SmartEPG - install and uninstall problems.

[Cameron]

Hello,
I recently had some problems with Australian logos, fixed thanks to Firebird and Mike.
But it seems my installation has more serious problems.

Background: 7170 model, free-to-air only. about 5 months old.
It has just returned from having its 3rd HDD installed, so I have a freshly reset system.

I have used TaptoDate to install a few TAPs, including SmartEPG.

HDD_Info
RebuildNAV
SmartEPG + fontpack + Aus logos
TMSRemote
TMSTelnetd

After a day or two, smartEPG would lock up the system. (v5.4c)
I used TAPtoDate to do a "repair", which made no difference.
Then I did a "repair - standard settings" and it started working again.
Then it was updated to v5.4d
But it worked only for 2 days, when it locked up again.

Looking at the logs, I suspect an infinite loop trying to recover from a corrupt file.DB, but before I get involved in sorting out this problem, I want to make sure I have a clean install. However I am having some problems.

I thought I would do a manual install, so I know exactly what is happening.
Problem 1: Bug?
I used TAPtoDate to do do a "uninstall (complete)". This action left all the settings/SmartEPG folder intact, but it did delete all the fonts within the settings/fonts folder. TAPtoDate still listed SmartEPG fonts as being installed.
I manually deleted the settings/SmartEPG folder to remove all trace.
Problem 2:
I tried running the manual installer SmartEPG_Install.tap from the Topfield-Europe TAP page, but it complained about all the missing fonts.
I went to the same page for the SmartEPG Fontpack, but it only links to a small file: 8E0A4267.ttd, which looks to me like a TAPtoDate config file. I cannot understand how to do a manual install from that.

So, what would the experts recommend to get a clean install of SmartEPG?

Cheers,
Cameron.

[FireBird]

Hi Cameron,

Problem 1: Bug?
I used TAPtoDate to do a "uninstall (complete)". This action left all the settings/SmartEPG folder intact, but it did delete all the fonts within the settings/fonts folder.

Fixed now, the fonts should not be deleted any more if TAPtoDate uninstalls SmartEPG.

TAPtoDate still listed SmartEPG fonts as being installed.

This information is kept in the Settings\TAPtoDate folder.

I went to the same page for the SmartEPG Fontpack, but it only links to a small file: 8E0A4267.ttd, which looks to me like a TAPtoDate config file.

Fixed too. While there is no installer for the fonts, the link will now point to a zip file, which contains all ufnt files. But as your’re using TAPtoDate, this is still the recommending method. Do a repair of the font pack and the fonts should reappear.

Cheers,
Alex

[Cameron]

Thanks Alex,

Yes, I did the TAPtoDate repair to get the fonts back, but forgot about WinSCP's habit of caching directory listings for a session, so it still showed the fonts folder as empty. I found a backup copy of the fonts on my pc.

But I still think there may be something wrong with my reinstallation.
This time it was installed using the directly downloaded install TAP, and the other times via TAPtoDate.

The fileDB.log file shows numerous entries like this:

2013-12-19 17:56:35 FileDB: the DB check has found an inconsistency and has deleted the files
2013-12-19 17:56:36 failed to load 'File.db'
2013-12-19 17:56:36 failed to load the current database. Trying to restore the backup.
2013-12-19 17:56:36 the backup doesn't exist or is damaged

Then, after starting a recording I get

failed to open the string DB
Failed to stat() '/'

every 5 seconds for maybe the duration of the recording.

If I telnet in as root, then
# ls -ld /
shows global rx permissions.
# stat /
works as expected.

The .db files present are: Event, EventExtDescr, File, Services and Timer

[FireBird]

The fileDB.log file shows numerous entries like this:

It may show this only for the very first start of SE after a fresh installation.

Failed to stat() '/'

[Cameron]

It may show this only for the very first start of SE after a fresh installation.

During the first installation it repeated the "found inconsistency" error messages over 4 days, usually (always?) after resuming from standby. And after making several recordings.

For the time of the second installation, I did not save any useful logs.

The 3rd installation gave two warnings after installation, then it made a recording, then next morning it twice reported inconsistency of file.db.
Then made 6 recordings that day (which was yesterday) and did not complain the next morning. However the pvr was left running all night, so it did not have to return from standby to do the channel scan.
When I then returned from standby at 12:30 it again complained about "inconsistency"and has deleted the files.
Then 20 seconds later it reports "new file 000 ..." and lists the full pathname of a recording that was made starting at 18:25 yesterday. This was probably when I started to replay it.
I also later replayed bits from another recording and it also listed it as a "new file 001".
Then I put it into standby, and when I returned from standby it once again reported corrupted file.db and deleted it.

The path should contain the full path to the recording (like ‘/mnt/hd/DataFiles/Orient/ORF2E.rec&#8217 . As these are very strange issues, do you have any evidence if there’s any other 7170 user, successfully using SmartEPG? Including the same firmware version that you are using?

Mike (aka Referee) says he has a similar system working with SE. It has the same firmware revision, dated Sept 2012.

What is the "strings DB" ?

Should I be able to extract strings and see recording filenames in File.db? The copy I saved this morning is obviously larger: 1080 bytes for 6 recordings compared to 24 bytes when it is reinitialised, but there is no sign of filenames nor text of any kind.

[FireBird]

What is the "strings DB" ?

It should contain a long chain of text entries and you should be able to find file names, folder names and EPG data.

Currently I have no idea what is going on on your Toppy. Maybe you can give this TAP a go and send me the result (FIS_Test.tgz) by mail. It collects some internal information from your Toppy and maybe I can see something interesting.

[Cameron]

It should contain a long chain of text entries and you should be able to find file names, folder names and EPG data.

If this should be in a file named FileText.db, the file is not present at all.

Maybe you can give this TAP a go and send me the result (FIS_Test.tgz) by mail.

Done, and sent to the email in your profile.

[Cameron]

Just a short update:
Firebird has sent me a modified TAP and it looks like it is working properly, although there are still one or two small oddities.
I am giving it a thorough workout.

[keith_leitch]

I have been having a problem with SE, since upgrading to the most recent version. Oddly, though, rolling back to version 6.2c does not solve it. It is definitely a problem specific to SE, though.

Some channels--for me, Eleven and 7TWO and a few shopping channels--have giant "holes" in the guide (see first attached image) despite the fact that the native program guide lists programs there (see second attached image).

[Twilight]

just have a look in the SE log durnig the scan in the morning.
what happends if you scan this transponder now?
normaly the reason is that the epg data was not complete during the scan, but hours later when you check it they are complete

twilight

[keith_leitch]

Thank you. We seem to have solved it here:

http://topfield.forumchitchat.com/post/ ... 1285103357

[Twilight]

your link doesn't work

twilight

[FireBird]

That one should.

[Twilight]

internal server error...no luck today

twilight

[FireBird]

Komisch. Bei mir klappt es und ich bin dort nicht registriert.

[Referee]

Another comment,

Keith had the same problems as we discussed earlier with file daily scans v's API.

For some reason our services seem to have less problems with API scans.

On another note I still have the ICE icon appear for Timers set on the default EPG rather than SE.

Cheers
Mike

[FireBird]

I'll remove these icons with the next release.