Relocating SageTV.Properties?

[PeteCress]

I figured out how to move Wiz.bin by editing the props file and it works a-ok.

But I'd like to go the last mile and have *all* my SageTV data on a network share instead of on the system drive.

Is this possible?

If so, advisable? i.e. Have I been drinking too much coffee again?

My thought was that some applications can be started up with something like a /IniFile parm on the command line - so that when the app starts, it looks to the directory or file specified on the command line...

[Nelbert]

I wouldn't put config files required for an app to start on a network share. A backup of the config yes, but not the live config. The user data, no problem.

What happens when the fileserver isn't available and SageTV can't access it's database file? What happens if the fileserver crashes while SageTV is running?

If the user content/record locations aren't available Sage will still run and you can modify the config if needed, eg hardware failure in the fileserver, to work around it not being online.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

But I'd like to go the last mile and have *all* my SageTV data on a network share instead of on the system drive.

Why? What problem are you trying to solve by doing this?

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by GKusnick

Why? What problem are you trying to solve by doing this?

I modify Sage's props file. The location of Wiz.bin, for instance.

At that point, in my scheme of things, it becomes "Data" - and in my obsessive little world, data goes on a data drive, not a system drive.

As-is, I have to document the modification(s) and/or save a copy of the modified props file and remember to use the copy if/when I re-image the system drive or move SaveTV to another PC.

Seems simpler if the props file just lives on a LAN share where it can be used from whatever PC SageTV is currently installed on - or re-used in the event a PC goes south and had to be re-imaged.

Not a big deal... more a nicety/convenience..... seems simpler than documenting/saving a copy/remembering which copy to use next time.

In answer to Nelbert's observation of "What happens when the fileserver crashes..." I've got Wiz.bin on it already.... so SageTV isn't going anywhere anyhow if/when the file server goes South.

[nyplayer]

Pete,

By putting the wiz.bin on a lan all you are doing is adding another point of failure. If you are writing to a wiz.bin on a lan and the lan goes down Sage stops recording period. By putting the wiz.bin locally the only time it will fail is if the server fails. The pont of disaster recovery setup etc.. is to eliminate points of failure not add them.


Wiz,bin on lan 2 points of failure
failures
1. Lan goes down
2. Server goes down

wiz.bin locally 1 point of failure
1. Server goes down.

[gplasky]

If you want easy access to the file share out the SageTV folder. Your network is more apt to hiccup or not be available in comparison to the drive. Moving application files out of their application folder of conveniently knowing where all the app files exist. Your mistake is the thought of wiz.bin and .properties files being data files. They're really not-they're application files needed by the app to work. In the sense that without them the app really won't work. Leave them where they were engineered to go. Just back them up to the network somewhere.

Gerry

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by PeteCress

Seems simpler if the props file just lives on a LAN share where it can be used from whatever PC SageTV is currently installed on

Properties files contain information specific to an installation. Trying to reuse a properties file on a different installation is asking for trouble and unless you're very careful can get you into an inconsistent and possibly unrecoverable state.

Also, Wiz.bin and Sage.properties are not the only files that get modified. Plugin state is spread over several files, including whatever private databases the plugins themselves use. Downloadable STV updates alter files in the STVs subdirectory. Singling out Sage.properties for special treatment pretty much guarantees that if you ever need it for disaster recovery, it will be out of sync with all this other state that you weren't so careful with.

Finally, as a general rule of thumb, trying things that no one has ever tried before (like moving crucial files out of their standard locations) is probably not a good strategy for improving the reliability of your system.

[PeteCress]

I don't claim to be the brightest bulb on the tree, but I'm trainable.

gKusnick, gPlasky, and nPlayer all make points that make sense to me.

Accordingly, I have moved Wiz.bin back to the Sage/System drive and tabled any further foolishness.

One question:
How much of an issue is there with backing up a Wiz.bin that is in use?

Is it worth working out some scheme where I auto-shutdown SageTV for the time period when the backup that copies Wiz.bin runs?

I wouldn't want to create a situation where Wiz.bin gets corrupted and then it turns out that all my incremental backups of it are bad bco being in use during the copy process.

I would hope that just making sure that Sage isn't recording anything during the backup process would be sufficient.... but, obviously, don't have a clue to back that up.

[nyplayer]

Pete,

I overkill my backups. I backup the WIZ.bin..properties using SJQ after each recording. (This has saved my butt many times) I keep these for a duration of 2 days.

I do a backup of the full sagetv directory prior to upgrading. I also do a full backup during my weekly reboot. I keep a total of nine full backups.

The full backup script looks like this.

set backuppath=\\Freenas\ournas1\SAGEBACKUPS
if not exist "%backuppath%\exclude_%COMPUTERNAME%.txt" echo ################# > "%backuppath%\exclude_%COMPUTERNAME%.txt"
if not exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%" md "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%"
if not exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk\xcopysuccess.txt" rmdir "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk" /Q /S
if not exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk" md "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk"
if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk" xcopy "C:\Program Files\SageTV\*.*" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk" /S/E/H /EXCLUDE:%backuppath%\exclude_%COMPUTERNAME%.txt 
set checkxcopy=%ERRORLEVEL%
echo %checkxcopy%
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 DATE /T > "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk\xcopysuccess.txt"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 TIME /T >> "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk\xcopysuccess.txt"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv9" rmdir "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv9" /Q /S
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv8" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv8" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv9"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv7" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv7" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv8"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv6" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv6" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv7"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv5" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv5" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv6"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv4" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv4" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv5"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv3" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv3" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv4"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv2" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv2" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv3"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv1" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv1" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv2"
If %checkxcopy% EQU 0 if exist "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk" move  "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetvbk" "%backuppath%\%COMPUTERNAME%\sagetv1"
exit

AS far as system backup.. My server is xp so I use casperXP to create a Hot swappable of my system to a usb external drive. All I have to do in an emergency is take the USB drive out of the enclosure and replace the broken one and i am all set.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

I overkill my backups....

How many times have you successfully recovered from a corrupted Wiz.bin by copying a backed-up version back to the SageTV dir?

CasperXP sounds interesting. I didn't know it was possible to mirror an XP system while it was running. Counting the moving gold fish and all that.... OTOH, I guess there are more than a few imaging apps that work while XP is up and running...

[nyplayer]

Corrupted never... Pilot error quite a few.. I tinker a lot.

[PeteCress]

Originally Posted by nyplayer

Corrupted never... Pilot error quite a few.. I tinker a lot.

That addresses my concern nevertheless. i.e. Taking backups is no problem... the biggie is whether or not one can restore from them and have things work as expected.

Sounds to me like as long as I take my backups while SageTV is not recording something (i.e. writing to Wiz.bin) I'm ok - even though SageTV has it open.