PS3 fails to see DLNA without ReadyNAS reboot

[msomekh]

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.

[msomekh]

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

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.

Code: Select all

     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.

[whytega]

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.

[msomekh]

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 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

[meeow]

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.

[alokeprasad]

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

[Skywalker]

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.

[whytega]

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.

[Skywalker]

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.

[whytega]

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.

[msomekh]

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

[vidarno]

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?

[alokeprasad]

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?

[vidarno]

No, both files require ssh-access to be viewed or modified.

[alokeprasad]

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

Aloke