Suggestions to improve startup time?

[Greg2dot0]

I've been running SageTV now for about 10+ years and my wiz.bin has gotten to a point where it's taking 8 minutes to get Sage to initialize (from start to accepting client requests.

Fri 5/19 5:55:54.392 [main@4d7e1886] EMBEDDED=false
Fri 5/19 6:03:07.016 [PSNATMGR@2a0a4215] Starting UPnP NAT Manager...

If I look at the logs, it seems to be the Splash Profiler that's killing load times.

Fri 5/19 5:56:24.587 [SageTV@7775e12c] Splash: Profiler is initializing... 2% done
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.
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Fri 5/19 6:02:50.033 [SageTV@7775e12c] Splash: Profiler is initializing... 100% done

I've compared this to my Test server which takes no time at all since the wiz.bin file has hardly anything in it.

Is there anything that can be done to improve the amount of time the server takes to boot? (aside from faster hardware of course )

I'm running on Ubuntu 16.04.2 server, Sage 9.0.14.568

[EnterNoEscape]

You can either set limited_carny_init=true in Sage.properties or wait for this commit to be in the next SageTV release.

limited_carny_init means that it will only process favorites when starting up. That means that if you use intelligent recordings it could be hours before you'll start to see those kinds of shows recording.

[Greg2dot0]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

You can either set limited_carny_init=true in Sage.properties or wait for this commit to be in the next SageTV release.

limited_carny_init means that it will only process favorites when starting up. That means that if you use intelligent recordings it could be hours before you'll start to see those kinds of shows recording.

Wow! What a difference. Thanks (never really understood or wanted to explore intelligent recordings)

Fri 5/19 6:41:31.294 [SageTV@7546eef2] Splash: Profiler is initializing... 1% done

Fri 5/19 6:41:32.592 [SageTV@7546eef2] Splash: Profiler is initializing... 100% done

[EnterNoEscape]

The more I play around with Carny, the more intrigued I've become with intelligent recordings. My hang up is that I don't like the idea of having all of these extraneous recordings polluting recordings I definitely wanted to record. If I enabled them on my own setup, I would set it up so that only my intended recordings would be displayed by default and I would have a different view for intelligent recordings. They could easily cross that barrier if I made an IR a favorite. I don't mind the idea of having some extra recordings that might interest me already recorded (especially since they are the first to be auto-deleted), but I do mind seeing them when I'm looking for something I actually intended to record.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

The more I play around with Carny, the more intrigued I've become with intelligent recordings. My hang up is that I don't like the idea of having all of these extraneous recordings polluting recordings I definitely wanted to record. If I enabled them on my own setup, I would set it up so that only my intended recordings would be displayed by default and I would have a different view for intelligent recordings. They could easily cross that barrier if I made an IR a favorite. I don't mind the idea of having some extra recordings that might interest me already recorded (especially since they are the first to be auto-deleted), but I do mind seeing them when I'm looking for something I actually intended to record.

The way I've organized my gemstone views, they are all based on User Category. I've got 4 user categories for myself, my wife, both of us, and the kids. When we add a favorite, we set the user category on the favorite to the one or more people who are interested in the program, and it will show up on their screen. We then have an additional view that shows shows that have none of those user categories. This is where IR's would show up. Then, if one of those shows becomes a favorite, and that favorite has a user category, it will then be displayed in that group instead.

[Narflex]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

The more I play around with Carny, the more intrigued I've become with intelligent recordings. My hang up is that I don't like the idea of having all of these extraneous recordings polluting recordings I definitely wanted to record. If I enabled them on my own setup, I would set it up so that only my intended recordings would be displayed by default and I would have a different view for intelligent recordings. They could easily cross that barrier if I made an IR a favorite. I don't mind the idea of having some extra recordings that might interest me already recorded (especially since they are the first to be auto-deleted), but I do mind seeing them when I'm looking for something I actually intended to record.

That's why the default view for Recordings sort is Intelligent. So then all your MRs and Favorites are at the top and then IR is beneath it. That's what I use for my default view (as well as having user categories for mine, my wife's, movies as well). Then only if you scroll past the stuff you told it to record, do you hit the other stuff (aside from what's currently recording, but many times I see something that IR is currently recording that sounds interesting so then I set it as a Fav/MR).

[EnterNoEscape]

Originally Posted by Narflex

That's why the default view for Recordings sort is Intelligent. So then all your MRs and Favorites are at the top and then IR is beneath it. That's what I use for my default view (as well as having user categories for mine, my wife's, movies as well). Then only if you scroll past the stuff you told it to record, do you hit the other stuff (aside from what's currently recording, but many times I see something that IR is currently recording that sounds interesting so then I set it as a Fav/MR).

I have picked up on some of the qualities of intelligent sorting (and I was fully expecting someone to mention it), but it doesn't work well for how I think which is why I would rather just have separate views. I like to have the recordings sorted alphabetically since I don't really think in terms of what has recorded recently. It appears to me that intelligent sorts by the time of the most recent recording, grouped by title which just makes it harder for me to find what I'm looking for. I allow many shows to pile up enough that I'm usually just looking for a specific title to binge on.

[NetworkGuy]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

The way I've organized my gemstone views, they are all based on User Category. I've got 4 user categories for myself, my wife, both of us, and the kids. When we add a favorite, we set the user category on the favorite to the one or more people who are interested in the program, and it will show up on their screen. We then have an additional view that shows shows that have none of those user categories. This is where IR's would show up. Then, if one of those shows becomes a favorite, and that favorite has a user category, it will then be displayed in that group instead.

Are the views by User Category only available in Gemstone?

[blade]

Originally Posted by EnterNoEscape

My hang up is that I don't like the idea of having all of these extraneous recordings polluting recordings I definitely wanted to record.

I'm the same way that's why I just use the intelligent suggestions. It has identified a lot of shows that I ended up recording and liking.

[Monedeath]

Originally Posted by NetworkGuy

Are the views by User Category only available in Gemstone?

No, its a V7 feature IIRC. So it is present in the stock UI, you just have to dig around to find it.

Options -> Filtering -> Categories Filtered In

On the center list you'll have the EPG provided categories, and on the right hand side, there will be the "User defined" categories.

Edit: Also for EnterNoEscape, there is an option under Filtering to show only manual/favorite recordings. So that is a "stock filter" it just isn't defaulted to on in any of the views.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by Monedeath

No, its a V7 feature IIRC. So it is present in the stock UI, you just have to dig around to find it.

Options -> Filtering -> Categories Filtered In

On the center list you'll have the EPG provided categories, and on the right hand side, there will be the "User defined" categories.

Edit: Also for EnterNoEscape, there is an option under Filtering to show only manual/favorite recordings. So that is a "stock filter" it just isn't defaulted to on in any of the views.

The issue is that without gemstone, you can't have multiple views. You'd have to go in and change the filter setting on your 'recordings' view each time.

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

The issue is that without gemstone, you can't have multiple views. You'd have to go in and change the filter setting on your 'recordings' view each time.

Actually you can have multiple views in the default Sage Stv if you use the Malore menus.

[Fuzzy]

Originally Posted by Tiki

Actually you can have multiple views in the default Sage Stv if you use the Malore menus.

Correct, though I don't remember if UserCategory was a valid filter in malore (been a long time since I've used it).

[Opus4]

The default and malore recording menus both allow multiple views and category filters, including the EPG-sourced categories and the user added categories.

For the default recording menu, see pages 41-42 of the v7 PDF manual. There are 4 built-in views, but they can be customized too; you don't have to leave them as-is.

Andy

[Monedeath]

Originally Posted by Opus4

The default and malore recording menus both allow multiple views and category filters, including the EPG-sourced categories and the user added categories.

For the default recording menu, see pages 41-42 of the v7 PDF manual. There are 4 built-in views, but they can be customized too; you don't have to leave them as-is.

And there also is a way(as of V7) to have more than 4 "views" although I don't recall if that made it into the manual. It would be nice if THAT could be accessed from within SageTV through the stock UI("malore/advanced edition"), as I recall it requires going in and manually editing a file to create/name the additional entries presently.

I'm guessing that Gemstone is potentially making use of that already, but it isn't the stock UI.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Monedeath

And there also is a way(as of V7) to have more than 4 "views" although I don't recall if that made it into the manual. It would be nice if THAT could be accessed from within SageTV through the stock UI("malore/advanced edition"), as I recall it requires going in and manually editing a file to create/name the additional entries presently.

I'm guessing that Gemstone is potentially making use of that already, but it isn't the stock UI.

It should be easy to check it out. The UI for both styles allows for 8 views and they can all be named/configured in the UI. If you want more than 8, well... that could require an STV edit or a properties edit.

All the default recording menu options are in the manual, at least until someone comes along and changes the features.

On the other hand, if you like Gemstone, just use that.

Andy

[Monedeath]

Originally Posted by Opus4

It should be easy to check it out. The UI for both styles allows for 8 views and they can all be named/configured in the UI. If you want more than 8, well... that could require an STV edit or a properties edit.

Time to go exploring I guess. I never really poked around in the malore menus for that, and I know when it was first implemented in V7(the only time I played with it) there was no UI path to use.

On the other hand, if you like Gemstone, just use that.

I don't use Gemstone because my SageTV system has memory heap issues as it stands for however long it remains running under Windows. Adding Gemstone probably would make that worse.

Edit: Well, I'm not finding it in the stock UI. Too lazy to RTFM right now, it must be well hidden if the ability is in the UI already. Although looking at things, I'd probably just go the User Profile route if I'm just going to do it through UI alone as it stands. As I imagine that the view settings would be user (profile) specific?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Opus4

It should be easy to check it out. The UI for both styles allows for 8 views and they can all be named/configured in the UI. If you want more than 8, well... that could require an STV edit or a properties edit.

It's sad it took me like 15 years to learn about these (OK they probably haven't been around since the beginning of SageTV, but still).

Is there a way to copy these from one client/extender to another?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Monedeath

Time to go exploring I guess. I never really poked around in the malore menus for that, and I know when it was first implemented in V7(the only time I played with it) there was no UI path to use.
...
Edit: Well, I'm not finding it in the stock UI. Too lazy to RTFM right now, it must be well hidden if the ability is in the UI already. Although looking at things, I'd probably just go the User Profile route if I'm just going to do it through UI alone as it stands. As I imagine that the view settings would be user (profile) specific?

For both the stock and malore recordings menus, use the Options command, then choose Menu Options.

Originally Posted by stanger89

It's sad it took me like 15 years to learn about these (OK they probably haven't been around since the beginning of SageTV, but still).

Is there a way to copy these from one client/extender to another?

Unfortunately, no. If I need to set up a new extender, I'll usually just copy over the entire properties file to be sure to get all customizations - menu settings, commands, etc.

Andy

[EnterNoEscape]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Unfortunately, no. If I need to set up a new extender, I'll usually just copy over the entire properties file to be sure to get all customizations - menu settings, commands, etc.

Do we know of any specific reason why it's not an option to define default new properties for new extenders? I imagine this could be accomplished by having a special file that when it exists is copied any time a new extender connects. If that's viable, then we could also have some option to clone one extender configuration across all or a subset of other extender configurations.

I know new extenders isn't an every day thing, but it would make setting up new hardware a little less work and the second option would make changes you want everywhere a little easier.