[mythtv-users] Backend Deleting Files for no Reason - *again*...

[Michael T. Dean]

On 01/14/2020 11:46 AM, Greg Oliver wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 14, 2020 at 8:10 AM Michael T. Dean wrote:
>
>> On 01/14/2020 12:09 AM, Greg Oliver wrote:
>>> And just to note, it deletes no metadata, just the file.  The only
>>> reason I notice is that it leaves a blue entry in the GUI.  I then
>>> know that file just disappeared.  I guess the blue might be theme
>>> dependent, but it is blue for me.
>> The only time MythTV will ever delete a recording file without deleting
>> the recording metadata is when it finishes a transcode and you don't
>> have the setting:
>>
>> Save original files after transcoding (globally)
>> If enabled and the transcoder is active, the original files will be
>> renamed to .old once the transcoding is complete.
>>
>> enabled.
> No transcoding set up anywhere either.

I'd still recommend you enable the setting if it's not and check to see 
if you have any *.old files after it happens next time because 
transcoding is the only time it will delete a file without deleting 
metadata (other than, say, someone sending an 
unrelated-to-any-given-recording Myth protocol/services request to 
delete that specific file as if it were a MythVideo file or cover file 
or whatever, in which case we're back to wondering who, outside of 
MythTV, is sending these commands).

The only other thing that I can imagine that could be causing it to 
delete a file and leave metadata is if it attempts to delete the file 
and gets an error from the OS (but for some reason the file is actually 
gone), so it thinks the file cannot be deleted, so it leaves the 
metadata to prevent orphaned files, but that should show up clearly in 
your logs at any verbosity level.  That still would not explain why it's 
deleting the file (with the intention to delete the metadata after a 
successful deletion of the file) in the first place.  The transcode 
scenario seems more likely to me and, if nothing else, ensuring you've 
enabled keeping the original file after transcoding will allow you to 
verify whether or not transcoding is involved.

Mike