[mythtv-users] Automatic mythfilldatabase runs to Schedules Direct seem to be frequently failing

[R. G. Newbury]

On 14/02/14 03:45 PM, Ian Evans wrote:
> I've noticed more and more occasions lately where the scheduled
> mythfilldatabase runs seem to failing with download errors when trying
> to get info from Schedules Direct.
>
> Funnily enough, if I do a manula run as the mythtv user, I've never seen
> it fail.
>
> Here are the failed auto runs:
>
> Jan  9 21:02:31 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Jan 15 21:04:01 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Jan 19 21:03:08 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Jan 22 21:02:46 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Jan 24 02:05:16 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Jan 29 21:02:36 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Feb  3 21:02:16 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Feb  9 21:02:00 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
> Feb 12 21:02:09 DataDirect: Failed to get data: Download error
>
> Anyone else noticing more download errors?--

The problem can be something waaayyy outside your mythbox.
I have seen something like this which only occurred when the mythbox and 
other computers had not been touched for some time. Turned out that my 
cable/internet modem was losing DNS. I could ping the router, but not 
the world on first try, Pinging an outside site always resulted in a 
multi-second delay before I got any ping response. Using any other 
computer, or even retrieving email with my phone beforehand would 
re-instate a fully capable link but only with a delay.
But running mythfilldatabase at say two in the afternoon after many 
hours without any outside connection would fail.
I wrapped mythfilldatabase in a script which pings the router 3 times, 
then pings an outside site 5 times, then runs mfdb:
#!/bin/bash
ping -c 3 jag
ping -c 3 bell.net
mythfilldatabase --dd-grab-all.

No problems since then,

And No, it should not happen. It is a Rogers cable modem, so I have 
effectively a static IP (it has not changed in 2 years), but it is not 
quite the same thing as a DSL modem. I suspect that the entire link 
actually goes into suspend.

Of course, this may be quite wrong for your circumstance, But the error 
you are getting is quite weird too.

Geoff



              R. Geoffrey Newbury