DLNA problems with Samsung TV and Ubuntu

[Jonners59]

do you have this file setup properly so that miniDLNA will start and stop?

#!/bin/sh

# chkconfig: 345 99 10
# description: Startup/shutdown script for MiniDLNA daemon
#
# $Id: minidlna.init.d.script,v 1.2 2009/07/02 00:33:15 jmaggard Exp $
# MiniUPnP project
# author: Thomas Bernard
# website: http://miniupnp.free.fr/ or http://miniupnp.tuxfamily.org/

MINIDLNA=/usr/sbin/minidlna
ARGS='-f /etc/minidlna.conf'

test -f $MINIDLNA || exit 0

. /lib/lsb/init-functions

case "$1" in
start)  log_daemon_msg "Starting minidlna" "minidlna"
        start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile /var/run/minidlna.pid --startas $MINIDLNA -- $ARGS $LSBNAMES
        log_end_msg $?
        ;;
stop)   log_daemon_msg "Stopping minidlna" "minidlna"
        start-stop-daemon --stop --quiet --pidfile /var/run/minidlna.pid
        log_end_msg $?
        ;;
restart|reload|force-reload)
        log_daemon_msg "Restarting minidlna" "minidlna"
        start-stop-daemon --stop --retry 5 --quiet --pidfile /var/run/minidlna.pid
        start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile /var/run/minidlna.pid --startas $MINIDLNA -- $ARGS $LSBNAMES
        log_end_msg $?
        ;;
*)      log_action_msg "Usage: /etc/init.d/minidlna {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}"
        exit 2
        ;;
esac
exit 0

Not familiar with this one... Where is it kept?

I believe it starts OK, as the Tv shows the server and even has the name I gave it, "Shared_Media", which can only come from the miniDNLA config file. The Tv would also not show the server at all if it did not have DNLA activated.

[Jonners59]

here is a step by step guide that I found helpful, I am running Maverick and it worked out just fine for me. I am running a headless server utilizing Webmin; which happens to have a plugin for miniDLNA.

My suspicion is something changed when you fixed samaba.

I will give this a go.

PS. WHat is a headless server?
PPS. I agree. There seems to be a conflict of some kind.

[Bone Down]

maybe start the minidlna server once manual to see if it works :
sudo /usr/sbin/minidlna –d –f /etc/minidlna.conf

The init.d script is as follows (I had to do the second portion to get it to work with Maverick server)

To auto start minidlna at server boot :
sudo cp minidlna.init.d.script /etc/init.d/minidlna
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/minidlna
sudo update-rc.d minidlna defaults

Some users had to make that last line into the folowing below to make it work. For me it worked as above :
sudo update-rc.d minidlna defaults 98 2

[Bone Down]

I will give this a go.

PS. WHat is a headless server?
PPS. I agree. There seems to be a conflict of some kind.

headless server = no monitor, no keyboard/mouse.
I access and control the server via webmin/ssh terminal from my laptop.

[Bone Down]

My server is a 9 year old box that was struggling to run WinXP desktop. I was finding it to be nothing more than a media server running Samsungs DLNA server; which did not auto update new files and I found it very tedious when ever a new TV show would complete it's download via torrent.

I sought out a different way that used less bandwidth, was automated, a dlna server that would auto update when new content was added. Now my system rarely kills my bandwidth so that I can still use my internet, it automatically downloads TV shows via RSS feed, moves them to the proper directory(creates one if needed), renames them(rids the file of the long torrent file names), clears out the logs every 30 days, only downloads the latest episodes. I also have a shell script that downloads a series of video podcasts and stores them in the correct folder location as well. All of which is served up to my network via miniDLNA for viewing on my TV.

Ubuntu Maverick server
MySQL Server
Apache Server
Samba Server
PHP5
miniDLNA Server
Webmin
TorrentFlux B4rt
TransmissionCLI
Mashpodder
UFW with all ports closed (only opened required ports)
iptables/iplists for blocking ip's
and of course all required libraries

what was nearly a useless machine now runs like this a majority of the time:

System hostname Maverick
Operating system Ubuntu Linux 10.10
Webmin version 1.530
Time on system Sat Dec 11 15:42:25 2010
Kernel and CPU Linux 2.6.35-23-generic-pae on i686
Processor information AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1800+, 1 cores
System uptime 2 days, 23 hours, 46 minutes
Running processes 97
CPU load averages 0.03 (1 min) 0.09 (5 mins) 0.08 (15 mins)
CPU usage 3% user, 1% kernel, 0% IO, 96% idle
Real memory 748.57 MB total, 225.27 MB used

Virtual memory 92 MB total, 16.30 MB used

Local disk space 183.28 GB total, 21 GB used

I enjoy this old computer now more than I did 3 months ago. Soon I will have vsftp setup on it and I will use it as my local web test server when working on sites.

[Jonners59]

maybe start the minidlna server once manual to see if it works :
sudo /usr/sbin/minidlna –d –f /etc/minidlna.conf

The init.d script is as follows (I had to do the second portion to get it to work with Maverick server)

To auto start minidlna at server boot :
sudo cp minidlna.init.d.script /etc/init.d/minidlna
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/minidlna
sudo update-rc.d minidlna defaults

Some users had to make that last line into the folowing below to make it work. For me it worked as above :
sudo update-rc.d minidlna defaults 98 2

I got the following -

server@server:~$ sudo /usr/sbin/minidlna –d –f /etc/minidlna.conf
[sudo] password for server:
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Baroni]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Chiara]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Configs]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Monsters]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Resource]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Shared]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Teaching]
Unknown option: –d
Unknown option: –f
Unknown option: /etc/minidlna.conf

And for the last set of cmds I got:

server@server:~$ sudo cp minidlna.init.d.script /etc/init.d/minidlna
cp: cannot stat `minidlna.init.d.script': No such file or directory
server@server:~$ sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/minidlna
server@server:~$ sudo update-rc.d minidlna defaults
update-rc.d: warning: /etc/init.d/minidlna missing LSB information
update-rc.d: see <http://wiki.debian.org/LSBInitScripts>
System start/stop links for /etc/init.d/minidlna already exist.
server@server:~$


PS: The script does exist in /etc/init.d/ and it matches yours

[Jonners59]

headless server = no monitor, no keyboard/mouse.
I access and control the server via webmin/ssh terminal from my laptop.

Oooh, would like to be able to do that. Means I would not have to spend my evening up in my cold loft space on my own,,, COuld sit in the warm with the family.

[Jonners59]

My server is a 9 year old box that was struggling to run WinXP desktop. I was finding it to be nothing more than a media server running Samsungs DLNA server; which did not auto update new files and I found it very tedious when ever a new TV show would complete it's download via torrent.

I sought out a different way that used less bandwidth, was automated, a dlna server that would auto update when new content was added. Now my system rarely kills my bandwidth so that I can still use my internet, it automatically downloads TV shows via RSS feed, moves them to the proper directory(creates one if needed), renames them(rids the file of the long torrent file names), clears out the logs every 30 days, only downloads the latest episodes. I also have a shell script that downloads a series of video podcasts and stores them in the correct folder location as well. All of which is served up to my network via miniDLNA for viewing on my TV.

Ubuntu Maverick server
MySQL Server
Apache Server
Samba Server
PHP5
miniDLNA Server
Webmin
TorrentFlux B4rt
TransmissionCLI
Mashpodder
UFW with all ports closed (only opened required ports)
iptables/iplists for blocking ip's
and of course all required libraries

what was nearly a useless machine now runs like this a majority of the time:

System hostname Maverick
Operating system Ubuntu Linux 10.10
Webmin version 1.530
Time on system Sat Dec 11 15:42:25 2010
Kernel and CPU Linux 2.6.35-23-generic-pae on i686
Processor information AMD Athlon(tm) XP 1800+, 1 cores
System uptime 2 days, 23 hours, 46 minutes
Running processes 97
CPU load averages 0.03 (1 min) 0.09 (5 mins) 0.08 (15 mins)
CPU usage 3% user, 1% kernel, 0% IO, 96% idle
Real memory 748.57 MB total, 225.27 MB used

Virtual memory 92 MB total, 16.30 MB used

Local disk space 183.28 GB total, 21 GB used

I enjoy this old computer now more than I did 3 months ago. Soon I will have vsftp setup on it and I will use it as my local web test server when working on sites.

That sounds like what I want mine to do as well as:

Store our files and docs in a central place, which it does nicely
Host a VM running our telephone system (IP PBX) which it also does nicely (though it does not auto mount the VM if the system needs to restart). This is Windows 7 running 3CX

Yours is the bit I am missing. Once I have this fixed, please show me how to do what you have done..... PS. My machine (the server as we call it) is home build, 2nd time round. It has a 1Tb HD for backups
1 x 700Gb split into 7 partitions for files and docs, etc (this is the bit I think the DNLA is having trouble with)
1 x 300Gb for the OS Windows Vista (not used), Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and a spare slot for my next Ubuntu upgrade (10.10 64-bit, the CD arrived today).
I use an AMD 64-bit processor, but only 4Gb RAM, which I need to think about upgrading.

[Bone Down]

Oooh, would like to be able to do that. Means I would not have to spend my evening up in my cold loft space on my own,,, COuld sit in the warm with the family.

download putty works with windows and linux, and will provide you with an SSH terminal to access your server from within your network. Via any other system say your laptop, or another desktop.

[Bone Down]

I got the following -

server@server:~$ sudo /usr/sbin/minidlna –d –f /etc/minidlna.conf
[sudo] password for server:
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Baroni]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Chiara]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Configs]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Monsters]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Resource]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Shared]
Media directory not accessible! [/Media/Teaching]
Unknown option: –d
Unknown option: –f
Unknown option: /etc/minidlna.conf

And for the last set of cmds I got:

server@server:~$ sudo cp minidlna.init.d.script /etc/init.d/minidlna
cp: cannot stat `minidlna.init.d.script': No such file or directory
server@server:~$ sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/minidlna
server@server:~$ sudo update-rc.d minidlna defaults
update-rc.d: warning: /etc/init.d/minidlna missing LSB information
update-rc.d: see <http://wiki.debian.org/LSBInitScripts>
System start/stop links for /etc/init.d/minidlna already exist.
server@server:~$


PS: The script does exist in /etc/init.d/ and it matches yours

Media directory not accessible! <-- file permissions, I would start with linux access levels 0777 and scale back until it is not accessible then move back up to the minimum level that will allow access. My guess is this is what your problem is.

looks like the init.d script is already in place as long as miniDLNA is starting and stopping automatically you should be sorted.