[mythtv-users] mythbackend not starting on mythbuntu ubuntu 13.10

[Bill Meek]

On 02/07/2014 06:44 PM, Chris Lewis wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have had a problem for a while where the backend does not restart at
> reboot.
>
> If i run 'sudo service mythtv-backend start' in a terminal after boot then
> the backend starts fine.  The trouble is i recently rebooted the machine
> over ssh while on holiday and forgot to restart the BE causing a weeks lost
> recordings.  Obviously this didnt go down well with the Long Haired General.
>
> So can anyone offer any advice?  I'm at a loss as to what to do?

Hi,

You'll likely find that the script you're starting is really a symbolic link
to another script that executes a configuration file in /etc/init named
mythtv-backend.conf. It looks like this:

     http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~mythbuntu/mythtv/mythtv-master/view/head:/debian/mythtv-backend.upstart

Now you need to find out what isn't starting. The 1st step is to look in
/var/log/mythtv/mythbackend. At boot time, are there log errors it it?
If so, fix them and ignore that remainder of this response.

If not, then you have to determine why mythtv-backend.conf isn't completing.
It could be that the "start on..." line is failing, the "pre-start script"
is failing or that the final "script" is failing (line 21 in the link above.)

If you need, add a line just after the "pre-start script" line like:

     echo "backend pre-start script begins" >> /tmp/backend-startup.log

Then, before starting the backend manually, look at the /tmp file to see if
that section of the .conf file executed. Add additional echo commands
e.g. before "pre-start script" ends and in the final "script section
to see where the failure is.

I'd make a copy of mythtv-backend.conf such as mythtv-backend.copy before
doing the above.

Just a guess, your network isn't completely up at boot time and the "start on"
portion isn't satisfied. See Note 5 here:

     http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Upstart_mythbackend_Configuration

-- 
Bill