[linux-dvb] DVB corruption after a month or so.

[Aurelian Pop <puiu@cs.tut.fi>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: linux-dvb-bounce@linuxtv.org [mailto:linux-dvb-bounce@linuxtv.org]
> On Behalf Of Andrew de Quincey
> Sent: 10. kesäkuuta 2004 19:46
> To: linux-dvb
> Subject: [linux-dvb] DVB corruption after a month or so.
>
> Hi, has anyone else noticed something like this problem:
>
> We have multiple servers on one site containing a mixture of recent
> TT/Hauppague DVB-T and DVB-S cards. They have been working perfectly up
> until
> now.
>
> However, starting roughly on Monday, one by one, the servers have
> started
> generating really corrupt transport streams. The problem affects all
> cards in
> a server. Rebooting the server does not help. However if we power the
> server
> down completely for 10 seconds, then bring it back up, the problem
> vanishes.
> The problem does not reoccur on the servers which have had the power
> cycling.
>
> These servers have been on without a reboot for months. I'm wondering if
>
> they're hitting some sort of hardware limit. It's unlikely to be a
> software
> issue as a reboot doesn't help (unless we're not resetting something
> properly
> in the driver). Also, note that DVB-S AND DVB-T cards are suffering the
> same
> problem.. which points to a problem in the SAA7146 as the common
> component
> between them.
>
> It is definitely not a heat issue; the servers are well air conditioned.
> I
> have just read the temperature of them using the onboard temperature
> sensors,
> and it seems fine.
>
> My current thought is just to schedule downtime every month, and do a
> remote
> powerdown+powerup.

Hew... :)

Andrew, I though I was the only one having this problem :)

I experienced this problem a long long time ago (almost 2 years ago). I manage 
a cluster of servers (S and T) and suddenly, they all had the problem you 
described.

I was also thinking of heating problems, and I left the machines powered off 
for a night. However, it seemed strange to me from the beginning that there 
was a heating problem because those machines were situated in a server room 
(from Tampere Univ. of Tech) having a huge and noisy cooling system.

I tried everything, reinstalling drivers, my application (they are running 
with my server-application), everything possible and still the same. 
Corrupted streams at the output. I started thinking of network problems, 
hardware failures, etc.

In the end I had to reinstall the machines (completely, including Linux), and 
only then it worked again. No need to tell you how confused I was after this 
experience...

So, if you find out what is the problem please share it, I am curious to see 
what gave me a week of headache. :)

Aurelian