Once more again: "Locating Server"

[herb]

Hi,
as a VOMP newbie I tried to install version 0.2.2 (server & dongle but failed at the well known "Locating Server" screen.
I am running Suse9.3 and vdr 1.2.6. Because the mediamvp-plugin was running very well over the last 2 years I thought I should try the more advanced solution.
From the vompserver-log I deduced that everything is running quite smoothly up to the moment where the client tries to identify the server by 255.255.255.255 broadcasts (that I could follow by ethereal-analysis). Then I could no more ping successfully to the client. I studied all the communicaton around that  problem in the forum but failed to succeed.

Therefore my question: May it be possible to add into the code also the opportunity to provide the client with the server IP which would  overcome that frustrating problem? Maybe that something similar is eventually already in the planning for the next release?

Below  are some lines of the vompserver-log:

18:27:21.649639 [debug]  BOOTPD - Wait finished
18:27:21.649839 [debug]  BOOTPD - Got request
18:27:21.650082 [debug]  Config - Opened config file: /etc/vdr/plugins/vomp-00-0D-FE-00-79-6C.conf
18:27:21.650185 [debug]  BOOTPD - Opened config file: /etc/vdr/plugins/vomp-00-0D-FE-00-79-6C.conf
18:27:21.650582 [debug]  BOOTPD - Found IP 53.140.175.19 for MVP
18:27:21.650793 [debug]  BOOTPD - Will enforce IP 53.140.175.19 on MVP even if it already has another
18:27:21.650879 [debug]  BOOTPD - Giving MVP IP from config
18:27:21.651569 [debug]  BOOTPD - Starting wait
18:27:21.782361 [debug]  Tftpd - Wait finished
18:27:21.782569 [debug]  TftpClient - Client handler started
18:27:21.782844 [debug]  Tftpd - Starting wait
18:27:21.782990 [debug]  TftpClient - RRQ received for vomp-dongle-0.2.2
18:27:21.783133 [info]   TftpClient - File: '/etc/vdr/plugins/vomp-dongle-0.2.2'
18:27:29.333446 [info]   TftpClient - File transfer finished
18:27:29.333602 [info]   TftpClient - processMessage terminating connection
18:29:38.273615 [info]   Main - Stopped main server thread
18:29:42.677170 [info]   Main - Logging started
18:29:42.677449 [debug]  Config - 2
18:29:42.677580 [debug]  Config - Config error: Key Server name not found
18:29:42.677833 [debug]  UDP - UDP replier started
18:29:42.678198 [debug]  BOOTPD - Starting bootpd
18:29:42.678373 [debug]  BOOTPD - Bootp replier started
18:29:42.678636 [info]   Main - TFTP path '/etc/vdr/plugins/'
18:29:42.678722 [debug]  Tftpd - Starting TFTPd
18:29:42.680476 [debug]  BOOTPD - Starting wait
18:29:42.680632 [debug]  Tftpd - Starting wait
18:29:42.680760 [debug]  Tftpd - TFTP server started with base path '/etc/vdr/plugins/'
18:29:42.680948 [debug]  Main - MVPServer run success

It would be quite helpful whether I could get some hints to get the system working.

Herb

[Chris]

Hello herb, sorry to see you are having problems. It has always been in the back of my mind to make it so that you could type in an IP at startup on the MVP, but it's not a very good solution because you would have to do it every time. Also it would be better to find out why it isn't working.

When you say you have watched the communication with ethereal, do you mean you have seen the UDP broadcasts by the client or that they never started?

By the look of the log it looks like you are supplying an IP address to the MVP with the vompserver. While this works, it's not really a supported thing yet because when the kernel boots up after the TFTP transaction, it uses standard DHCP broadcasts to get an IP. So your normal DHCP needs to work and it needs to give a good IP to the MVP for anything to work. Might this be the problem?

[herb]

Hello Chris,
thank you for your reply. As I read your comments I recognized my wrong assumptions. I thought you would keep the IP which you used during the transfer of the dongle to the mvp client. However this seems not being the case. After having another look to the ethereal logfile I observed that the client is sending out the 255... broadcasts with an IP of 0.0.0.0.  I have parts of the ethereal trace attached (some packets before and after dongle transfer. I hope you could confirm your analysis.
So I will have another try during the weekend and give you then notice on (hopefully) success.
Thanks a lot for your support
Herb

[Chris]

Yes, that looks like the kernel has been transferred to the MVP, then the bootloader hands control to the kernel. Then the kernel has started broadcasting DHCP requests. You will need to give it a DHCP response for it to work.

The idea was to allow the vompserver to boot the MVP totally, but the kernel sends out standard DHCP queries whereas the bootloader system uses a different port to avoid conflicts with real DHCP services. On the to-do list is to edit the kernel to use the MVP port numbers for booting which would make the whole process work without a real DHCP server.

[herb]

Chris,
based on your advice concerning the dhcp-server setup the MVP is now running successfully on SUSE_9.3. It is performing extremly well as I could  see after minutes. Thank you very much!
As you wrote in your last post some changes during installation could better the process. So it would be beneficial to install and configure the vompserver autonomously (without having a dhcp-server running on the vdr-server). Personally I didn't use this service and distributed IP-numbers statically in the home network.

Now I am quite interesting to see the next vompserver releases. What do you plan as the next features and when would be the next release date?

Herb

[Chris]

Sorry I never replied to this, I am sure you will have found the latest release yourself by now. I have listed the DHCP issue as a bug in the SourceForge bug tracker, I will get that working without a DHCP server at some point.

And to everyone.. I have been away, now I am back, I will get through all these messages err, soon

[Bandit2001]

Chris,
let me pick this up, because I have a similar problem.
I'm running vompserver-0.2.2 with dongle.bin-0.2.2 on linvdr 0.7 with VDR 1.3.47 like it is mentioned here http://www.vdr-portal.de/board/thread.php?threadid=48740.
my vomp.conf looks like this:

Code Select Expand

[General]

## Specify a log file here to enable logging

Log file = /tmp/vompserver.log

## If you have more than one vompserver running you
## can enter a name here that will appear on the
## server select list on the MVP

Server name = linvdr

## Enable this to start the built in Bootp server
## Required to boot the MVP if you have not got a
## DHCP server that can tell the MVP its boot file
## name and server

Bootp server enabled = yes

## Enable this to start the built in TFTP server
## Required to boot the MVP if you have not got a
## TFTP server running elsewhere

TFTP server enabled = yes

## Base directory for TFTP server
## If you leave this blank the plugin config
## path will be used - i.e. where this file is

TFTP directory = /tftpboot

and my vomp-00-0D-FE-00-28-2A.conf like this:

Code Select Expand

[Boot]

## If you enable the bootp server in vomp.conf, you can specify
## an IP to give out to this MVP here.

# IP = 192.168.2.30

## If you have a router that gives out addresses but you want
## the above address forced to the MVP, set this:

# override IP = 1

## A file name to send to the MVP. The MVP will then request
## this file from the TFTP server. Don't use a path here!

TFTP file name = dongle.bin

[General]

## The client auto-detects whether to use PAL or NTSC. If you
## want to force the other one, set it here. Beware of popping
## your TV with this one!

# Override Video Format = NTSC



vompserver.log tells me this:

Code Select Expand

17:46:49.647572 [info]   Main - Logging started
17:46:49.647947 [debug]  UDP - UDP replier started
17:46:49.648141 [debug]  BOOTPD - Starting bootpd
17:46:49.648234 [debug]  BOOTPD - Starting wait
17:46:49.648279 [debug]  BOOTPD - Bootp replier started
17:46:49.648396 [info]   Main - TFTP path '/tftpboot/'
17:46:49.648420 [debug]  Tftpd - Starting TFTPd
17:46:49.648510 [debug]  Tftpd - Starting wait
17:46:49.648556 [debug]  Tftpd - TFTP server started with base path '/tftpboot/'
17:46:49.648712 [debug]  Main - MVPServer run success
17:53:40.061526 [debug]  BOOTPD - Wait finished
17:53:40.061645 [debug]  BOOTPD - Got request
17:53:40.061750 [debug]  Config - Opened config file: /etc/vdr/plugins/vomp-00-0D-FE-00-28-2A.conf
17:53:40.061775 [debug]  BOOTPD - Opened config file: /etc/vdr/plugins/vomp-00-0D-FE-00-28-2A.conf
17:53:40.061918 [debug]  Config - Config error: Key IP not found
17:53:40.061943 [WARN]   BOOTPD - No IP found for MVP. Hopefully it has one already...
17:53:40.062023 [debug]  Config - Config error: Key Override IP not found
17:53:40.062047 [debug]  BOOTPD - Will not change MVP IP if it already has one
17:53:40.062070 [debug]  BOOTPD - Leave YI=0 as MVP already has good IP
17:53:40.062354 [debug]  BOOTPD - Starting wait
17:53:40.192608 [debug]  Tftpd - Wait finished
17:53:40.192688 [debug]  TftpClient - Client handler started
17:53:40.192906 [debug]  Tftpd - Starting wait
17:53:40.192953 [debug]  TftpClient - RRQ received for dongle.bin
17:53:40.192996 [info]   TftpClient - File: '/tftpboot/dongle.bin'
17:53:49.723991 [info]   TftpClient - File transfer finished
17:53:49.724185 [info]   TftpClient - processMessage terminating connection

watching the network with ethereal, i can see the same thing: MVP geht's IP from Hardware-Router by DHCP, get's dongle.bin from vdr, booting with dongle.bin, request a new IP, but get's none. I cannot ping the MVP, and the MAC-Address is not listet in the arp-table any more. It is the same even if I use a sw-dhcp-server on windows for testing.

[Chris]

Hi Bandit2001, I don't know what is happening in your situation. The log lines you are seeing in vompserver.log are immediately after your MVP has obtained an IP address from your hardware router. Because the hardware router gives the MVP no information on how to boot, just an IP address, the MVP then broadcasts for a Hauppauge style DHCP/BOOTP server. vompserver replies, but with only the how-to-boot information, not an IP address. Your MVP is then downloading the dongle from the vompserver - those are the last lines you posted. Then the kernel boots from the dongle - at this point the MVP is again without an IP, so the kernel starts doing standard DHCP queries. Your hardware router at this point should reply with the same address it gave out the first time. What are you actually seeing on screen? How long does the Hauppauge bootscreen stay on screen?

[Bandit2001]

Hi Chris,
it lasts a very long time to boot the MVP. I can't say it exactly at the moment, but I think about 3-4 minutes.
Can yout tell my how I can overwrite the MVP's IP that it uses an IP given by the vompserver. I did not manage it by now.

[Bandit2001]

Hi,
I made some more tests, and deactivated the DHCP-Server on my Router and activated dhcpd on my linvdr. Now it works. It looks like there are some troubles with the DHCP.

[Chris]

Hi, the DHCP system in the vomp server is not supposed to do what you want it to do (yet). The vompserver bootp server only answers on the Hauppauge custom port which is how the MVP manages to boot the kernel. However, when the kernel boots, it sends out standard DHCP requests. Your router should have answered these but obviously it did not. It is on the to-do list to remove kernel DHCP support in the dongle, and add modified DHCP client ability in Busybox. This will allow the vompserver to fully boot a MVP with no external help.