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Full Version: [HOW TO] KODI Linux on Amlogic TV Boxes
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fluxcapacitor:

I've started a thread asking that very question here:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=182641

Here's hoping...

tinker
(2014-01-08, 00:45)fluxcapacitor Wrote: [ -> ]Just curious, but does having linux xbmc on our boxes now open us up to install other linux apps?

E.g. A web browser or emulators etc?

No, you would need much more including a window manager. These are minimal linux embedded distros, they only support one fullscreen app.
(2014-01-07, 23:20)redi Wrote: [ -> ]
(2014-01-07, 17:48)tinker Wrote: [ -> ]Jatho:

Beware though, I've 'lost' the internet connection a couple of times but the LAN still worked. If this happens, just go to 'Internet access' and repeat the network setup to get it back.

tinker

interesting, I have this happen sometimes in android on the ATV520. the only way I can get it back is to reboot the box.

I never had this issue running Android on both my ATV520's, literally installed XBMC configured the them and never looked back, running the unit on Linux now it does seem to be a little less stable, I've had connectivity issues and have had to go into the network settings again, had issues with the unit hanging on playback etc.... I realize its still early for the Linux distro so happy to put up with it and I'm sure it will mature over time as more people install it and get it stable.

Samba doesn't seem to be working which is a pity, didn't spend much time troubleshooting it but checked if the process was running which it was and also checked the smb.conf file which was also OK but can't access the share.
SMB is a bummer. I have all my movies on an external drive hooked up to my nas and SMB is the only way I can access it.

Hopefully someone gets SMB sorted out.
(2014-01-08, 16:13)redi Wrote: [ -> ]SMB is a bummer. I have all my movies on an external drive hooked up to my nas and SMB is the only way I can access it.

Hopefully someone gets SMB sorted out.

redi:

SMB wasn't a problem for me at all. It's more likely a problem with your network than Linux/XBMC. Check under 'System/Services/SMB client/' to see whether 'Workgroup' matches your own network. Usually it's the same, 'WORKGROUP' being the default for Windows. In my case, I use something different so I have to change it with every install, but most folks wouldn't have to change it. Also, you can try using 'UPnP' to connect if you have a network drive hooked up to your LAN.

tinker
(2014-01-08, 16:13)redi Wrote: [ -> ]SMB is a bummer. I have all my movies on an external drive hooked up to my nas and SMB is the only way I can access it.

Hopefully someone gets SMB sorted out.

SMB is working on my ATV520
(2014-01-08, 16:13)redi Wrote: [ -> ]SMB is a bummer. I have all my movies on an external drive hooked up to my nas and SMB is the only way I can access it.

Hopefully someone gets SMB sorted out.

I got it working, when I looked carefully at the smb.conf file I noticed firstly that the workgroup needed to change (use default WORKGROUP) then hosts allow variable was also causing problems for some reason so I just took this out (put a # before that line) then share the data directory you want to save the file and restart samba (/etc/init.d/S91smb restart) and you should be good to go.

This is only for the samba server so shares you have on the media center that you want samba / windows clients to access, if you need to access samba / windows shares from the media centre this works without issues at all, my data is on a NAS which I access using samba, I dont like UPnP)

Hope this helps, below is my smb.conf file as its been amended...

#======================= Global Settings =====================================
[global]
workgroup = WORKGROUP
server string = Android
max log size = 50
security = share
encrypt passwords = yes
smb passwd file = /etc/samba/smbpasswd
log file = /var/log/samba/log.smbd
# hosts allow = 192.168.170.
interfaces = eth0 192.168.0.1/255.255.255.0
socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192

#============================ Share Definitions ==============================
idmap uid = 16777216-33554431
idmap gid = 16777216-33554431
template shell = /bin/false
winbind use default domain = no

[XBMC]
path = /root/.xbmc
public = yes
only guest = yes
writable = yes
printable = no

yeah, reading your question again it sounds like you're having issues accessing media on your NAS from the ATV520, this should work out the box, make sure you're on the same workgroup and maybe use IP address instead of name so something like smb://192.168.1.10/Movies (if the IP of your NAS is 192.168.1.10) if the share is password protected syntax is smb://username:[email protected]/Movies

Hope that helps.
Jatho:

By altering your smb.conf, you've not only solved the 'Workgroup' issue but also assigned a share to the atv520?

Could you explain the use of 'idmap uid' and 'idmap uid'? Is the value unique to each machine and if so, where can we find it?

Also, a quick run-through of how we can copy the smb.conf file in ssh to our remote computer and how to copy it back to the atv would be helpful. It's been years since I've used ssh and I'm still ramping up. We've already discussed how to log-on to the atv with ssh, so a clear explanation should be helpful to everyone. It'd give folks a good example of how to alter atv remotely through the file system too. If we brick it, there's always the bootable SD card to get Linux/XBMC back! Smile

Again, to login to the Geniatech box, use Putty or some other ssh compatible terminal, enter the I.P. address of the atv, then use login = root and password = letmein.

tinker

P.S. Is it possible to make a static I.P. stick by using this method of modifying files?
(2014-01-08, 18:35)tinker Wrote: [ -> ]Jatho:

By altering your smb.conf, you've not only solved the 'Workgroup' issue but also assigned a share to the atv520?

Could you explain the use of 'idmap uid' and 'idmap uid'? Is the value unique to each machine and if so, where can we find it?

Also, a quick run-through of how we can copy the smb.conf file in ssh to our remote computer and how to copy it back to the atv would be helpful. It's been years since I've used ssh and I'm still ramping up. We've already discussed how to log-on to the atv with ssh, so a clear explanation should be helpful to everyone. It'd give folks a good example of how to alter atv remotely through the file system too. If we brick it, there's always the bootable SD card to get Linux/XBMC back! Smile

Again, to log on to Geniatech box, use Putty or some other ssh compatible terminal. Enter the I.P. address of the atv, then login = root and password = letmein.

tinker

P.S. Is it possible to make a static I.P. stick by using this method of modifying files?

Correct, its now on workgroup "WORKGROUP" and I've got a share to my XBMC directory so that I can easily make XBMC configuration changes between devices.

I edit the smb.conf by hand using vi, you could sftp the file or use samba / windows sharing but its more work than what its worth to be honest.

So vi /etc/samba/smb.conf, you'll need to know the vi commands, I've used it for years so am comfortable with it but there are other editing programs that may be easier. Once you've made changes make sure you restart the samba daemon as highlighted in my previous post so that these changes come into effect.

I'm not entirely sure what the idmap uid is, you could check the value of your idmap uid in your smb.conf file to confirm if its unique or the same as mine, I'd guess its the same.

If you dont want a config line in the file, rather than delete it put a # in front of it, I has is essentially a comment in a file and anything to the right is ignored, this is handy in case your changes dont work then you could just uncomment the line by deleting the # and your config is reverted, probably also a good idea to backup the file before you make changes in case what you do doesnt work out.
Jatho:

Thanks for the tips. It should be no problem using vi to edit the smb.conf file. I use to do remote editing all the time. Yes, vi is in the /bin directory so I can edit in the shell. I noticed that there is an 'opt' directory on root but it's empty.

What I really think we should have is a Debian distro for the Geniatech boxes like Raspbian. Then we could just sudo FireFox (or IceWeasel) and XBMC (or whatever else we want). Performance on the Raspberry pie is marginal, on the Geniatech hardware, it would run much better!

It's only a matter of time before that happens anyway, the performance of the Linux/XBMC buildroot version is phenomenal. A desktop with full control is the next step for sure.

Call me impatient!

tinker
This can't be used for Generic AML8726-MX ? Or can ?
(2014-01-09, 23:13)VictorDUA Wrote: [ -> ]This can't be used for Generic AML8726-MX ? Or can ?

VictorDUA:

That's what I'm trying to find out here. Raspbian is a Debian distro for the Raspbery Pi giving a full desktop and the ability to add packages. The Geniatech boxes are much more powerful and should perform as well as a desktop PC.

So far, I've looked at Arch Linux, Debian and Ubuntu to see if there is a distro for these boxes but nothing so far that wouldn't require a lot of work.

Folks:

Does anyone know if 'Live' versions of Linux can be booted from SD or USB on Geniatech hardware? The tutorial at the beginning of this thread shows that bootable SD cards can be used to update firmware but can they also launch a live Linux as well?

tinker
If you read the whole thread you will find this:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?pid...pid1579275
Setup check my hardware and tells my box is not "STV".
If its for AML8726-MX how can I pass this check ?
Thanks for sharing this. Much better than the android version. Only issue is I can no longer get ac3 or dts passthrough on the spdif.