mpdPup - Simplified MPD Music Server/Jukebox - v0.9.3

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lugili
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun 24 Feb 2013, 21:07

Updated mpd database does not save

#376 Post by lugili »

Hi all,
I ran into a weird problem. When I put new music on my music server and update the mpd database I can see and play the new files in all the clients I use. Great. But when I shut down the music server and start it up the next time, I cannot see the new files anymore. Meaning, although all files are recognized by mpd, no new entries are stored in the db-file anymore.

What is even more strange is that all was working fine for some months until now. Anyone has an idea what this bug could be and how to fix it?

Thanks
lugili

ldolse
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri 23 Oct 2009, 16:33

Re: Updated mpd database does not save

#377 Post by ldolse »

lugili wrote:Hi all,
I ran into a weird problem. When I put new music on my music server and update the mpd database I can see and play the new files in all the clients I use. Great. But when I shut down the music server and start it up the next time, I cannot see the new files anymore. Meaning, although all files are recognized by mpd, no new entries are stored in the db-file anymore.

What is even more strange is that all was working fine for some months until now. Anyone has an idea what this bug could be and how to fix it?
I can only see this happening for one of two reasons:
  • Your thumbdrive is being mounted read-only for some reason so MPD can't write the database changes to disk - maybe a filesystem repair in needed.
  • somehow you moved the MPD database into the Pupply Linux filesystem, which doesn't persist across shutdowns unless you shutdown gracefully
Of the two scenarios the first one seems the most likely.
Last edited by ldolse on Tue 30 Apr 2013, 01:03, edited 1 time in total.

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#378 Post by DenisP »

luisb wrote:Hi DenisP
Do you see any advantage using Igel 5/4 with a more powerfull CPU?. It also has an external power supply. Prices are great at Ebay.
Regards
No need for the more powerful machine: Igel 3/4 plays everything just fine - as long as you don't start the X window system and try to play 24/192 HD music - then it starts to hiccup :)
As long as you dont start X or try running several other programs simultaneously, everything (including 24/192) playback runs just fine - on a 600MHz machine, with 256MB RAM, and everything running from 128MB CF card (!).
However, if you can get igel 5/4 cheap, by all means go for it - it might be usable for other stuff, too :)

I like this one (igel 3/4) because it has built-in power supply (a good one!), which does not produce any interference (hum,buzz, etc.). All in all, a very compact and totally silent machine.
And thanks to Idolse, quite capable of running as a very good (headless) music server!

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

Re: Updated mpd database does not save

#379 Post by DenisP »

ldolse wrote: Of the two scenarios the first one seems the most likely.
I tend to agree - happens to me every once in a while. Usually fixed by a reboot, though...

luisb
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun 30 Sep 2012, 13:52

#380 Post by luisb »

Thanks DenisP
It means that you must run Igel 3/4 from command line. So a program like putty will work without problems? I prefer battery power supply so i believe 5/4 will be more suitable. In my settings i must have the cleanest usb connection possible.
Regards

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#381 Post by DenisP »

luisb wrote: It means that you must run Igel 3/4 from command line. So a program like putty will work without problems?
Yes, putty from a windows machine should work OK. Personally, I'm using ssh from a terminal from another Linux machine.

I do use X (graphical environment invoked via "xwin") sometimes when e.g. I need to set up networking (wireless in particular). But, once set up and tested for connections, the machine runs headless (no monitor, keyboard or mouse), and without starting X. For the normal usage (purely music playback), you don't need to waste system resources by invoking X. On my machines, it interferes with playback of 24/192 HD audio, which stutters if X is started (CPU usage: my machines have VIA 600 MHz CPU).
Remote control is via one of the web clients (neompc, web10mpc or phpmpreloaded). I also tried Client175, but gave it up: again, it wastes too much CPU resources.

Regards,

Denis

Jean-Louis P
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun 23 Sep 2012, 18:06

#382 Post by Jean-Louis P »

Interesting these igel machines. They have several different ones, with used ones too on ebay. Did you do something in particular in the install to have mpdpup running ?

Jean-Louis

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#383 Post by DenisP »

Jean-Louis P wrote:Interesting these igel machines. They have several different ones, with used ones too on ebay. Did you do something in particular in the install to have mpdpup running ?
The install isn't exactly straightforward: the igel machines I use (Igel 3/4) are rather fussy, and booting from USB stick does not really work :(
I've found the best way to install is to use VirtualBox on another machine (a faster "normal" desktop PC): I attach the CF card in a card reader to the VBox as IDE disk, and do a frugal install from the mpdPup ISO image that's attached to VirtualBox as virtual CD. Once booted from the CD (ISO image), I start up X and use gparted to format the CF card to Ext2 (no swap, just one primary ext2 partition, bootable), and then it's a pretty quick basic frugal install using the universal installer from X. After install , I add grub4dos, test the installed system on the card, and if everything is OK, I transfer the CF card to the actual igel machine. It boots OK, and then I finish the install with proper settings using mpdwizard, and set up networking as required - first reboot adds the saveFs file (*.2fs), and that's about it...
These Igel 3/4 models can also be found on German ebay for about €20-€35.

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#384 Post by DenisP »

After a week of struggling with lirc and serial IR receiver, I'm still at the beginning.

However, today I decided to see what is "occupying" the /dev/ttyS0 port, and lo and behold, using "ps ax" I found out that there's a getty process attached to /dev/ttyS0.

So, I found where it is invoked/started (/etc/inittab), and commented the last line, which said:

Code: Select all

ttyS0::respawn:/sbin/getty -L 19200 ttyS0
Before I start digging into (now freed) serial port, I just wanted to make sure I'm not breaking anything by disabling getty on /dev/ttyS0?

Now that I "freed" the serial port, I hope I'll finally be able to make some progress :)

ldolse
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri 23 Oct 2009, 16:33

#385 Post by ldolse »

I'd forgotten I'd set that up. I configured that console to give headless users a way in to debug if DHCP failed. You're not breaking anything by removing it. I doubt that anyone has ever used it that way aside from myself during testing though, I will remove it to prevent conflicts with IR receivers in the future.

Regarding the compact flash, you should have been able to install to that using Unetbootin. That's the way I and all the Alix users have done it. Not sure if something is different about igel that makes VirtualBox required.

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#386 Post by DenisP »

ldolse wrote:I'd forgotten I'd set that up.
...

Regarding the compact flash, you should have been able to install to that using Unetbootin. That's the way I and all the Alix users have done it. Not sure if something is different about igel that makes VirtualBox required.
Thanks for the explanation :)

As regards the installation to CF card on igel machine, the problem is also that I don't have an external CD/DVD which I could plug into the machine (it does not have an internal CD/DVD drive)... Otherwise, it might have gone OK with the install from CD.

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

Micromega MyDAC problems?

#387 Post by DenisP »

Anyone used mpdPup with Micromega MyDAC?

Any problems?

I've had two instances lately where two separate MyDAC's didn't work well with mpdPup on my igel machine...

The problem is that the mpdwizard recognizes myDac as "sound card", but when I try the sound sample, no music comes out.
I need to toggle the USB switch on the back of MyDAC a couple of times for the sound to finally come out, and the system is set. After that the system plays OK - until the next reboot :(
After reboot, I need to toggle the same USB switch on the back of myDac a couple of times for the sound to start playing... Rather annoying, and it makes the system practically unusable with that particular DAC (and the switch on the back that needs to be toggled a couple of times for the sound to appear is actually a rather flimsy and tiny plastic DIP switch). :(

Then again, it could be some obscure USB setting in my machine's BIOS... But, I've tried 5-6 other different DACs, and never had any such problems.

Anyone has a similar problems with Micromega's MyDAC? Or a suggestion of what can be done about it?

ldolse
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri 23 Oct 2009, 16:33

Re: Micromega MyDAC problems?

#388 Post by ldolse »

DenisP wrote:I've had two instances lately where two separate MyDAC's didn't work well with mpdPup on my igel machine...

Anyone has a similar problems with Micromega's MyDAC? Or a suggestion of what can be done about it?
This is the first I've heard of a problem like that with this DAC, but the WaveIO has a similar problem according to user reports - I think it's more an issue with the DAC firmware than the PC/Linux side. In the case of the WaveIO I believe most users solved it by following a specific set of power on steps, PC first, DAC only after boot is complete.

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

Re: Micromega MyDAC problems?

#389 Post by DenisP »

ldolse wrote:I think it's more an issue with the DAC firmware than the PC/Linux side. In the case of the WaveIO I believe most users solved it by following a specific set of power on steps, PC first, DAC only after boot is complete.
I've arranged to have Micromega MyDac on loan for a day or two, and I'll try to see if what you describe helps.
But, I think it might also be my BIOS settings for USB, etc.
We'll see...

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#390 Post by DenisP »

Here's an update on Micromega MyDAC problem I'm having.

When first registering MyDAC as sound output, usually everything goes OK, and the system plays - until first reboot.
After reboot, the client shows the track playing, but no sound coming out (there is a soft "click" from the speakers, though, when the track is supposed to start playing....).

Dmesg reports the following:

Code: Select all

usb 1-1: new high speed USB device number 4 using ehci_hcd
usb 1-1: New USB device found, idVendor=26f2, idProduct=0200
usb 1-1: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
usb 1-1: Product: MICROMEGA MYDAC
usb 1-1: Manufacturer: MICROMEGA 
usb 1-1: SerialNumber: 0000
cannot get ctl value: req = 0x83, wValue = 0x201, wIndex = 0xa00, type = 4
cannot get ctl value: req = 0x83, wValue = 0x200, wIndex = 0xa00, type = 4
I unloaded the lirc modules (lirc_dev, ir_core et al.), just to be sure, but it doesn't help.

When no sound plays, I can try to start mpdwizard again, and set up the DAC, but when I select it on the list and try playing, I hear no sound.

This all happens when MyDAC is set to "USB class 2" using the switch on the back of the device.

However, when I set the same switch to "USB 1", I can't even select myDAC as sound device using the mpdwizard: when I select "basic configuration", some mesages briefly flash by in the background (something about alsactl and alsamixer, from what I was able to deduce), and the ncurses interface goes back to the same screen - i.e. "select device" screen never opens.
So, when MyDAC is set to "USB 1", I can't even select it as a sound device...

Here's what MyDAC manual says:
The asynchronous USB input accepts signal which are plain multiples of
44,1kHZ and 48kHz sampling rates and this up to 192kHz. This input is
compatible with Audio class 1.0 and 2.0 without using any specific driver
on Mac. For PC users, an audio class2.0 specific driver is available on our
website www.micromega-hifi.com. The audio class selector is located on the
back panel of MyDAC next to the USB input connector.
Curiouser and curiouser....

So, when MYDac switch is on "USB1", it's practically unusable (can't even be selected, seems like alsa is spewing some error messages in the background).

When set to USB2, I can select it and test it (sound comes out), and play normally - until the first reboot :(

I suspect that the error message "cannot get ctl value: ..." has something to do with the problems I'm having (obviously)...

Any suggestions?

Anything else I could try, or some other error messages I could provide (which logs should I check?)?

TIA,

Denis

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#391 Post by DenisP »

And again I'm replying to myself :)

Glad to report that the problem is solved!

It was simple, really: the "sound device" (i.e. MyDAC) was rebooting muted!

So, I followed Idolse's recipe from the page 1 of this thread ("No sound after the initial setup/reboot though everything appears to be working"), rebooted - and voila! - sound is coming out as it should :)

Just one more question: how do I solve this on the future machines that I'll be setting up - without having MyDAC at hand?
Just save the current "asound.state" file somewhere else as a backup for users with MyDAC, and copy it over the existing ("default") one?

Regards,

Denis

ldolse
Posts: 367
Joined: Fri 23 Oct 2009, 16:33

#392 Post by ldolse »

It looks to me like ctl value error might be related to alsactl - after you select the soundcard the wizard saves the sound device settings using the command 'alsactl -f /etc/asound.state store'. ALSA automatically loads the asound.state file after reinitiating the sound device.

Did you try booting without the sound device plugged in or unplugging/replugging the device after bootup?


Edit - cross posted. After un-muting type the command above:
alsactl -f /etc/asound.state store

For future devices you could try saving the asound.state file - there is a good chance that will work.

willemoes
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu 08 Nov 2012, 09:16

#393 Post by willemoes »

Is there a way to add/remove music files on a headless Mpd-machine when using local sata hdd as storage?

It´s connected to a router for using tablet as client over wi-fi.

Also connected to router is a Windows Pc

DenisP
Posts: 56
Joined: Mon 25 Mar 2013, 22:17
Location: Croatia

#394 Post by DenisP »

willemoes wrote:Is there a way to add/remove music files on a headless Mpd-machine when using local sata hdd as storage?

It´s connected to a router for using tablet as client over wi-fi.

Also connected to router is a Windows Pc
Do you mean you have the music library on the HDD on the mpdPup machine?

In that case, without installing samba, etc., you can use Filezilla on the Windows side to copy files.

In Filezilla, enter your mpdPup computer IP address, username "root" and password "woofwoof" (unless you changed the default password), and use port "22".
It should work, and you should be able to connect to mpdPup machine from the Windows PC on the local network. From there you can find the directory where the music library is, and upload (or delete) files there.

Should be rather easy to do, no need for samba or anything else: I just tried it with a Windows machine on a local network: took me about 3-4 minutes to download Filezilla, install it, and then in about 10 seconds I was connected to my mpdPup computer, and sending files to and fro... :)

willemoes
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu 08 Nov 2012, 09:16

#395 Post by willemoes »

DenisP wrote: Do you mean you have the music library on the HDD on the mpdPup machine?
Yes; would like to compare SQ between local 2.5 Hdd to musiclibrary over network - as well as have the possibility to bring the machine to friends for listening (have the ability to connect KVM if necessary).

Will check out Filezilla, Thanks :-)

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