[VU+ Solo2] Softcam issue?

[ronand]

It was just a thought. Linux gives the impression of memory leaks too - it will swallow up all available RAM after a while and only release it when it needs to. I can't help as both my boxes are ARM based.

 

[twol]

Is that from 5.3.39? No that is exactly the same... wierd because Vix 5.3.39 to 5.4.7 images don't have the high ecm times. If that is from pre 5.4.7 then that seems to hint that it may not be softcammanager after all!
Wierd. But of course... no softcammanager freezing with that softcammanager.pyo (but ecm times still high).

No that is 2 days after 5.3.39 but just has the ulimit increased

 

[ccs]

@CCS Have we not established that ulimit change is not the problem? I surely tested this with my script (in red from earlier post). I will test this one nontheless!

You were asking to try SoftcamManager from Vix 5.3.39 (the last 5.3 release), as far as I can tell, the ulimit increase went in around the same time as 5.4 came out.

 

[johnhoe]

Yes because Vix 5.3.39 image and Softcammanager all work fine in that image (pre ulimit change). So I am NOT pointing the finger at ulimit change being the problem for that reason also.

So do you agree the fact that the softcammanager from the 5,3,39 image doesn't work with Oscam in 5.4.12 when it worked in 5,3,39 seems to point the finger away from Softcammanager being the source of the problem????

 

[ccs]

Yes because Vix 5.3.39 image and Softcammanager all work fine in that image (pre ulimit change). So I am NOT pointing the finger at ulimit change being the problem for that reason also.

So do you agree the fact that the softcammanager from the 5,3,39 image doesn't work with Oscam in 5.4.12 when it worked in 5,3,39 seems to point the finger away from Softcammanager being the source of the problem????

Did you try the SoftcamManager I posted with ulimit set to 512?

The other thing to consider is Oscam itself, it's as clear as mud to me which version works with what.

 

[johnhoe]

This version is the one before ulimit was increased....

Yes just tried it... and no... still not working.

The other thing to consider is Oscam itself, it's as clear as mud to me which version works with what.

All Oscams work (with low ecms) with command line but non work properly (ie low ecms) with SoftcamManager in 5.4.12 yet alll work with Softcammanager in 5.4.7 and below

 

[johnhoe]

Do you know what... its far easier to just have a script as I said.. not as elegant but works flawlessly and never stops!

It is easier IMO to create a script with a text editor named "s56softcam.sh" as follows

#!/bin/sh
ulimit -s 1024;/usr/softcams/oscam-latest -b &
: exit 0

And place it in the directory /var/etc/rcS.d

 

[ccs]

So what is SoftcamManager supposed to do apart from starting Oscam?

 

[ronand]

It allows you to select the softcam you want to use as well as enabling/disabling automatic startup. I think the softcam check to see if the cam is still running is part of it too.

 

[Tkr001]

I have reverted to CCcam in my mips boxes and still use Oscam in the arm ones. Would prefer to use Oscam for all though.

 

[johnhoe]

I have reverted to CCcam in my mips boxes and still use Oscam in the arm ones. Would prefer to use Oscam for all though.

This is one of the many puzzles with this problem...

Oscam only seems to work in Vix 5.4.7 or below but other cams work well with softcam manager.
This is odd because these other cams share much of the same python coding in softcammanager.pyo.
Further oddity is that the softcammanager code that worked in Vix 5.3.39 no longer works in Vix 5.4.12 the present version.
Another anomaly seems to be that Softcammanager works with Oscam in ARM satellite boxes but not MIPS ones. Same Code, different processors. Odd.
Suspicions are that memory is leaking whever Oscam is evoked from Softcammanager (as it doesn't seem to leak if you start Oscam with a simple script)
It was thought that the Ulimit change (from 512 to 1024) that happened around June 2020 might be a factor but this doesn't seem to be the case.

I have had my suspicions around Oscam and Softcammanager for some time now:-
Vix programmers on this site have continually suggested that you have to use certain Oscams with VIX. Why did they think that? Don't all the PlI 4 compatible Oscams work?
I have noticed that some memory intensive Oscam features such as Cachex didn't seem to work properly with Vix Softcam Manager and I stopped using it with Vix.
Maybe Softcam Manager has had problems with Oscam before and by using features such as freeze checking or (as some users were reporting) setting a cron timer to reboot their box,
This was only to paper over the fact that Oscam has had a bad habit of freezing in Vix for some time.

 

[twol]

This is one of the many puzzles with this problem...

Oscam only seems to work in Vix 5.4.7 or below but other cams work well with softcam manager.
This is odd because these other cams share much of the same python coding in softcammanager.pyo.
Further oddity is that the softcammanager code that worked in Vix 5.3.39 no longer works in Vix 5.4.12 the present version.
Another anomaly seems to be that Softcammanager works with Oscam in ARM satellite boxes but not MIPS ones. Same Code, different processors. Odd.
Suspicions are that memory is leaking whever Oscam is evoked from Softcammanager (as it doesn't seem to leak if you start Oscam with a simple script)
It was thought that the Ulimit change (from 512 to 1024) that happened around June 2020 might be a factor but this doesn't seem to be the case.

I have had my suspicions around Oscam and Softcammanager for some time now:-
Vix programmers on this site have continually suggested that you have to use certain Oscams with VIX. Why did they think that? Don't all the PlI 4 compatible Oscams work?
I have noticed that some memory intensive Oscam features such as Cachex didn't seem to work properly with Vix Softcam Manager and I stopped using it with Vix.
Maybe Softcam Manager has had problems with Oscam before and by using features such as freeze checking or (as some users were reporting) setting a cron timer to reboot their box,
This was only to paper over the fact that Oscam has had a bad habit of freezing in Vix for some time.

Nice synopsis! As far as the softcams across images, I am sure the only issue with different image softcams is that ViX sticks them in different directories e.g. I have run ViX softcams in OpenATV when I couldn‘t find where they were (secret feeds) in ATV… just took some ftp work.

Back tomorrow will probably ask you to try another rewored softcamamanger!

 

[johnhoe]

Another couple of things I've tried... Bear in mind this is with my MIPS Edision Osmega box..

I have to admit that the script starting Oscam seems to fail after about 20 hours with me...
ulimit -s 1024;/usr/softcams/oscam-latest -b &
So I have tried to start Oscam without any ulimit
/usr/softcams/oscam-latest -b &

Oscam is now working after 24 hours.

So a couple of questions...
Bearing in mind ulimit is used to start and check all softcams in the SoftcamManager:-
Do other images (ie OpenATV, OpenPLI) use the ulimit -s command to limit the memory stack that that Oscam (and all other cams) have access to?
Why was ulimit used with in the SoftcamManager coding to start cams? Was it a workaround?
Now I have Oscam started without ulimit... Is this likely to cause a problem?

 

[widar]

Hi, I reinstalled 5.4.12 version, to be able to test, and maybe help in some ways, but I did fail right away, as i don't know how to start or run the script johnhoe tested, s56softcam.sh , I think I made everything as suggested. The best working cam for me in 5.4.12
version is mgcamd 1.46, I have my zgemma working fine with oscam on v. 5.4.12, even if the ecm times are long sometimes, no visible problem watching anything, I am so glad that you guys do the job, as I dont have the skills needed. Thanks

 

[johnhoe]

@Widar - Did you manage to ftp the script to the /var/etc/rcS.d directory?
You must also disable the softcam startup in softcam manager and (if you press menu button) you should make sure frozen check is disabled.

Rebooting should now automatically startup Oscam.

 

[widar]

Did all that, excepts for disabling frozen check, will try again later today, Thank you johnhoe

 

[johnhoe]

Did all that, excepts for disabling frozen check, will try again later today

And use a pure text editor for making script e.g. Notepad++

The latest script I am on is without ulimit as follows:-
Named "S56softcam.sh" ftp to /var/etc/rcS.d as follows

#!/bin/sh
/usr/softcams/oscam-latest -b &
: exit 0

Please note Widar and others it must be a capital S for S56softcam.sh... my mistake ... apologies

 

[widar]

Thanks, I did not managed to get it to work, probably because I did not have a capital S, but guess what, the oscam have been working 4 hours now, without any stops or delays, the only thing I have changed is the disabling the frozen check control, as
i did forget to change it back, after the script test. I am not going to change anything, before I know if it keeps working over time, I also unticked the autostart box in Softcam manager, I just manually started the oscam after the script failure, and working as it should
so far. If or when it stops, I will try the script, or scripts for testing.

 

[spanner123]

Thanks, I did not managed to get it to work, probably because I did not have a capital S, but guess what, the oscam have been working 4 hours now, without any stops or delays, the only thing I have changed is the disabling the frozen check control, as
i did forget to change it back, after the script test. I am not going to change anything, before I know if it keeps working over time, I also unticked the autostart box in Softcam manager, I just manually started the oscam after the script failure, and working as it should
so far. If or when it stops, I will try the script, or scripts for testing.

But wasn't high ecm times also a problem, how are they now?

 

[widar]

I am not the man to tell anything about ecm times, the most annoying thing for me was that the oscam did stop, and had to manually restart it again, sometimes very often, but always in the wrong times.. oscam have now worked for 7 hours, nonstop.
the receiver have been on same channel, as I left it, have not watched anything, so saw this on the cam.check.log. If there is something to tell, I'll be back after i have tested in evening.