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Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

msomekh1
Aspirant

PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Hi all, I've found various threads on this issue but no solution so I'm hoping there's an answer that I've just missed.

When first switched on, my Playstation 3 is only able to see the NAS drive through DLNA when ReadyDLNA is restarted. This can be either through frontview or on a NAS reboot.

All used to work brilliantly. However, the issue first appeared a few weeks ago the moment I upgraded the my ReadyNAS Duo firmware. (I think this may have been the first update for ReadyDLNA). Nothing else changed. I have tried upgrading the PS3 firmware, updating the NAS firmware, re-installing the latest ReadyNAS addon, checking other possible problems (routers, firewalls etc) and of course searching for media servers on the PS3. The ONLY way to see the drive is a reboot of the ReadyDLNA addon.

I now have:
- RAIDiator 4.1.6
- Latest ReadyDLNA ("Successfully installed ReadyDLNA update for 4.1.6 firmware")
- PS3 updated to 3.01

This appears to be a common problem and unfortunately, it does defeat one of the main reasons for streaming video. I don't understand enough about the DLNA discovery protocols to go any further.

Any help or pointers much appreciated.
Message 1 of 75
msomekh1
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Well, I guess leaving it long enough solved the problem! :lol:

Despite quite a few hits but no no feedback on the forum I hunted around for configuration files and finally found one that explained and help me resolve the issue.

The file /etc/minidlna.conf defines a number of useful properties. The default value for notify_interval is 900 seconds and therefore I'm assuming that ReadyDLNA only broadcasts its availability every 15 minutes! Changing this to something more sensible (in this case 25 seconds) makes it available immediately after turning on the PS3.

34c34
< notify_interval=25
---
> notify_interval=900

Given that this is something that has stumped a few people, would it be possible to default the value to say 30 seconds and/or to expose the property in the Frontview add-on?

Anyway, I hope this helps others who thought they were not able to get the NAS working properly for streaming to the PS3.
Message 2 of 75
whytega
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Well a big thank you for finding this 😄 . The fix does not only apply to PS3's. I had the same issue on my Philips Streamium SL300i and my Sony TV and applied the change you suggested. After a day it seems to be working fine and I have been switching both on and off quite often just to give it a good test. I haven't noticed any side effects so far.

Strangely the comment line in the .conf file for this setting stated a default of 30 seconds but the command was 900 seconds.
Message 3 of 75
msomekh1
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Sure whytega, glad it helped. Yes the comment is confusing - I guess just an oversight.

I replied to a private message with some more instruction so I'll post them here in case it helps anyone else who comes across this in future.


***

It's relatively easy.

1. Download, install and run putty
http://www.putty.org/

2. Enter the local NAS IP address, ensure "SSH" is set and that the port is '22'. Then save the session (e.g. call it "NAS") so that you load it later.

3. Press 'Open' and a login window should appear. Login with your user "root" and the appropriate root password

4. Type in order
cd /etc
ls -l minidlna.conf
cp minidlna.conf minidlna.conf.bak

5. Now you need to edit the file as needed. I use 'VI' but that's because I know it well and I must be a bit masochistic :wink: You can find resources on the web.
vi minidlna.conf

6. Once the file is saved, restart the readyDLNA service.


OK, I lied, it's easy up to the editing part even if you're not familiar with linux (unix)!!!

Hope this helps anyway.

-- Mike
Message 4 of 75
meeow
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Absolutely FANTASTIC 😄 That worked a treat, many, many, many thanks. Even Netgear support was blaming my PC setup and that it was my fault. Well done.
Message 5 of 75
alokeprasad
Mentor

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

I hope the Netgear folks add this as a setting that's adjustable via the Frontview or some such interface.

Not everyone is comfortable with logging in and messing around with the files directly.

Aloke
Message 6 of 75
Skywalker
NETGEAR Expert

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

900 seconds is pretty standard in the DLNA world. ReadyDLNA sends two complete sets of alive notifications once it starts up, and it also responds to search requests by client devices. msomekh, does the PS3 pick up ReadyDLNA if you hit the "Search for Media Servers" button on PS3 (with the setting changed back to 900, of course)? Does discovery work if you unplug and re-plug the NAS network cable? I'd like to figure out what's going on here, but I don't have an environment that can reproduce this behavior.
Message 7 of 75
whytega
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Skywalker: I don't have a PS3 but before applying this change both my SONY 40W4500 and my Philips Streamium would not find the ReadyNAS if I asked them to search for servers. If I stopped and restarted ReadyDLNA whilst the other units were on the ReadyNAS appeared.

When doing nothing once in a blue moon the ReadyNAS would be visible but it was very hit and miss.

Since making the change msomekh suggested (who now has a mini fan club) I have not needed to initiate a search for servers as it is always visible. Even within two days its now a feature of the ReadyNAS that is getting a lot of use from the whole family.

I never tried the unplug cable option but could reset the .conf file and try if you wish.
Message 8 of 75
Skywalker
NETGEAR Expert

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Yes, if you could try that it would be helpful. It really sounds like the ReadyNAS isn't getting a search request from the client, but the client is getting the alive packets from the NAS.

Another bit of helpful information would be whether or not disabling the UPnP discovery service changes anything.
Message 9 of 75
whytega
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Well that was interesting. I did the following.

1. Copied the old .conf file back so the setting was 900 again.
2. Rebooted the ReadyNAS and turned the TV off and on.
3. The old issue was back. ReadyNAS not visible to TV and even trying to connect did not work.
4. Went down to the ReadyNAS (its hidden in the basement) unplugged the network cable and plugged it in again.
5. TV could see the readyNAS and could access music files and photos.
6. Repeated steps 2-5 again to make doubly sure and got the same result.
7. Turned off UPnP discovery service.
8. Repeated steps 2-5, exactly the same result. The TV could see the ReadyNAS after unplugging the network cable and plugging back in.

I hope this helps. Step 9 for the moment will be to put the revised version back I guess.
Message 10 of 75
msomekh1
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Hi Skywalker,
"does the PS3 pick up ReadyDLNA if you hit the "Search for Media Servers" button on PS3 (with the setting changed back to 900, of course)"

As per my original post, unfortunately not. Searching for media servers from the PS3 doesn't work.

If, as you say, the ReadNAS accepts client search requests, then it does seem likely that these are not being received or processed and hence this would explain the original problem.

FYI, the issue first occurred when I upgraded the NAS firmware a couple of months ago, that is, without changing a thing on the PS3. Before that, everything worked fine. Am I right to assume that ReadyDLNA could have been installed for the first time as part of this upgrade? If that's the case then either the previous DLNA server software was correctly processing client search requests and ReadyDLNA has an issue or the firmware upgrade introduced a separate problem.

Will the debug version of ReadyDLNA help? If so, where are the logs kept?

Thanks
Mike

PS Whytega, thanks for the mini fanclub 😎
Message 11 of 75
vidarno
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Hi, I just bought a PS3 slim and a ReadyNAS Duo, which initially didn't seem to work well together. My initial scan did not find the media server on the
Duo, but at some point later it was suddenly just there. Later still it disappeared and scanning again did not work. I tried changing the notify interval,
as mentioned earlier in this thread, but in my case the solution was that since I could see the following error in upnp-av.log:
error: Unable to open pidfile for writing /var/run/minidlna.pid: File exists
the solution was simply to remove the .pid file and restart readydlna via the web interface.

Suggestion: A restart of the readydlna-service should remove the pid-file if it exists, unless there is a good reason not to?
Message 12 of 75
alokeprasad
Mentor

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

vidarno wrote:
Hi, I just bought a PS3 slim and a ReadyNAS Duo, which initially didn't seem to work well together. My initial scan did not find the media server on the
Duo, but at some point later it was suddenly just there. Later still it disappeared and scanning again did not work. I tried changing the notify interval,
as mentioned earlier in this thread, but in my case the solution was that since I could see the following error in upnp-av.log:
error: Unable to open pidfile for writing /var/run/minidlna.pid: File exists
the solution was simply to remove the .pid file and restart readydlna via the web interface.

Suggestion: A restart of the readydlna-service should remove the pid-file if it exists, unless there is a good reason not to?


Is the upnp-av.log file and the /var/run/minidlna.pid file accessible through FrontView or Windows Explorer interface? or do we have to get to these via the Linux root access etc?
Message 13 of 75
vidarno
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

No, both files require ssh-access to be viewed or modified.
Message 14 of 75
alokeprasad
Mentor

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

OK, then non-techies like me will ask about how to do that if the problem happens to me.

Aloke
Message 15 of 75
Skywalker
NETGEAR Expert

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Failure to write the PID file will not cause ReadyDLNA to not start properly. That's not the cause of the problem.
Message 16 of 75
thomsens
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

I see the same behavior on the PS3. I have several media servers on my network and the ReadyNAS is the only one that regularly disappears. In order to use it I jump into frontview and rescan or restart the service - clearly not desirable. If it's as simple as reducing the advertising interval, that seems like a no brainer.
Message 17 of 75
Skywalker
NETGEAR Expert

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

thomsens wrote:
I see the same behavior on the PS3. I have several media servers on my network and the ReadyNAS is the only one that regularly disappears. In order to use it I jump into frontview and rescan or restart the service - clearly not desirable. If it's as simple as reducing the advertising interval, that seems like a no brainer.

So for you, the Search for Media Servers button on PS3 doesn't help? The advertising interval is not the actual problem. The problem has to come from the M-SEARCH requests from the client not making it to the ReadyNAS. If we had an environment where we could see this behavior, that would be helpful. But every environment that I have access to works perfectly, with several different media players.

Have you tried putting the PS3 and ReadyNAS on the same switch, to see if there's something along the way that is causing the issue?
Message 18 of 75
thomsens
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Skywalker wrote:
thomsens wrote:
I see the same behavior on the PS3. I have several media servers on my network and the ReadyNAS is the only one that regularly disappears. In order to use it I jump into frontview and rescan or restart the service - clearly not desirable. If it's as simple as reducing the advertising interval, that seems like a no brainer.

So for you, the Search for Media Servers button on PS3 doesn't help? The advertising interval is not the actual problem. The problem has to come from the M-SEARCH requests from the client not making it to the ReadyNAS. If we had an environment where we could see this behavior, that would be helpful. But every environment that I have access to works perfectly, with several different media players.

Have you tried putting the PS3 and ReadyNAS on the same switch, to see if there's something along the way that is causing the issue?


I have had 2 PS3s and have had the same behavior on both - searching on them does nothing...have to tweak readynas to get it to show up. Again, my other servers are consistently in my list and also a "switch hop" away as well. I could put them on the same switch, but I don't see why that would matter. I'm very knowledgeable about networking, so enlighten me if you have ideas of why that might change things.
Message 19 of 75
Skywalker
NETGEAR Expert

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

thomsens wrote:
I'm very knowledgeable about networking, so enlighten me if you have ideas of why that might change things.

The way discovery is done in the DLNA (and UPnP) world is with UDP multicast, which of course can be lossy. When the DLNA client starts, it sends an M-SEARCH packet asking for responses from media servers on the network. That piece is certainly working in ReadyDLNA, as evidenced by passing all UPnP and DLNA tests, and by the thousands of systems around the world that don't have this problem. So the only possibility that makes sense is that those search packets being sent by the client (PS3 in this case) aren't making it to the ReadyNAS.
Message 20 of 75
thomsens
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Skywalker wrote:
thomsens wrote:
I'm very knowledgeable about networking, so enlighten me if you have ideas of why that might change things.

The way discovery is done in the DLNA (and UPnP) world is with UDP multicast, which of course can be lossy. When the DLNA client starts, it sends an M-SEARCH packet asking for responses from media servers on the network. That piece is certainly working in ReadyDLNA, as evidenced by passing all UPnP and DLNA tests, and by the thousands of systems around the world that don't have this problem. So the only possibility that makes sense is that those search packets being sent by the client (PS3 in this case) aren't making it to the ReadyNAS.


It can be lossy, but there has to be a reason for it to be as you know...and likewise, other devices have to respond to the same queries and they work fine in the same general configuration, so...

My current setup: PS3---netgeargs608---linksysslm2008---readynasnv
My new setup: PS3---linksysslm2008---readynasnv

The netgear is in my HT cabinet so that all of my AV gear can connect locally to it. It is connected back to my Linksys which is kind of a core switch with the GE servers and PCs, ReadyNAS and other switches attached. I do this because the linksys has some basic stats for troubleshooting issues. Once the PS3 is off that netgear switch it is a non-blocking config since all of the HT gear is 100Mb/s and the uplink is GE - little chance for contention. Even with the PS3 on it, it's hard to believe contention is the issue since I'm generally using one of the devices at a time.

All links in the digrams above are GE and both scenarios (don't) work the same way for the PS3. I have 4 "media adapter" products in my HT setup. The PS3, a Denon 4308CI, a Pioneer Elite 150FD TV, and a Popcorn hour C-200 and all were attached to the GS608 until I moved the PS3. The PS3 has the problem of rarely seeing the ReadyNAS unless I restart the service, or rescan at which time it will show up. It may also show up every 15 minutes when the ReadyNAS advertises, but I didn't try to watch for that. The Denon seems to flipflop more - I did see it, then it disappeared, but it was not reliable like it should have been. The Pioneer and the Popcorn hour can see the readynas it seems at most times. I would disregard the pioneer because it seems to cache stuff forever since I see there are other servers listed in there that I can't even remember testing out they were so long ago. The popcorn hour is new, so I don't know how "dynamic" it's list is, but I'd assume it's more so than the TV and it does see the ReadyNAS.

When I did the "search" function on the PS3, it only sent out 3 packets. Since we can rule out a cable issue since all other communication works fine and we can rule out port contention since all ports are 100Mb/s feeding a GE on my HT setup and then once the ReadyNAS is directly connected to the same GE switch as the PS3, there's very little chance of contention being the issue (I'm not doing anything of note on the network). And, the only other potential problem would be broad replication, but only 3 packets or so are generated for the broadcast based on my stats screen, so heaven help this switch if it can't keep up with that....but again, the other devices respond.

I'm running 16.1 and am willing to do some level of testing for the code if you like. Like I said, I have 4 media adapter products I can test on.
Message 21 of 75
Skywalker
NETGEAR Expert

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Sent you a PM.
Message 22 of 75
p_woehrer
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Hi!

I've got a similar problem. My setup is like this:
Streamium MCi300 ((-)) WiFi-router (Speedtouch ST585) --- GB-ethernet-switch --- ReadyNAS NV+ (RAIDiator 4.1.6 and latest DLNA-Server; DLNA, iTunes and UPnP enabled).

IP-Range is 10.0.0.x, all devices get their IP by DHCP (managed by the router), netmask is 255.255.255.0. There are some Linux-boxes (wired and wireless), an iPhone (wireless) and a Windows7-PC (wired) on the net as well. Access to all resources on the NV+ (shares, printer) by wire and wireless is possible.

The Streamium device does not find the UPnP Mediaserver on the NV+, even after a long time of searching. However, it does find it if the W7-PC is started (right after Windows shows the login-prompt).

I already tried to shorten the notify-interval and it did not change anything, so I changed it back to the default-value.

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks and a merry X-mas.

Peter
Message 23 of 75
maxh1
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Thank you so much. This was driving me nuts and your 900 to 25 second solution works a treat. It even works via "Homeplugs" (Ethernet over electricity circuit).

System:
ReadyNas Duo - BT Home Hub 2.0 - Homeplugs (direct connection too) - PS3

Had to work hard to understand the "putty" program but got there in the end.

Merry Christmas!!
Message 24 of 75
hkirschk
Aspirant

Re: PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

Happy New Year to all of you.

I'm using a quite different setup, a Buffalo LinkStation Pro with Debian Etch and minidlna checked out from Sourceforge's CVS at 2010-01-01. The LinkStation is connected to a TV of type Samsung LE 40 B 650 using a WiFi USB stick (off-topic: not a Samsung WiFi stick, it's made by Hama, one third of the Samsung price, same functionality:-).

Two remarks on that, the first one directly regarding this topic and the second one a bit off-topic regarding the Samsung TV using a WiFi connection.

Remark 1 on minidlna: Interestingly, I observe the same problem, and the same resolutions work for me, i.e. either restarting the minidlna daemon, or setting notify_interval to a pretty low value. Even more interestingly, I can use the default notify_interval of 900 without problems if I start the minidlna in debug mode, so it does not put itself into background. So I guess there is a problem with minidlna backgrounding itself, maybe the shortened interval lets the daemon return to its listen() loop earlier, or some other blocking takes place.

Remark 2 on Samsung TVs: When using a WiFi stick, the IP connectivity depends on if the TV is set to using DHCP or a fixed (manual) IP address. Using DHCP: When pressing the MEDIA.P button on the TV's remote (this button should connect the TV to the DLNA server), nothing happens, the TV will not setup an IP connection at all. Forcing an IP connection can be done by using the INTERNET connection of the TV. Using a fixed IP address instead of DHCP: After pressing the MEDIA.P button at least twice, the IP connection will be established to the DLNA server.

Keep on this good open source work, viele Grüße,
Heiko
Message 25 of 75
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