SageTV and Windows 2012 Server

[sflamm]

Want to upgrade my server to Win2012 and run SageTV there...

Does anyone have any experience doing this successfully?

From what I can find I need to follow the following:

1. http://www.tenniswood.co.uk/technolo...s-server-2012/
2. http://www.win2012workstation.com/

[Carlton Bale]

I had no issues installing the desktop version of sage on server 2012. Just be sure to disable the Java auto update.

In general server 2012 has been less reliable than previous versions of server. Storage spaces using ReFS was extremely unstable, unreliable, and would not recover from its self-induced failures. If you're going to use storage spaces, use NTFS.

[Slipshod]

Carlton - did you have to reinstall DBA like Sflamm had mentioned, or did the desktop version just install fine?

I've got a 2012 Essentials install that I'm going to be trying out in the hopes of moving off of my old original WHS install (V1).

[sflamm]

Just be sure to disable the Java auto update

I'm assuming that is because the SageTV service needs to be stopped first (I currently always have the auto update off)

did you have to reinstall DBA

I know that neither 2008 or 2012 Server come with BDA support.
The BDA support is required to support tuners (I believe even network tuners like HDHR as they leverage BDA)

The other issue I have is I currently use Firewire to channel change my HDPVRs and the driver is 32-bit only.

One choice is to move to IR tuning but I prefer not to do that...
I've seen some state they use DVBLogic successfully, but I have not seen any recent instructions on how to integrate.. .and I believe their products are different now.

Does anyone have instructions on how to use the latest DVBLogic successfully to tune/capture from a HDPVR?

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by sflamm

... I know that neither 2008 or 2012 Server come with BDA support.
The BDA support is required to support tuners (I believe even network tuners like HDHR as they leverage BDA)

...

I currently have Sage running on 2008R2. I had to use a reg hack to enable/install BDA support. Make sure you can find one for 2012, or there will be no tunner support, as you stated even the HDHR.

[sflamm]

Just about to upgrade my Win2003 R2 SageTV to Win2012.

FYI, the BDA support can be found here:

http://www.tenniswood.co.uk/technolo...s-server-2012/

Was there anything special other than BDA you needed for the Win2008 R2? (think it should be almost same as W2012)

[Skybolt]

Originally Posted by sflamm

Just about to upgrade my Win2003 R2 SageTV to Win2012.

FYI, the BDA support can be found here:

http://www.tenniswood.co.uk/technolo...s-server-2012/

Was there anything special other than BDA you needed for the Win2008 R2? (think it should be almost same as W2012)

Not really, I dummied it down a bit to be more of aworkstation, but in the end that wasn't needed. BDA support was the biggest.

[Slipshod]

The DBA install script shows a lot of errors, but it appears to have worked. I have my little HP N40L up and running Server 2012 Essentials and SageTV talking to one tuner on one of my HDHRs.

Thanks folks!

Now to try and figure out all the other Sage configuration stuff I've forgotten in the 2 years or so since I last played with it.

[sflamm]

after you have installed any drivers, plugins etc just copy over your old sagetv.properties and you are back where you left off.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by sflamm

The other issue I have is I currently use Firewire to channel change my HDPVRs and the driver is 32-bit only.

One choice is to move to IR tuning but I prefer not to do that...
I've seen some state they use DVBLogic successfully, but I have not seen any recent instructions on how to integrate.. .and I believe their products are different now.

Does anyone have instructions on how to use the latest DVBLogic successfully to tune/capture from a HDPVR?

What did you decide to do about the firewire channel changing??? I've been thinking about upgrading to 2008 r2 or 2012 (using 2003 now) but really dont want to give up firewire channel changing....

[sflamm]

I kept the FireWire channel changing with HDPVR but put it as a network encoder (see details in my network encoder thread) which freed my server to upgrade to windows 2012 w/ bda installed. Works like a champ.

[hagur]

Is BDA support required for analog cards such as the Hauppauge WinTV 150 ?

[RobinG]

Originally Posted by Carlton Bale

In general server 2012 has been less reliable than previous versions of server. Storage spaces using ReFS was extremely unstable, unreliable, and would not recover from its self-induced failures. If you're going to use storage spaces, use NTFS.

Oh, that is so disappointing. I am really looking forward to using ReFS, and was thinking about doing the upgrade just for that purpose, but I guess I'll have to wait a while.

[vhurst]

I've installed successfully on two WS2012 servers. The first was WS2012 Standard, which needed BDA support files extracted from a Win8 OS. The second build was WS2012 Essentials, which had BDA support natively.

I built a third Sage server on WS2012 Essentials, and ran into problems. Each of these three use the Hauppauge Colossus card. This third machine comes to a crawl every time I install the Colossus drivers. I haven't been able to find the conflict. If I load the machine with Win7, or Home Server 2011, the Colossus works fine. With WS2012 Essentials, I can't even get to where BDA support is even relevant.

I've written Hauppauge support, and while they seem to find running their hardware on Server 2012 is fascinating, it's unsupported, and therefore I get no advice.

These three builds have been on (1) Intel DX5400XS - LGA771; (2) Asus P8Z77-V LK - LGA1155; and (3) Intel DX79TO - LGA2011. The first two are great, the third, not so much...

Which motherboards have you guys used with Server 2012 and Colossus or HDPVR (both use same drivers)?

***UPDATE*** I realized HDPVR uses different drivers than the Colossus. I've installed the HDPVR on this third server. We're looking good so far. FYI: WS2012 R2 is out in preview. Tempted to try it to see if it resolves my Colossus troubles.

[RobinG]

Hi, I'm upgrading my TV recording server in two phases: software first, then hardware. Right now it's a Core 2 Quad machine (mobo D975XBX2) with Win XP Pro. I'm happy to report that Windows Server 2012 R2 runs fine on it, and the BDA install script from tenniswood.co.uk ran without errors (I had already reset permissions on the files so that was not a problem). SageTV can now talk to my HDHomeRun Dual tuner. I haven't gotten everything I normally run on this machine installed and working yet, so this is still a project under construction.

After the software is all set up and in "production" mode I'm planning to upgrade to an i7 Haswell with Asus Z87-plus mobo.

[vhurst]

I upgraded my OS to Server 2012 R2. To get BDA support, I just had to install Microsoft's Media Pack, along with the role dependencies. No luck getting Sage happy with v7 Java. Stuck with Java v6 build 45.

[sflamm]

Stick with 2012 not 2012 R2. There are far too many driver issues still with 2012 R2 since it is still young. (I tried it and I could not get the graphics drivers to work correctly). 2012 works great - running it. And I see not advantage for my use running R2.

[vhurst]

I haven't run into any driver problems myself, but found a very cool benefit R2 provides. There's a role called "Windows Server Essentials Experience", which gives you Home Server like tools on steroids. Client backups of up to 25 PCs (Not XP), Remote access to your home PCs (must be pro edition or better), Dynamic DNS, with one free <yourname>.remotewebaccess.com, VPN, Media streaming, as well as all the other server stuff... Plus I get that faux start button!

If there's drivers for Windows 8.1, they should work for Server 2102 R2.

Further clarification on adding BDA support. If anybody is asking, "Why do I need BDA support?" Without it, you can't capture video. Kind of a bummer for a SageTV server. To get BDA support on Server 2012 R2, you'll have to add the "Windows Server Essentials Experience" role, and install the "Windows Server Essentials Media Pack", available as a download from Microsoft.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/downl....aspx?id=40837

Don't forget to install a bunch of RAM, so you can also use your server to host virtual machines. You can do even more things with that server that's always running anyway. Minecraft server? Folding@home? Mining for bit coins? You name it...

[sflamm]

The Intel HD Graphics driver had issues for me (would blue screen).
Perhaps the latest update resolved those...

The Essential Experience is nothing particlarly special. You can set up VPN, backups etc in W2012 same as in R2.

If you look at the Microsoft write up of new features in detail you will find almost none of them apply to a home server environment (new FS, virtualization features etc). And if like me you run a Domain there are actual disadvantages as the latest version create roaming user profiles that are completely incompatible (known issue).

I was hot to trot on W2012R2 myself - but factually it has more bugs than W2012 right now - especially in 3rd party drivers and motherboard support.

If you can make it work of course I would recommend it. But in my case I couldn't (a couple months ago when initially RCS).