[mythtv-users] Remote frontend won't connect to backend

Mike Perkins mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk
Fri Apr 27 10:29:32 UTC 2007


Kevin Kuphal wrote:
> Ole Wolf wrote:
>> I realize this question has been asked before, but I haven't been able to find 
>> an answer to the question on Google.
>>
>> I'm having problems setting up a frontend on a new machine, which complains 
>> that it can't connect to the remote backend.
>>
>> My MythTV box, named "media.mydomain.com," has a backend running and a 
>> frontend running, and this combination works fine.
>>
>> It seems it's possible to create a connections to the appropriate services on 
>> the MythTV box:
>>
>> * I'm able to connect to the MySQL database running on "media.mydomain.com" 
>> from the new machine.
>>
>> * I'm also able to telnet from the new machine to the backend 
>> on "media.mydomain.com" using the command "telnet media.mydomain.com 6543".
>>
>> * When I run "mythwelcome" on my new machine for the first time, the settings 
>> I enter on my new machines appear to be stored in the MySQL database 
>> on "media.mydomain.com".
>>
>> * There are no firewalls active on the LAN, and SELinux is off. All of the 
>> machines on the LAN look up each other's host name via the same DNS server.
>>
>> But, when I start "mythfrontend" or "mythwelcome" a second time on the new 
>> machine, here's what the frontend says:
>>
>> 2007-04-26 21:55:29.565 Connecting to backend server: media.mydomain.com:6543 
>> (try 1 of 5)
>> 2007-04-26 21:55:29.566 Connection timed out.
>>                         You probably should modify the Master Server
>>                         settings in the setup program and set the
>>                         proper IP address.
>>
>> The timeouts occur instantly.
>>
>> I've checked the database on "media.mydomain.com," and the "settings" entry 
>> for "MasterServerIP" is "media.mydomain.com".
>>
>> I'm lost: can anyone help me narrow down why I can't connect to the backend on 
>> the MythTV box from my new machine?
>>   
> You can't use DNS names when specifying the host to connect to.  The log 
> says as much "set the proper IP address"
> 
> Kevin
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> 
I must disagree with the absolute accuracy of the above remark. It is 
possible to use domain names: I have done so successfully. However, the 
caveat is that every one of the PCs on my LAN has a full hosts file 
containing all local names and IP addresses.

The other downside is you must declare each FQDN to mysql. Using the 
format "%.example.com" didn't work for me for some reason I couldn't 
figure out.

Even so, the situation is not perfect - I had one front end work 
successfully using a domain name for weeks, rebooted it for another 
issue - and it promptly started requesting a connection to mysql using 
an IP address.

Stick to IP addresses. Most Myth users don't really need the kind of 
lookup flexibility that goes with domain names, locally at least.

Mike Perkins


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