[mythtv-users] Re: mythtv-users Digest, Vol 34, Issue 96

[Nick]

On 20/12/05, Jason Sharpe <mythtv.list at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Message: 25
> > Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 12:39:27 -0600
> > From: Brandon Stoll < mrmagoo at mrmagoo.org>
> > Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] 2 Backends, 1 backend use the serial port
> >        of the other?
> > To: Discussion about mythtv <mythtv-users at mythtv.org >
> > Message-ID:
> >
> <9c6219930512191039g3f158f4bk477f122302c75c43 at mail.gmail.com>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> >
> > On 12/19/05, Jason Sharpe <mythtv.list at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hello!
> > >
> > >  I am 98% done with my mythtv whole house setup! I have learned alot and
> > > look forward to tweaking this sucker out!
> > >
> > >  I have 2 standalone backends, the master has a DCT3200 via firewire and
> a
> > > HD-3000 (OTA) in it. Both inputs working pretty flawlessly (knock on
> wood).
> > > I intend to have the master hold all of the recordings from the 2 BEs
> (about
> > > 1TB in the master so that should be enough for now)
> > >
> > >  I wanted to setup a slave BE to do all the transcoding, Comm flagging,
> > > nuvexport etc so the master BE can focus on recording. I find that 80%
> of my
> > > recordings take place on nights and weekends  along with 100% of the
> viewing
> > > at the same time so why not let the slave do the other tasks while the
> > > master is hard at work recording and serving to the frontends.
> > >
> > >  One of the last steps of this entire project is turning off the TiVo
> (YAY!)
> > > and moving my DishNetwork receiver onto myth. I have read of the
> headaches
> > > of getting a HD-3000 (using DVB drivers) and a PVR-250 working in the
> same
> > > box so I installed a PVR-250 into the slave BE.
> > >
> > >  To start, I am not running LIRC on any frontend or backend for remote
> > > control use. I have PS/2 IR keyboards and learning remotes to make it
> easy.
> > > (that way I can whip out the IR keyboard and use it to browse the
> web/email
> > > when I I don't want to fire up my laptop.)
> > >
> > >  I have a serial IR blaster from www.irblaster.info that I need to use
> to
> > > control the DishNetwork box. My issue is that the slave BE does not have
> a
> > > serial port on it. However my master BE sits right next to the slave and
> it
> > > does have a serial port. I have LIRC working on the master and blasting
> > > correctly using /dev/lircd.
> > >
> > >  Being a linux newbie I am probly asking a basic question, but with the
> > > PVR-250 in my slave BE is there a way to have my slave BE use the serial
> > > port on my master BE to blast to control the DishNetwork box?
> > >
> > >  Again being a newbie I tried NFS just for fun and when I tried to mount
> > > /dev/lircd on the slave it it failed, but I didn't expect it to work
> (exact
> > > error was "mount: 192.168.1.50:/dev/lircd failed, reason given by
> server:
> > > Not a directory")
> > >
> > >  I have a USB to Serial dongle that I could use, but from what I have
> read,
> > > that wouldn't work with the blaster I have and with LIRC. (or am I
> wrong?)
> > >
> > >  I guess the last resort would be to put the HD-3000 in the slave BE and
> the
> > > PVR-250 in the master, but with an hour of HD using 8gig, I figure it
> would
> > > be best to leave it in the master so the slave doesn't have to try to
> push
> > > that large amount of data over the network to store it on the master.
> > >
> > >  Any suggestions?
> > >
> > >  Thanks!
> > >  Jason
> >
> > Yes, you can do this.  lirc has a command-line option to have your IR
> > machine run as a server and have your other machine connect to it to
> > use the remote.
> >
> > As far as I can tell lirc has no documentation on this.  Check lircd
> --help
>
>
>
> Wow, you weren't kidding when you said there is no documentation on the
> networking feature of LIRC.
>
> I thought I had everything working, the slave reported that it connected to
> the master in the log, the master's log showed that it accepted the slave's
> connection. But I couldn't get anything to pass properly to the master....I
> spent a few hours last night searching and testing, but with no luck.
> (however I am a Linux newbie, so it EASILY could have been me..:)
>

This is an interesting thread - how were you attempting to send
signals to the 'server' from the 'client'? Even the lirc mailing list
has sparse information on networking lirc - ensuring you specify the
driver and port when starting lircd and ensuring you connect to the
correct port when starting the client seem to be the key tips.

Are you using irsend to 'send' signals to the 'server' machine? Does
the transmitter on the 'server' work properly when running in
'standalone' mode (i.e. no network options, just using the serial
driver

Nick