"unable to connect" to MythTV backend

Hugh · 2010-02-07 10:59

[I'm new to XBMC so this is probably some obvious mistake.]

In the last few days I've installed XBMC on my Apple TV. Seems neat -- thanks!

I want to have XBMC talk to my MythTV .20 backend.

When I install a video source of the form "mythtv://username: password@mythbox", I always get a box saying:

Code:

UNABLE TO CONNECT

Could not retrieve directory information.

This could be due to the network not being connected.

Would you like to add it anyway?

   YES   NO

Nothing shows up in the log. But if I say "YES", and then try to use that source. I get this message in the log:

Code:

08:37:25 T:2684407808 M:  7479296   ERROR: CGUIMediaWindow::GetDirectory(mythtv://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com/) failed

With debug logging enabled there is a little more:

Code:

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27471872   DEBUG: CGUIMediaWindow::GetDirectory (mythtv://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com/)

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27471872   DEBUG:   ParentPath = []

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27471872   ERROR: CGUIMediaWindow::GetDirectory(mythtv://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com/) failed

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27471872   DEBUG: CGUIMediaWindow::GetDirectory ()

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27471872   DEBUG:   ParentPath = []

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27480064    INFO: Loading skin file: DialogOK.xml

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27480064   DEBUG: Load DialogOK.xml: 7.21ms

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27480064   DEBUG: ------ Window Init (DialogOK.xml) ------

46:19 T:2684407808 M: 27463680   DEBUG: Alloc resources: 0.33ms (0.00 ms skin load)

46:19 T:43630080 M: 27459584   DEBUG: thread start, auto delete: 0

46:19 T:43630080 M: 27451392   DEBUG: Thread 43630080 terminating

I don't know if it is related, but the log shows a fair number of messages like this one:

Code:

08:47:28 T:43337728 M: 27385856  NOTICE: ES: Client  from 127.0.0.1 timed out

For the "mythbox" component, I've tried the IP address as a dotted quad, I've tried the FQDN, and I've tried the unqualified domain name. The FQDN resolves. And I've added an entry to /etc/hosts to cover the FQDN too!

I am running tcpdump on the myth backend and it seems no packets from the AppleTV when I perform these experiments.

A ping command run on the Apple TV can properly reach the backend. And the tcpdump sees those packets.

Any suggestions?

Hugh · 2010-02-07 17:55

I forgot to mention that XBMC on the ATV sees the UPnP from my MythTV backend. But UPnP doesn't have the capabilities that I need.

**davilla** · 2010-02-07 17:59

add your mythtv backend to /etc/hosts

Hugh · 2010-02-07 20:00

davilla Wrote:add your mythtv backend to /etc/hosts

I already had (thanks to your suggestion, passed on to me in IRC).

As I mentioned in the first message, I put the FQDN in /etc/hosts.

Now I've also put the unqualified domain name in too. Testing again. Same result ("REMOTE SHARE Could not connect to network server"; no packets seen by tcpdump running on MythTV backend machine).

Do I need to add some plugin to XBMC to handle mythtv://?

Here's the relevant extract from /Users/frontrow/Library/Application Support/XBMC/userdata/sources.xml. Does anything look wrong?

Code:

<source>

            <name>RedBurn</name>

            <path pathversion="1">mythtv://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com/</path>

        </source>

The problem cannot be a firewall on the server side since tcpdump would have shown packets even if they were rejected by the firewall. On the Apple TV, I think that the firewall blocks nothing:

Code:

-bash-2.05b$ sudo ipfw list

65535 allow ip from any to any

**davilla** · 2010-02-07 20:19

try;

myth://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com

Hugh · 2010-02-07 20:31

davilla Wrote:try;

myth://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com

Duhh. That worked. Thanks!

gatorback · 2011-04-03 09:16

davilla Wrote:add your mythtv backend to /etc/hosts

What exactly would the syntax be? How would you verify that this change worked? Thanks.

Hugh · 2011-04-03 09:39

gatorback Wrote:What exactly would the syntax be? How would you verify that this change worked? Thanks.

Sorry, I lied. I didn't use /etc/hosts on the AppleTV, I added the domain to my DNS server. But most people don't run DNS servers (except for caching).

The /etc/hosts file is pretty much the same in OSX (on the AppleTV), *BSD, and Linux. I think that the Linux manpage is easier to follow because it has examples http://linux.die.net/man/5/hosts, http://www.ipnom.com/FreeBSD-Man-Pages/hosts.5.html http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#...sts.5.html

On your AppleTV, add something like the following to the file /etc/hosts:

Code:

192.168.0.10    backendname

Then you can refer to your backend by name "backendname". Of course you should replace the IP address I used with the one used for your backend. This only works if your backend has a permanent IP address.

Hugh Junior Member Posts: 8 Joined: Jan 2010 Reputation: 0 Location: Toronto	2010-02-07 17:55 Post: #2 I forgot to mention that XBMC on the ATV sees the UPnP from my MythTV backend. But UPnP doesn't have the capabilities that I need.
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davilla Team-XBMC Developer Posts: 10,506 Joined: Feb 2008 Reputation: 58	2010-02-07 17:59 Post: #3 add your mythtv backend to /etc/hosts MediaInfo : http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/ Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
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davilla Team-XBMC Developer Posts: 10,506 Joined: Feb 2008 Reputation: 58	2010-02-07 20:19 Post: #5 try; myth://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com MediaInfo : http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/ Do not e-mail XBMC-Team members directly asking for support. Read/follow the forum rules.
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Hugh Junior Member Posts: 8 Joined: Jan 2010 Reputation: 0 Location: Toronto	2010-02-07 20:31 Post: #6 davilla Wrote:try; myth://mythtv:mythtv@redburn.mimosa.com Duhh. That worked. Thanks!
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gatorback Junior Member Posts: 13 Joined: Jan 2011 Reputation: 0 Location: Minnesota Cornfield	2011-04-03 09:16 Post: #7 davilla Wrote:add your mythtv backend to /etc/hosts What exactly would the syntax be? How would you verify that this change worked? Thanks.
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