I built a box with latest Knopp install as a standalone system so I could get all of the hardware working and tested, and now I want to use it as a front end with my other system as the backend. For now, I've simply stopped the backend, set the backend IP address in the fronend and I seem to be connected ok. However when I go to watchTV, it just pauses and then returns to the menu. When I go to Watch Recording, I can see the recordings on the backend, but when I go to watch one, I again just get a black screen for a few seconds, and then a return to the menu.

There don't seem to be any error messages anywhere. What could I be missing?

Also, I'm uncertain about how WatchTV works with multiple front ends. Is the last channel maintained on each front end? How do you specify a starting channel initially?

Danial

You'll need to set the hostname to the backend's IP address and set a "Custom Identifier" in database settings (under General), change the MySQL settings on the backend, and (probably) have a share for your other media (videos, music, pictures) that each KM box can access. See http://www.knoppmythwiki.org/index.php? ... nlyInstall for initial settings, as well as http://www.knoppmythwiki.org/index.php?page=NFSHowTo for the sharing portion.

As far as I can tell, the initial channel is setup in mythtv-setup, but the last channel you were watching is stored in the database so the next time you watch live TV it starts you on that channel. I don't know if this is configurable.

Well, wikis are semi-useful, but I've done most of what I think needs to be done. I know I'm connected to the backend, I've stopped the backend on the front end box.

However the wiki says to disable the database altogether. The front end doesn't use the database at all? Doesnt it have to store audio and video settings for the box itself? Something doesn't seem right. You also said it stores the last channel in the database.

Should the front end have the database address set to localhost, or the address of the backend?

How can I get some error message or debugging on what is happening when I go to watch a recording and just get a black screen? The box works with the local backend, so it must be a networking or communcations issue, but the backend log has no entry at all

Danial

Ok, more info. I figured out how to get some error msgs. When I go to watch LiveTV, I get

RemoteEncoder::openControlSocket(): Connection timed out
GetEntryAt(-1) failed



When I try to watch a recording, I get:

RingBuf(/myth/tv): Invalid file (-1) when opening '/myth/tv'.

Is an NFS share required to watch recordings also? From the wiki it seems like that is for videos.

Danial

It's been a while since I've set up a front-end-only system, but to answer your earlier question:



The answer is: The frontend-only system does not need to run it's own data base. The frontend-only system will talk to the master backend system, which has the database. The master backend's database will hold configuration info about both it's local frontend and the remote front end. It distinguishes the systems by hostname.

Marc

After much ado I did get this working. I assumed the frontend kept its settings in a database also, but I guess the backend keeps the settings for each front end as they attach?

I have a new problem now, perhaps someone should shed some light. I get horizontal stripes/breakups on the front end. I was using the front end as a standalone previously with no video problems, and I use an HD Homerun so the functionality of ethernet -> box should be about the same using a backend. I'm only using 30% cpu watching HD. What setting might be the problem?

Danial