ttyS0
crwxrwxrwx 1 root dialout 4, 65 Jun 22 17:29 /dev/ttyS1
crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 3, 48 Jun 21 18:08 /dev/ttys0
crw-rw-rw- 1 root tty 3, 49 Jun 21 18:08 /dev/ttys1
root@mythtvmasterbackend:/home/mythtv# grep mythtv /etc/group
disk:x:6:mythtv
dialout:x:20:mythtv
cdrom:x:24:mythtv
audio:x:29:mythtv
video:x:44:mythtv
plugdev:x:46:alexvd,mythtv
mythtv:x:102:
root@mythtvmasterbackend:/home/mythtv# ls -al /usr/local/bin/sony0.pl
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root staff 4645 Aug 3 2005 /usr/local/bin/sony0.pl
root@mythtvmasterbackend:/home/mythtv# ls -al /usr/local/bin/sony1.pl
-rwxrwxrwx 1 root staff 5870 Sep 18 2005 /usr/local/bin/sony1.pl


Can you run the sony0.pl app as mythtv?

it is now sony1.pl since that is the serial port and box it is connected to
here is output if i run sony1.pl as mythtv


mythtv@mythtvmasterbackend:~$ sony1.pl 202
Error (0x00)

You can see below that running sony0.pl has no issues now that it is connected to the other serial port and cable.

mythtv@mythtvmasterbackend:~$ sony0.pl 202

Secondly is your sony0.pl app, is it an add on, as I cannot see it on my R5E50 box?

Yes it is an add on the directv.pl script would not work. So someone sent me the older script that worked for the older sony and rca directv boxes. Technically it is just the older directv.pl script I have renamed.


Also do you have a sample of your logfile which has the working port, well, working and could you post it here, thanks.

Here you go

2007-06-22 17:43:04.714 ret_pid(6016) child(6016) status(0x0)
2007-06-22 17:43:04.719 External Tuning program exited with no error
2007-06-22 17:43:04.734 Finished recording Design on a Dime "A Two-Room Makeover
": channel 2229
2007-06-22 17:43:04.746 scheduler: Last message repeated 2 times: Finished recor
ding: Fox 5 News at 5: channel 1051
2007-06-22 17:43:04.758 scheduler: Finished recording: Design on a Dime "A Two-R
oom Makeover": channel 2229
2007-06-22 17:43:05.260 Finished recording Design on a Dime "A Two-Room Makeover
": channel 2229
2007-06-22 17:43:05.376 TVRec(1): RingBufferChanged()
2007-06-22 17:43:05.394 Finished recording Design on a Dime "A Two-Room Makeover
": channel 2229
[mpeg @ 0xb73587f0]Parser not found for Codec Id: 94210 !
0: start_time: 0.036 duration: 10.066
1: start_time: 3335.116 duration: 10.084
2: start_time: 0.026 duration: 10.059
stream: start_time: 0.289 duration: 37168.600 bitrate=20 kb/s
2007-06-22 17:43:05.677 AFD: Opened codec 0x8294ec0, id(MPEG2VIDEO) type(Video)
2007-06-22 17:43:05.679 AFD: Opened codec 0x82575d0, id(MP2) type(Audio)
2007-06-22 17:43:05.826 MainServer::HandleAnnounce Playback
2007-06-22 17:43:05.827 adding: ubuntudesktop as a client (events: 0)
2007-06-22 17:43:05.834 MainServer::HandleAnnounce FileTransfer
2007-06-22 17:43:05.836 adding: ubuntudesktop as a remote file transfer

Thanks for the info.

Right, we can see that mythtv is member of the dialout group and the dialout group has full access to your serial ports. So this is OK.


There might have been some permission issues here, as mythtv is not a member of staff, but as you mention, the other script works OK.


Right, that shows that the serial port is OK, I was worried that you may have had serial port problems.


That's not good.
I don't know what the differences between your script and the latest posted DirectTV script, here which should supposedly work with the earlier (Sony) boxes, but as I don't use this system I can't guarantee it. .

Right, let me get this clear, you have 2 serial ports (let call these S1 & S2), 2 Cables (C1, C2) and 2 boxes (B1, B2), and 2 programs (P1 & P2)

At first you have the following:
The first didn't work, but the 2nd did.
So as I understand it , you now you have :? and now the second doesn't work?

If the code is the same, with only the [$serport] line being the difference between the programs, (You have checked that line, that it is pointing to the correct serial ports? ), the permissions of the ports to be OK, the permissions for the sonyX.pl scripts to be OK, that seems to me, point to some kind of hardware problem/failure on the cable or the box.

Your STBs are the ones with the USB ports which need the Serial to USB adaptors?

The only thing I can suggest is trying out the following combinations (I'm assuming that the cable is the complete cable/USB adaptor assembly):
So If you put Go/NoGo in the results column, this should (hopefully) identify which component is giving problems. (This, is of course assuming that the assumption I made above, that you swapped the cables over at the PC end.)

BTW have you checked the STB settings, just to make sure something hasn't changed, also rebooted the STBs just to make sure?

Hopefully we should see some progress here.

Bruce S.

_________________
Updated 2019/10/26: AthlonII X2 265 Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P
16Gb PC 1866 DDR3, 500GB+2TB+4TB SATA HDD,
SATA DVD-RW Asus DRW-24D5MT , NVIDIA GeForce GT1080
Hauppauage Nova-T 500, Nova-T LinHes R8.6.1

Bruce so RCA box has serial (telephone size port to regular serial) and the Sony has serial. No usb adapters.

Bruce ok so last time I did this process I thought I had narrowed it down to a problem with the box serial port on the old RCA. So I switched it to the Sony Thinking Perhaps something had damaged it. However now I see that wasnt the case. I actually went through the process you outlined below for troubleshooting but I am going to go through it again.

So it got me thinking. I didnt change the perl script to modify what serial port it calls in the script. So just to check ,I modified the Sony1.pl script to call /dev/ttyS0 rather than /dev/ttyS1. When i did this the script worked no problem. However it change the wrong box obviously. Duhhhhh I switched the cables on the pc server. So the script works properly its clearly the port.

For some reason something broke and is causing a timeout when it tries to call /dev/ttyS1. The script works, the directv box works, the cables not at issue.

So I guess my question is how do I check to see if the port is working properly.
Only thing I could think of is that its a sharing problem or permissions problem.

So I did some checks and I see something that looks odd. Or maybe the issue but i dont know.

I am sharing alot of interrupts but I dont think I can get around that because of all the devices and it worked fine before. One question I have though is that you see at the bottem of this output

ERR: 2 is this a conflct???

root@mythtvmasterbackend:~# cat /proc/interrupts
CPU0
0: 236974452 XT-PIC timer
1: 10 XT-PIC i8042
2: 0 XT-PIC cascade
7: 35 XT-PIC ivtv0
8: 1 XT-PIC rtc
10: 0 XT-PIC cx88[1], cx88[1]
11: 19971632 XT-PIC cx88[0], cx88[0], nvidia
12: 57863911 XT-PIC cx88[2], cx88[2], ivtv1, eth0
14: 1978384 XT-PIC ide0
15: 76 XT-PIC ide1
NMI: 0
LOC: 0
ERR: 2
MIS: 0






root@mythtvmasterbackend:~# cat /proc/ioports
0000-001f : dma1
0020-0021 : pic1
0040-0043 : timer0
0050-0053 : timer1
0060-006f : keyboard
0070-0077 : rtc
0080-008f : dma page reg
00a0-00a1 : pic2
00c0-00df : dma2
00f0-00ff : fpu
0170-0177 : ide1
01f0-01f7 : ide0
0290-0297 : pnp 00:12
02f8-02ff : serial
0376-0376 : ide1
03c0-03df : vesafb
03f0-03f1 : pnp 00:12
03f6-03f6 : ide0
03f8-03ff : serial
0cf8-0cff : PCI conf1
b800-b80f : 0000:00:1f.1
b800-b807 : ide0
b808-b80f : ide1
d000-dfff : PCI Bus #02
d800-d83f : 0000:02:02.0
d800-d83f : eepro100
e400-e47f : 0000:00:1f.0
e400-e47f : pnp 00:12
e800-e80f : 0000:00:1f.3
e800-e80f : i801_smbus
ec00-ec3f : 0000:00:1f.0
ec00-ec3f : pnp 00:12

so looking at the script it appears to be a timeout issue.

I checked on the mailing list and this did happen with someone else but it didnt show how they fixed it. strange.

# busy wait bad!
die ("Error ($str)\n") if (time() - $starttime > ;
next if $str eq "0x00";

ok so I switched the box with another one and different serial cable and it now works. Very strange because this is what happened last time and I had to switch from the old box (that is working now and I thought it was the physical serial port on the box) to the box that is no longer working.

Using the dtv serial control program in windows works with the same serial cable and directv box. this is on a different computer though.

So i have no idea why this breaks.

Doing some additional troubleshootng with the (broken) box. I found it I took out the HU card and unplugged the box for 2 mins. It would execute the script without error. However the next time I attempted to execute the script it would give the timeout error.

So I have this problem again when I had a crash. Doing more searching it appears this is a known issue with this script and people had to use another script. This was one of the original channel change script that from "tarek".

Whats odd is everyone says they fixed it by power cycling the box. However I tried that and it did not work for me.