RS 1.32 freezes at recording end

[james74]

This problem occurs on one machine when the Kodi 16.0 application with up-to-date DVBViewer add-on has been left running. When a timer recording ends, RS should put the machine into sleep mode (default setting). However, it exits sleep immediately (see log excerpt below). When the next timer is due, it fails. No further timers are executed.

The Web server continues to operate, though the Timer page is not updated.

In the log, the only entry after the failed shutdown is a "CreateProcessW", every 61 seconds, until the next timer is due. When the next timer is due, it seems to start, but no action results. After 3 lines, the log reverts to the repeating entry, which continues until Kodi is stopped.

RS can only be brought back into operation by stopping and restarting. The restart takes a while (about 20 seconds) - and is followed immediately by the appearance of the shutdown timer countdown window.

Although this may be a Kodi add-on issue, it's causing RS to fail. Any ideas where the problem in RS could lie before I take this to the Kodi forum? I have another machine with the same software versions that doesn't have this issue, though it runs Norton protection rather than MSE on the problem PC.

 

 

###at end of recording###
28.03.16 17:05:02.041 TRecording Release AF9015 BDA Filter (1)
28.03.16 17:05:02.042 TRecording Destroy AF9015 BDA Filter (1)
28.03.16 17:05:02.080 TRecording Destroyed AF9015 BDA Filter (1)
28.03.16 17:05:02.080 TRecording hamDeleted AF9015 BDA Filter (1)
28.03.16 17:05:02.128 CreateProcessW 5832
28.03.16 17:05:02.194 ReleaseStandbyblock TRecording
28.03.16 17:05:02.194 TRecordingEngine ReleaseReference TRecording: 0
28.03.16 17:05:02.231 SetStandbyblock EvaluateShutdown
28.03.16 17:05:13.350 CreateProcessW 1416
28.03.16 17:05:14.992 SetStandbyblock upnp webserver
28.03.16 17:05:14.992 TRecordingEngine AddReference upnp webserver: 1
28.03.16 17:05:31.830 TRecordingEngine DoShutDown Enter
28.03.16 17:05:31.830 TRecordingEngine Setting next recording: 28/03/2016 22:56:00
28.03.16 17:05:31.830 Killtimer close thread
28.03.16 17:05:31.830 ThdProc Timer cancelled
28.03.16 17:05:31.831 Killtimer thread closed
28.03.16 17:05:31.831 ThdProc Enter
28.03.16 17:05:31.840 TUPnPAnnounce Stopped
28.03.16 17:05:31.860 ReleaseStandbyblock UPNP Webserver
28.03.16 17:05:31.860 TRecordingEngine ReleaseReference UPNP Webserver: 0
28.03.16 17:05:31.861 TDevice Stopped
28.03.16 17:05:31.861 TRTSPWebserver Disconnected
28.03.16 17:05:32.028 TSrvDataModule Freed
28.03.16 17:05:32.141 ReleaseStandbyblock DoShutDown
28.03.16 17:05:32.141 TRecordingEngine DoShutDown sdStandby
28.03.16 17:05:32.143 TRecordingEngine DoShutDown Exit
28.03.16 17:06:14.409 CreateProcessW 5444
28.03.16 17:07:15.500 CreateProcessW 3616
28.03.16 17:08:16.631 CreateProcessW 4020
28.03.16 17:09:17.746 CreateProcessW 1968
28.03.16 17:10:18.877 CreateProcessW 5808
###etc. until next timer due:###
28.03.16 22:54:39.184 CreateProcessW 3292
28.03.16 22:55:40.310 CreateProcessW 936
28.03.16 22:56:00.000 Killtimer close thread
28.03.16 22:56:00.000 ThdProc Timer fired
28.03.16 22:56:00.000 Killtimer thread closed
28.03.16 22:56:41.435 CreateProcessW 3436
28.03.16 22:57:42.569 CreateProcessW 2856
###etc. until mouse activity triggers this:###
29.03.16 14:14:40.428 CreateProcessW 5160
29.03.16 14:15:41.569 CreateProcessW 5404
29.03.16 14:16:17.159 TRecordingEngine Powermessage Coming from Away...
29.03.16 14:16:42.699 CreateProcessW 5676
29.03.16 14:17:43.807 CreateProcessW 4636
29.03.16 14:18:44.903 CreateProcessW 936
29.03.16 14:19:46.046 CreateProcessW 3288
###etc. until Kodi is closed.###

 

[Griga]

Well observed and reported! I wish all reports would be like this one. Some explanations:

 

CreateProcessW is related to the RS Options -> Media Libraries -> Movies -> Create thumbnails setting. It means that vthumbs.exe has been launched as child process in order to create a video thumbnail, either because a recording has just been finished or someone /something requests a thumbnail that does not exist yet.

 

The RS was not able to put the PC into true sleep mode because another software (probably Kodi) prevented it by setting the system flag ES_AWAYMODE_REQUIRED. Away Mode is a kind of fake sleep mode. Monitor, graphics card and audio devices are switched off, but the system keeps running. Usually this flag is used by recording software (like the RS). It tells Windows to enter away mode if a user or other software tries to trigger sleep mode while a recording is going on. Away mode can only be finished by something telling Windows that the user is back (mouse activity in your case).

 

However, there seems to be a problem with the away mode handling. The RS finishes all activities and triggers sleep mode, assuming that Windows will send a message after the PC has woken up again or at least a message telling "away mode has been triggered instead". But this message (logged as "Going away...") never comes - don't know why, has to be investigated - so the RS remains in minimum activity state, doesn't execute recordings etc. The PC is not sleeping, but the RS assumes that it is. That's the problem.

 

I will try to reproduce it and look for measures that avoid this issue. Until it is fixed you may want to let the RS hibernate the PC after a recording is done, because this cannot be prevented by ES_AWAYMODE_REQUIRED.

[Griga]

Under Windows 7:

 

30.03.16 05:35:30.948 ReleaseStandbyblock DoShutDown
30.03.16 05:35:30.948 TRecordingEngine DoShutDown sdStandby
30.03.16 05:35:30.949 TRecordingEngine DoShutDown Exit
30.03.16 05:35:30.949 TRecordingEngine Powermessage Going Away... //!!!
30.03.16 05:35:30.949 TUPnPAnnounce Start

 

 

The "away mode entered" message follows immediately after the unsuccessful attempt to trigger sleep mode and reactivates everything. What's your OS version?

[Griga]

Same result under Windows 10. So...

[james74]

The system is Windows 7. I tried disabling Away Mode at one point, but don't think it made any difference. Since it only affects one machine, I assumed there would be something in the configuration but haven't found it yet. Maybe I'll try a fresh install of RS.

 

Is it significant that vthumbs.exe appears to stop when Kodi is shut down? By coincidence, I just started another thread where this process seems to get stuck in a loop, but that's on the other machine.

[james74]

System is Windows 7. I tried to disable Away Mode in Power Options, but don't think it made any difference. I've been assuming it's a config issue as it only appears on this machine. I may try a fresh RS install next.

 

Is is significant that vthumbs stops when Kodi is closed? Perhaps this is Kodi making the thumbnail requests?

[Griga]

Perhaps this is Kodi making the thumbnail requests?

 

If no other client is active, most likely yes.

 

Anyway - the mere possibility that the "away mode entered" message may not arrive calls for action. I will try to find a solution for that. The RS should notice somehow that the PC is not sleeping.

[Griga]

A possible reason for the issue that you have encountered is that the PC was already in away mode when the RS stopped the recording and tried to put the PC into sleep mode. In this case Windows does not send a "away mode entered" message, of course.

 

A sequence that leads to this result:

 

- The RS is recording, hence ES_AWAYMODE_REQUIRED is set.

- The user or some other software tries to trigger sleep mode -> PC enters away mode

- RS stops recording and tries to put the PC into sleep mode -> ignored since the PC is already kind of sleeping (from the Windows point of view).

- Henceforth the RS wrongly assumes that the PC is sleeping, doesn't start recordings anymore etc.

 

Dunno if this applies to your case, since you didn't provide the complete log. However, the issue is reproducible in this way, and the RS behaviour must be regarded as bug. Or likewise the Windows behaviour to ignore sleep mode triggered by software if the PC is in away mode (only user interaction can finish it, as already mentioned). Pick the version that you like best