[mythtv-users] Need help troubleshooting cause of DMA Timeouts

[Craig Huff]

On Sun, Sep 11, 2011 at 2:04 PM, Craig Huff <huffcslists at gmail.com> wrote:
> After more creative googling, it appears that my problem might be
> curable, but I need advice on the best way to get this fixed.
>
> First, here's my configuration:
>    Combined FE/BE based on Asus A8N-SLI Premium (socket 939)
> motherboard recently upgraded to Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU; O/S on an IDE
> drive and video recordings on three SATA-II drives; video capture via
> a pair of PVR-500s hooked up to Comcast DTAs.
>    I also have a couple of remote FEs, which only enter into the
> picture in that I need to keep them in sync version-wise.
>    Programming updates from Schedules Direct.
>    All systems are running the initial release without updates of
> MythBuntu 10.04:
> $ mythbackend --version
> Please include all output in bug reports.
> MythTV Version   : 24158
> MythTV Branch    : branches/release-0-23-fixes
> Network Protocol : 56
> Library API      : 0.23.20100314-1
> QT Version       : 4.6.2
>
> Up until I upgraded from a single-core Athlon CPU to the dual-core
> one, I had no problems with dma timeouts, but since then they've been
> popping up at random times with no discernible pattern.
>
> According to this thread,
> http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/ivtv/users/41409?search_string=dma%20timeout;#41409,
> I need to update my kernel, which is currently 2.6.32-21-generic, to
> something newer, like 2.6.37.4.
>
> If I am correctly reading the information on the MythBuntu web pages,
> such as http://www.mythbuntu.org/node/349, and
> http://www.mythbuntu.org/repos, enabling these updates (which I
> haven't done up till now), won't fix this problem because they only
> update MythTV and/or MythBuntu-specific software.
>
> In short, what is the least painful way to resolve the immediate
> problem with dma timeouts, given that MythTV 0.25 / MythBuntu 11.10
> will be out in just another couple of months and the next LTS release
> is due out next Spring.  Can I upgrade the kernel while staying with
> MythTV 0.23?  Can I upgrade to MythTV 0.24 without consuming a weekend
> fixing and tweaking (maintain high WAF)?  Can I get to MythTV 0.24
> using the MythBuntu update repos?  Note: all previous updating of my
> MythTV system (starting with a FC6 build based on Jarrod's excellent
> HOWTO and my eventual migration to MythBuntu 10.04) has been done by
> building a completely new system on an extra disk and then migrating
> the mysql database from the old one once I had fixed all the quirks
> that almost inevitably popped up, so I have never "simply" updated a
> running MythTV system.
>
> Anything pertinent I left out?
>
> Any advice welcome.
>
> Craig.
>

Oh, yeah, I use MythWelcome / MythShutdown on all my systems and would
not want to give it up or kill the WAF because of on-going problems
with it.  Haven't been keeping up with the threads on the subject, so
not sure if MythWelcome / MythShutdown have gotten problems introduced
in updates since MythTV 0.23 or it is down to problems people have
figuring out how to configure it.

Craig.