Plugin: Sage Job Queue (SJQ) v3

[Slugger]

Currently, SJQ has a test to determine if something is recording on any tuner, but there are no tests to test the state of specific tuners.

[wayner]

That would suffice - what is that test?

[Slugger]

IsSomethingRecording

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by wayner

I am having a problem where I have no audio on some recordings. This problems seem to be due to my STBs are dropping audio for some channels when the box sits for a long time (one day or more?) on the same channel. This problem is fixed if you change the channel and change it back.

Now I could fix this by just running a Scheduled Task on a daily basis that changes the channel. But this could potentially screwup a recording as it could change the channel during a recording.

Is there anyway to use SJQ to determine if a tuner is currently recording? If so then I could just use SJQ to run this batch file that changes the channel every once in a while.

If not SJQ then does anyone have any other ideas to fix this problem?

I have a very similar problem and would like to try a different solution.

I have cable boxes that the video will freeze for the first show recorded of the day. It's pretty much the same problem as wayner; if the boxes sits for a while, when you change the channel the video and audio will freeze. It doesn't always happen but it's happened enough to be annoying. If you change the channel again and then back, it is then fine. It is a problem with this series of boxes as I've swapped them out many, many times w/ the cable provider and the problem persists.

What I would like to do is schedule a channel change PRIOR to the recording.

For example. I use firewire channel changing so I can just wrap a channel change in a batch file. Then SJQ could run the batch file on a set inteval before the recording so that I get my two channel changes.

Is there a way to do this now?

-Peter

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

I have a very similar problem and would like to try a different solution.

I have cable boxes that the video will freeze for the first show recorded of the day. It's pretty much the same problem as wayner; if the boxes sits for a while, when you change the channel the video and audio will freeze. It doesn't always happen but it's happened enough to be annoying. If you change the channel again and then back, it is then fine. It is a problem with this series of boxes as I've swapped them out many, many times w/ the cable provider and the problem persists.

What I would like to do is schedule a channel change PRIOR to the recording.

For example. I use firewire channel changing so I can just wrap a channel change in a batch file. Then SJQ could run the batch file on a set inteval before the recording so that I get my two channel changes.

Is there a way to do this now?

-Peter

Not quite... because SJQ queues the task and waits for a task client to come and get it, you can't really guarantee that the task will run before the recording is scheduled to start. You also can't guarantee that the SJQ engine will queue the job at the proper time because of the way it works today.

However... the current beta for SageAlert should be able to handle this task. Unlike SJQ, if you tell SageAlert to run an exe when it receives an event, it launches it immediately. Of course, there are some restrictions. The exe is launched on the server (there is no remote client support). But for a channel changer script it seems you'd want to run it on the server anyway. The only thing missing is you need to have SageAlert receive an event to trigger the exe at the right time. There is no core event that would do this, but, luckily, SageAlert supports custom events. You'd just need a custom event that always fires, say, 3 minutes before a scheduled recording. Then config SageAlert to handle that event and launch your exe. I already have a plugin that provides custom events so you could add a feature request for me to add this new custom event for you. Unfortunately, I'm so busy with dev work on this new SageAlert feature itself, that you might be awhile waiting for that custom event. Alternatively, you (or someone else) could write the custom event for SageAlert.

I mention all of this because this new feature in SageAlert is likely to become the task queuing engine for SJQv4. It's not definite, but likely. I'm hoping through the use of SageAlert that I can make SJQv4 much less complicated (and therefore easier to maintain for me and easier to use for users). I'm not positive this is the way I'm going, but it seems I'm either going to do it this way or SJQv4 just won't happen.

Either way, I'd take a close look at SageAlert to accomplish what you're trying to do here.

NOTE: To do the above with SageAlert requires the fully unlocked version of SageAlert, which requires a donation. I mention this here so you don't start trying to implement this via SageAlert only to discover you need a license file to enable the process executor server in SageAlert.

[wayner]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

What I would like to do is schedule a channel change PRIOR to the recording.

For example. I use firewire channel changing so I can just wrap a channel change in a batch file. Then SJQ could run the batch file on a set inteval before the recording so that I get my two channel changes.

Is there a way to do this now?

The one way I am trying to fgure out how to to this is by altering the file that gets run by exemultituner. Right now it runs channelw.exe with two parameters - the channel number and the device number (note that I have slightly altered my registry entry so that I use the UniqueID of my cable box rather than just the assigned device number). It should be possible to run a batch file rather than the channelw.exe program. The batch file would change the channel to a different channel, say channel 1 which is just a TV guide with my cable co and a channel that I would never, ever record from. Then the batch file would run channelw.exe as originally scheduled to change to the correct channel. This way I would be 100% sure that the channel was changed. I just have to figure out how to pass the parameters from the batch file to channelw.exe.

The only downside to this method is that you might miss the first few seconds or so of your recording, but I can live with that. If we could figure out Slugger's suggestion and fire this batch file to just change to channel 1 a few minutes before a scheduled record, I would prefer 10 seconds to 3 minutes to ensure that you don't scew up the previous recording, if there is one.

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by wayner

If we could figure out Slugger's suggestion and fire this batch file to just change to channel 1 a few minutes before a scheduled record, I would prefer 10 seconds to 3 minutes to ensure that you don't scew up the previous recording, if there is one.

Presumably, if there is already an active recording on-going then you don't need to do this "pre channel change", right? I imagine the custom event that fires 3 mins before a recording only fires if the tuner in question is not currently in use.

[Peter_h]

That's how I would do it. Run a check to make sure there isn't already a recording in process. I'm only interested in the first recording of the day on each box.

If I get some free time tonight or tomorrow, I'll take a stab at it. The tools are there and it sounds challenging but doable so I'm game.

-Peter

[Slugger]

Originally Posted by Peter_h

That's how I would do it. Run a check to make sure there isn't already a recording in process. I'm only interested in the first recording of the day on each box.

If I get some free time tonight or tomorrow, I'll take a stab at it. The tools are there and it sounds challenging but doable so I'm game.

-Peter

Wait for the next SageAlert update before starting and save yourself from having to code it twice.

[Peter_h]

Awesome. Looking forward to it.

[Slugger]

Update ready... you will probably want to start here. Hopefully that wiki is enough to lead you where you got to go. Post questions as req'd (in the SageAlert thread). Good luck!

[bikesquid]

I'm stuck and could use a little push!
Got sjq running on the server and the client also running on the server no problem.
now I'm trying to get a second client running and while the client is seen by the server it's not taking any jobs. I've done a copy/paste from one client to the next 'hoping' the config at the client side could be the same.... comskip is in the same directory location and as %c% should be UNC I assumed it would work right out of the box.... I think I'm wrong.

Am I missing something path related? Using windows 7 on both machines. Client file looks like this:

"\"C:\\Program Files\\Comskip\\comskip.exe\" \"%c%\""

EDIT: as logs can be useful I checked it... Checking client 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx': 100 resources free.
2010-09-30 15:43:17,590 INFO [SJQServlet]: Servlet POST request completed [2ms]
2010-09-30 15:43:17,692 INFO [DataStore]: Flushed 1 log message(s) in 101ms
2010-09-30 15:43:17,692 INFO [SJQServlet]: Servlet POST request completed [101ms]
2010-09-30 15:43:17,694 INFO [SJQServlet]: Checking client 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx': 75 resources free.
2010-09-30 15:43:17,694 INFO [SJQServlet]: Client 'xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx' cannot pop a task of type 'COMSKIP': Already running :MAX instances [MAX=1]

I don't understand the info as the client doesn't have any comskip's running in task view....

[Slugger]

On the remote client machine, assuming you're running it as a Windows service, take a look at the wrapper.log file (find it buried somewhere in a subdir of the dir you installed the task client to). Any errors in there? Looks like there might be a problem with the client install on the remote machine.

[doncote0]

Depending on how your comskip task is configured on the client, your associate client configuration must be reflect that

For instance, on one client I have comskip running from the c:\sagetv\sagetv directory (on that client).

My associated comskip configuration for that client (Windows 7) is
"C:/SageTV/SageTV/comskip.exe \"%c%\""

That comskip location is the location of comskip on the client computer.

I hope this helps.

[doncote0]

One of these may work for you for configuration of the job on the client computer:

""C:/Program Files/Comskip/comskip.exe \" "%c%\""
"C:/Program Files/Comskip/comskip.exe \" "%c%\""
""C:/Program Files/Comskip/comskip.exe" \"%c%\""

I am not sure if the client configuration requires the same configuration for each client, but if it does make sure comskip exists on both computers in the same path on each computer. Good luck!

[phelme]

Anyone else running 7.0b17 with SJQ and MediaShrink? I've been seeing a lot of this since upgrading, from the MediaShrink log:

   + Command : /exe del
        - Executing command: del "\\SAGETV-SERVER\Recordings\...
         ...
          +  The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.

That's new behavior. Happening to about 30% of the recordings. That's the final code that deletes the original recording after compressing to an MKV. So I'm ending up with two files, the original recording and the MKV. I'm assuming Sage has the file open for some reason.

Happening to anyone else?

[bikesquid]

Originally Posted by Slugger

On the remote client machine, assuming you're running it as a Windows service, take a look at the wrapper.log file (find it buried somewhere in a subdir of the dir you installed the task client to). Any errors in there? Looks like there might be a problem with the client install on the remote machine.

I'm not seeing anything dramatic, but here's the last few lines of the log:

STATUS | wrapper | 2010/09/30 15:12:09 | Launching a JVM...
INFO | jvm 1 | 2010/09/30 15:12:09 | WrapperManager: Initializing...
INFO | jvm 1 | 2010/09/30 15:12:09 | SJQ Task Client v3.0.2.771
INFO | jvm 1 | 2010/09/30 15:12:09 | Using 'C:\Program Files (x86)\SageTV\SageTV\sjqcnt\conf' as location for configuration file...

After that, nothing.

[Slugger]

It sounds like that client is taking jobs off the queue, but then is having problems launching them. From the web UI, are jobs ending up in the failed task list? If so, do the task logs give any clue as to why they are ending up there?

[bikesquid]

Originally Posted by Slugger

It sounds like that client is taking jobs off the queue, but then is having problems launching them. From the web UI, are jobs ending up in the failed task list? If so, do the task logs give any clue as to why they are ending up there?

Well, I waited and watched.... web interface shows client starting job, then it just disappears, no client log shows up, just a blank screen with 'back' and 'clear' boxes. Not showing up in failed tasks, they just disappear till the next running, when they show back up in active....

Could this be the damn buffer problem??? and if so where do I find that fix. I'm trying to find the section on how to reconfigure Jetty to accept larger POST requests? I know I did this on the other client that is working, so wanting to keep both the same.... of coarse if this ain't my problem....

EDIT: tried reducing buffer to 'prove' it was the problem, dropped to 65000 and still doing the same thing. And it does look like the new client did pick up one of the comskip tasks and complete it (before reducing buffer)... odd!

[Slugger]

I need to see the Jetty request logs. SageTV/jetty/logs/yyyy_mm_dd.request.log and I need to know approximately what time you saw this problem (so I can find the corresponding requests in the log file).