Issues with Remote server ServerWMC Connections

[TimFromFL 5]

To optimize my setup, I am in the process of spliting my all-purpose HTPC into smaller components. I am trying to setup my new emby server running on a fresh windows 10 install and I am having issues with my ServerWMC config.

 

My first issue is that there seems to be something wrong with the 1.1.0.0 version of the plugin. When that version is installed, I am unable to get to the configuration page. I uninstalled and installed  1.0.0.82 version and I don't have this problem. A couple of days later when i returned the plug in was automatically updated to 1.1.0.0 and the issue happened again. I downgraded and turned off the plugin update check until the issue could be fixed. To verify that it wasn't something just with this new setup I went to my existing machine and it had 1.1.0.0 installed and was having the same issue. I have noticed that once the configuration is done (since there aren't alot of options on the config page and they shouldn't be change often) the rest of the plug in seems to work, but I am just alittle paranoid about not getting to the config page so I have both of my instances on 1.0.0.82 for now.

 

My second issue is the performance of the "Refresh Guide" scheduled task. I've gotten it to run through the task twice and each time it has taken 11+ hrs to complete on my new instance. My old instance only takes about 10-12 mins to complete. I understand that remote will not be as fast as having everything on the same box, but this seems to be a big difference. I've been going through the log file as I just rebuilt my new machine from scratch, installed emby, didn't add any libraries and only installed the ServerWMC plugin so my setup would be as clean as possible. This run only took 1hr 20 mins which is an improvement but it still seems like something is wrong. I've attached a copy of the latest log that includes the latest refresh. The only thing that I was able to see that looked out of the ordinary is that entries like this:

 

Failed to delete old log 'ServerWMC_20170426.log': Access to the path 'ServerWMC_20170426.log' is denied

 

appear multiple times a day for a growing list of files. I also see entries like this:

 

Error: Access to the path 'C:\ProgramData\VDsoftware\ServerWMC\config.xml' is denied

 

the combination of these two errors makes me thing that there a permission issue somewhere but I can use the account that the serverwmc process is running as and manipulate both files being referenced with no problems

 

any Help would be appriciated

 

TimFromFL

 

 

ServerWMC.log

[Luke 37008]

What kind of tuner do you have?

[TimFromFL 5]

What kind of tuner do you have?

I currently have a 4 tuner PCI Ceton tuner with a cablecard.

[krustyreturns 191]

The configuration page not loading is a good catch.  Version 1.1.0.0, has no feature changes, but is a recompile to the .net core thing that emby is moving to.  @@Luke I might need your help to fix this when you have time.  

 

Looking at the log, the guide requests (getentries) are being handled as quickly as normal so it does seem to point to some kind of communication issue.  Could it maybe some security software running on either or both machines?  Is it a wireless connection?

 

The log/config problem is a new one on me.  It does seem permission related, but based on what you are staying I'm not sure why it is happening either.  I think I would try uninstalling serverwmc, then blowing its programdata folder away - but save your config file!  Then reinstalling serverwmc.

[TimFromFL 5]

The configuration page not loading is a good catch. Version 1.1.0.0, has no feature changes, but is a recompile to the .net core thing that emby is moving to. @@Luke I might need your help to fix this when you have time.

 

Looking at the log, the guide requests (getentries) are being handled as quickly as normal so it does seem to point to some kind of communication issue. Could it maybe some security software running on either or both machines? Is it a wireless connection?

 

The log/config problem is a new one on me. It does seem permission related, but based on what you are staying I'm not sure why it is happening either. I think I would try uninstalling serverwmc, then blowing its programdata folder away - but save your config file! Then reinstalling serverwmc.

Both machines are hard-wired with gigabit connection

 

@@krustyreturns if i blow away and reinstall, do i just replace the config file after i install but before i start the program?

[Luke 37008]

Don't reinstall anything just on account of the config screen. I've helped krustyreturns resolve that so look out for a plugin update. thanks.

[TimFromFL 5]

Don't reinstall anything just on account of the config screen. I've helped krustyreturns resolve that so look out for a plugin update. thanks.

@@Luke @@krustyreturns suggested the reinstall for something that was happening on the ServerWMC side not the Emby side. I will wait for the new plugin, but i suspect that I will still have errors in ServerWMC that i want to clear up

[krustyreturns 191]

Yes, I am only talking about reinstalling serverwmc, not emby.  @@TimFromFL just save the config.xml file somewhere, then do what I recommended earlier. Before you restore your old config file, run serverwmc and see if you get the same errors related to the log file and the config file permissions.  Assume that looks good, then replace the new default config file with your old one and then restart serverwmc.

 

And you are right, the plugin fix that Luke helped me with will only make the config page work again in the core version.  I am traveling so I won't have the fix up until next week (not that it effects your bug, but just for anybody else reading this).

 

Did you looking into the security software idea?  I really think that an epg that takes an hour and change to download is not a problem, but I take your point that you think it is indicative of something else that's wrong.  Lets see what happens once this log thing is cleared up.

[Luke 37008]

@@krustyreturns i can push a plugin update if you like.

[krustyreturns 191]

Thanks @@Luke.  I can probably get it done Monday, so it's not too long a delay, but if you have the time now that would be great.  If you do, just up the minor rev number for both versions.

[Luke 37008]

Done. The version increments are part of my pull request now. Thanks.

[krustyreturns 191]

Thanks @@Luke!

[TimFromFL 5]

Yes, I am only talking about reinstalling serverwmc, not emby.  @@TimFromFL just save the config.xml file somewhere, then do what I recommended earlier. Before you restore your old config file, run serverwmc and see if you get the same errors related to the log file and the config file permissions.  Assume that looks good, then replace the new default config file with your old one and then restart serverwmc.

 

And you are right, the plugin fix that Luke helped me with will only make the config page work again in the core version.  I am traveling so I won't have the fix up until next week (not that it effects your bug, but just for anybody else reading this).

 

Did you looking into the security software idea?  I really think that an epg that takes an hour and change to download is not a problem, but I take your point that you think it is indicative of something else that's wrong.  Lets see what happens once this log thing is cleared up.

 

@@krustyreturns Attached Is my serverWMC log after a remove and reinstall (I have not copied the old config file back). I only noticed a couple of errors this time all of them seem to relate to a specific path that I have my recorded TV stored in. The one thing that I noticed is that this path is not the default recorded TV path, which is required to have a UNC share enabled and my other paths are UNC file shares. So does it stand to reason that the "Convert2ClientPath> error path not resolved:" are due to the fact that the path is local to ServerWMC install? Even though it is local should I change this to a UNC Path?

ServerWMC.log

[krustyreturns 191]

Your getting that error because you have a 'watched' folder called 'TV Series' but you don't have a unc path entered for that folder, so Emby (running a different machine) can't access it directly.  See this part of the log:

 

2017/10/01 17:58:32.847 Additional watched 'Recorded TV' folders:

2017/10/01 17:58:35.287   '\\Bishop\TV\MKV_TV'  ShareStatus: OK

2017/10/01 17:58:37.237   '\\Bishop\tv\TV'  ShareStatus: OK

2017/10/01 17:58:37.237   'D:\TV Series'  ShareStatus: Warning, local paths are not accessible by remote clients.

 

Unc paths are entered for the first two watched folders into wmc's settings, but not the third.

 

Also...

When you have time to try it, it would be great if you could get the latest version of the plugin and verify that Luke's fix to the config page works now.

Edited October 2, 2017 by krustyreturns

[TimFromFL 5]

@@krustyreturns The update to the plugin does work as expected and I can now get to the configuration page. I did a little bit more experimentation and found that the slowness issue that I was having was releated to the new server that I was standing up had a hard drive performance bottleneck since it is a VM and I needed to allocate more resources to it. I moved the VHD to a dedicated drive and the issue immediately cleared up. Average guide refresh now takes about 15 mins. Thanks again for your help.