Mission : Linux MCE

MCE network has to stay isolated from the rest of the infrastructure (user machines, linux based toasters, automated cat blenders) as the core server runs it's own dhcp server.  Decided to go with 2 NIC cards in the core and the wiring of a second network in the house for the MCE network.  As the security grid infrastructure will be contained on this network concerns about redundancy are high.  Placed a request for UPS machines to agents and minions.  Thinking about trying to hide the MCE cable system cleverly to ensure nobody cuts the lines.  Off site storage of security logs is also an obvious concern.

If each resident in the house has a MCE system in their room they can have their own room based security lockdown.  Since the system does motion detection scenarios like "If someone enters my room when I have locked the room, snap a picture and send it to my phone and alert the following users" should be fast, easy, and fun!  I bet such things are good for home insurance premiums.

Machines that are hooked up to people's TV's, dvd players, midi music devices, police scanners, and so on are called media directors.  All content hooked up to these devices can then be sent to any other machine on the network, pending user permission if it's not public.  Media directors boot via PXE from the core server which stores the boot images on a drive.  I found a 1tb drive for 150 bucks at frys the other day.  I couldn't afford it, but I got it anyways because it's a 1tb drive for 150 bucks and I couldn't say no in good concience.

There is an on screen system for ripping and burning media.  Getting local bands to come by with their live recordings and demos can provide really neat infoshop style functionallity.  I want to integrate my print server with it as well so people can easily browse zines on-screen and one-click print them on demand (or 20 for distro).

The VOIP system means it will be easy as pie for visitors and members to make phone calls out to people in the world for low low low rates.  It's possible that some people may get used to it enough to let their phones go entirely.  SMS messaging is also capable.

Follow Me media is AWESOME.  If you are watching something, or on a phone call, or whatever.. and we have a system up so that the grid can identify what room you are in.. then the media will follow you from room to room as you move through it.

Since this grid will actually have at least 2 houses I am thinking that I should make both houses part of the same floorplan with a large room connecting them at the front and the back and allow the system to assume that they are one house. 

Eventually it's possible that the missionpedia system can be integrated to give audio and text reminders to users, at their physical location, of items in their todo list that need immediate attention.  That text can of course be forwarded to voicemail boxes, as well as email.  All incoming calls can be routed to dozens or hundreds of different voicemail boxes as well.  We can provide voice messaging and group calling services to all the groups on this site easily and with MUCH LOVE.

Never, in all of the world, should it be a requirement to hope for a tooltip over a check box.  Also, if an option is boolean it can be a checkbox or a dropdown but NEVER a blank text box.  Is it true or fales, 1 or 0, yes or no?  Why, trial and error never hurt ANYONE (accept for me.  Fuck you media scenarios).

On linux MCE things like albums and artists are logical items that contain attributes.  This means that if you tag the attribute of 'cover image' and 'director' and 'actor' and 'album title' to a folder it does NOT propogate those settings to the items INSIDE that folder.  This is a different tool you use, and setting folder attributes makes you an idiot.  I was an idiot for a solid 8 hours of grueling and fruitless mind numbing grunt labor that could very well have been a script running for 20 minuites.  

Currently the webcam on the one media director i am running takes a single image, with time stamp, when I do a quick reload of the router (core).  It does NOT do it when I do a full reload.  Why the hell is THAT?

chrooting into a pxe bootable disk image is lame and makes you wanna cry. 

Projects like MCE really could stand to have some best practices guidelines.

If I want to see this kind of technology used by other collectives I will have to write a better guide than exists.  Period.  The.  End.

I will be able to send a rick roll to any machine in the grid at any time.  This includes cell phones, tv's, alarm clocks, and even randomly via a software wardialer.  MCE might be a great backbone for a call center that doesn't make you want to die.  You can transfer calls from the ambient equipment in a room to your cellphone and back via the on screen menu.

Intel CS330 Webcam works as security device

Cannot get Xbox 360 live cam working

Dell GX150 using 2d interface is working as a diskless media director

AOpen MP915-X using 2d interface is working as a diskless media director (UI2 and UI3 have... issues.  UI2 freezes machine on display, UI3's interface 'flickers' nonstop and shows no actual video on video playback)

LanParty MB250 mobo seems to fully support media director and core

Geforce 6800 PCI video card that I stole from some Dell in ben's bedroom seems to run UI3 just fine and dandy

IBM Netvista onboard ethernet card does not seem very effective in a diskless MD role.  Netvista is a capable core device.

Turns out 30gb isn't nearly enough space for core hdd.  Each MD requires about 10-15gb of space for the image.  Starting over soon!

The following streams work

Rant Radio Industrial - http://rant.halon.org.uk:8000/industrial-128k  mediatype 4

Rant Radio Punk - http://rant.halon.org.uk:8000/punk-128k

media type 4

Rant Radio Talk - http://24.207.0.147:9010

media type 4

GBSTV - http://204.11.33.70:8000/;stream.nsv

media type 5

GBSFm - http://www.gbsfm.info:8080/

media type 4

NPR Boston - http://wbur-ogg.streamguys.com:80/wburlive.ogg

Media Type 4

1. Go into the Web Admin > Media Directors page and click at the bottom "Set up diskless MD Image" button.  This creates the scripts that MD's will need to boot from the network as well as create an actual image.

2. On the MD ensure that PXE boot is enabled.  PXE is a form of network boot that uses tftpd and the power of satan (just kidding, there is no tftpd boot).  You can check in the BIOS to ensure that the onboard ethernet (where applicable) is enabled and pxe boot is enabled.  If you are using a card sometimes there is a key combination you can press (like Shift B) right after the BIOS screen to configure the card and it's network boot options.  While in the BIOS you should make sure that Network is the first, and possibly only, boot option available.  If your machine still has a HDD in it, go ahead and disable it entirely.

3.  Making sure that the machine is plugged into the network segment that the core is broadcasting DHCP onto, boot the machine.  You should see the MD take a 192.168.80.X ip address, and a whole button of text will whiz by on the screen.

4. When the machine gets to "We have announced ourselves to the server" it will seem like the machine is frozen.  If you watch the logs, or hard drive space, on the core machine you will see that it is building the 2gb image for this director.  Wait about 5-25 minutes while it completes this process.  At the end of the process the machine will auto reboot.

5.  This time the machine will boot to the networked image, mounting it as if it was a local hard drive.  After more text zammin' you will see the AVSetup wizard.  This wizard lets you set your resolution and refresh rate, adjust the screen placement on the monitor, choose audio output modes, adjust base audio volume, and choose which of the 3 interfaces you wish this machine to run (2d, UI1 opengl, UI2 opengl with alpha blending).  If the wizard doesn't come up and you get a black screen, try the numbers 1-6 on your keyboard.  1=vga 2=DVI 3=svideo etc, and is a hotkey system to change video outputs (in case you have a wacky configuration).

5. After the wizard there will be a soft reset and X11 will boot.  There will be a Launch Manager window that opens up and begins the process of building the orbiter profile.  It MAY ask for you to go to another MD and quick reset the router.  If it does, then do it.  This part will take some time as it is actually prerending the screens for all the menus in the following wizards and the actual media director menus.

6.  Tadah!  You should be greeted after the LM window with yet another wizard.  You want to choose Media Player from the selection of 2 wizards unless this is going to be a headless home automation machine.  This wizard will walk you through the installation of IR controllers, serial controlled media devices like audio receivers, PVR boxes, and more.  The lady who is in the video is named Sarah and she has captured the hearts and minds of many hacker types.  Be friendly but don't be friends, she is a siren singing you to shipwreck.  You will have to choose the room that this machine is sitting in, which hopefully is already an option from your completion of the floorplan wizard earlier on the core.  You will see in the top left corner the downloading and installing of modules as you do this step. The actual subpages of the wizard are as follows:

Welcome>IR receiver / remote control>setup wizard choice (you want media wizard)

House wizard>names>locations>rooms>lights>alarm panel>VOIP provider>PVR software>Done

Media wizard>Current Room>TV>Reciever>A/V devices>Inputs>Providers>Add software>Done

7> After completing the wizard of your choice you will be dropped back to the X11 interface screen with the Launch Manager.  You will see a status bar for the generating of the final screens, which won't take too long.  After they have run you will be dropped onto the MCE interface!  From now on the machine will boot much faster from the network as it's all already pre-rendered and parsed!