Swapping Drives

C

catnap

Member
I appreciate that the information I request is already here somewhere, but finding the most up to date and reliable account is difficult (and/or perhaps I'm being lazy).

I have 3 HDR T2s each with CF installed. Two are used occasionally. The third became a spare some time ago. I have wired internet connections as the location of the units and the build of the house rules out wifi. In recent months it was possible to connect to the most frequently used box by Webif, but not to access its recordings remotely - the unit itself no longer showed on the network, although it remained able to detect and play recordings from the other T2 in use. The network connection has now failed entirely and I can't even use WebIF. After going through a lot of testing of the connections I suspect it is the ethernet port on the Humax that has become faulty.

Of course, it may be possible to fix the problem, but I just want to swap the HDD (3TB) from the faulty box into the "spare" (which I've just tested and works fine) and use that instead. I have changed drives before and the physical process isn't an issue. I want to be able to play the current recordings on the spare box. I'm not sure of the ecryption status of the recordings. Is the simplest solution to change the encryption key and if so how is this done?
 
catnap said:
perhaps I'm being lazy
Click to expand...
Very

catnap said:
Is the simplest solution to change the encryption key and if so how is this done?
Click to expand...
WebIF >> Settings >> Advanced Settings

catnap said:
In recent months it was possible to connect to the most frequently used box by Webif, but not to access its recordings remotely - the unit itself no longer showed on the network, although it remained able to detect and play recordings from the other T2 in use. The network connection has now failed entirely and I can't even use WebIF. After going through a lot of testing of the connections I suspect it is the ethernet port on the Humax that has become faulty.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a load of ****** rubbish to me. If you can access WebIF you can do anything else that requires the network stack – if it's not working it's just a case of tracking down the broken configuration.

Just because you can't use the WebIF doesn't mean the networking has broken. Try pinging it, try Telnet.
 
catnap said:
no longer showed on the network
Click to expand...
What does that actually mean?
although it remained able to detect and play recordings from the other T2 in use.
Click to expand...
So the network obviously was working in some fashion then.
The network connection has now failed entirely and I can't even use WebIF. After going through a lot of testing of the connections I suspect it is the ethernet port on the Humax that has become faulty.
Click to expand...
I suspect it hasn't. What testing have you done exactly?
 
I acknowledged my laziness in advance, knowing that I would otherwise be outed. It is not however easy to search here for some of this information. In certain instances what were once fairly definitive guides are now even annotated as being no longer maintained or out of date. Of course, those both more familiar with the subjects and spending more time here will have less difficulty.

What you describe as sounding like "rubbish" (I don't object to the ******* in itself, but it seems rather redundant here) is my repeated experience. I too considered it odd, perplexing and even improbable (it night have been kinder to have described it similarly, but again I don't complain). Even Darwin and Huxley were sometimes baffled by what they observed and would doubtless have benefited from access to forums. I understand that the problem may be due to my misunderstanding or some irregularity in my network setup. I've gone as far as I want to with that however - one box doesn't work in that setup, once installed in the same place the spare does. I use the Ts infrequently these days and have an otherwise unused box at risk of outlasting me, it seems obvious to take advantage of it.

Thanks for the prompt and entertaining response and the information about Advanced Webif settings.
 
By "no longer showed on the network" I meant that I could no longer see the T2 as a network media source on my TV or my other T2. Yes the network did continue to work in some fashion for a while, but not now. My use of the term "testing" my be a little grand. I tried various reboots and a factory reset. I changed the ethernet cables - no difference. I removed an ethernet switch from the setup - no difference. I placed other networked devices at the end of the same ethernet cable and they worked ok. I relocated the problematic T2 to the location of the working one and had identical problems with it there. Edit - I also checked: Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN >> Configure IP >> DHCP >> Apply, with the result of 192.0.2.100 as the IP address and the message "Network Disconnected".
 
Last edited:
Try pinging it. Try Telnet. You'll learn nothing by just saying "WebIF isn't working therefore the whole thing isn't working".

WebIF access can fail for any number of reasons.

We can't rule out a hardware failure, but this would be the first time anyone has reported failure of the Ethernet hardware specifically (while the rest of it is working). I won't believe the Ethernet has failed unless you do:

Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN >> Configure IP >> DHCP >> Apply​

...and it then fails to configure the IP address etc. Unconfigured, the IP address will read 192.0.2.100. If it does not read 192.0.2.100, there has in fact been network traffic between the HDR-FOX and the router since the last factory reset (unless you set it manually, or have it stored in WebIF).

Presuming you do in fact get a connection through your router, you can then use Telnet to fix the WebIF.

The ****** was where I replaced "bollox" with "rubbish". Take it or leave it. If you had simply asked about the best way to transplant a HDD into another HDR-FOX, I would have pointed you HERE and you wouldn't have got all the derision. As you say you're using a 3TB drive and are therefore completely reliant on CF, I would have expected a higher level of understanding.
 
Last edited:
Black Hole said:
Try pinging it. Try Telnet. You'll learn nothing by just saying "WebIF isn't working therefore the whole thing isn't working".

WebIF access can fail for any number of reasons.

We can't rule out a hardware failure, but this would be the first time anyone has reported failure of the Ethernet hardware specifically (while the rest of it is working). I won't believe the Ethernet has failed unless you do:

Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN >> Configure IP >> DHCP >> Apply​

...and it then fails to configure the IP address etc. Unconfigured, the IP address will read 192.0.2.100. If it does not read 192.0.2.100, there has in fact been network traffic between the HDR-FOX and the router since the last factory reset (unless you set it manually, or have it stored in WebIF).

Presuming you do in fact get a connection through your router, you can then use Telnet to fix the WebIF.

The ****** was where I replaced "bollox" with "rubbish". Take it or leave it. If you had simply asked about the best way to transplant a HDD into another HDR-FOX, I would have pointed you HERE and you wouldn't have got all the derision. As you say you're using a 3TB drive and are therefore completely reliant on CF, I would have expected a higher level of understanding.
Click to expand...
I expected no less derision from you and am not offended. A more careful reading of my response would surely have revealed so. I am confident you will be able to direct people to future references.


Thanks again.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have now had time to read thread to which BH referred in his last post. It states that "it is nominated as the master thread for discussing HDD replacement". I may be missing something, but I can't seem to see an explanation of how to identify and change the encryption key. The thread also links to what is referred to as a "Decryption Guide". The link actually brings up a thread entitled "using Fox T2 recordings with plex media server", a title which seems unhelpful in this context and will confound most searches. There is indeed some good information there, but BH has flagged it as "This article is now in need of an overhaul, as the encryption algorithm and method of key generation for HDR-FOX and HD-FOX are now known to us". It doesn't go on to explain much about the algorithm and key. In fairness BH has only had a little over 3 years to update the "article" and may get around to it when he is less occupied, but forum users, particularly those directed to this thread after searching for "Swapping Drives", should be aware.
 
catnap said:
I relocated the problematic T2 to the location of the working one and had identical problems with it there.
Click to expand...
OK, that's all useful stuff to know. Do you get a link light on the switch and on the T2? Do the activity lights flash?
I also checked: Menu >> Settings >> System >> Internet Setting >> Configure LAN >> Configure IP >> DHCP >> Apply, with the result of 192.0.2.100 as the IP address and the message "Network Disconnected".
Click to expand...
Assuming the above test passes, try setting a static IP in the same range as your LAN subnet, but different to any existing device. You'll probably need to tell us what you've set to check it's been done correctly. Then try pinging it from a command line session on your PC. What OS are you using?
 
prpr said:
Assuming the above test passes
Click to expand...
But it doesn't. It looks like the Ethernet has failed after all (weird!).


catnap said:
I may be missing something, but I can't seem to see an explanation of how to identify and change the encryption key.
Click to expand...
My bad, there's an existing article on moving a drive from one HDR to another somwhere and I misremembered that was it. Nonetheless I have already explained the process. As for how to identify the relevant key (this is the link I originall intended): https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/hard-drive-swap.9928/post-146942

catnap said:
I just think it should also be included in"the master thread for discussing HDD replacement."
Click to expand...
No, that's an article about replacing a HDD in one HDR-FOX. I agree there could be a cross-reference.

catnap said:
In fairness BH has only had a little over 3 years to update the "article"
Click to expand...
It's on my to-do list, but anything of that nature is a major piece of work and more of a tidy up than creating new information (therefore lower priority). If you think you can do better, please go ahead. You speak as if all the info on the forum should be easy to find – but that's not our job, even if I/we make an effort to. The info is there for all to find, if you have the will.

catnap said:
those directed to this thread after searching for "Swapping Drives", should be aware.
Click to expand...
If those searching for "swapping drives" used the simpler terms "drive swap" and limited their search to titles only, they would land on... https://hummy.tv/forum/search/516065/?q=drive+swap&c[title_only]=1&o=date.
 
Black Hole said:
But it doesn't.
Click to expand...
We don't yet know. I was meaning the state of the link/activity lights, for the avoidance of doubt.
It looks like the Ethernet has failed
Click to expand...
I would suspect a dry joint on the socket first. (I've got one on the USB on one of the HD-Foxes I look after, and that had me going for ages when trying to install the CF).
 
Update. I could get an occasional flash of a light on both the Humax ethernet port and the ethernet switch port by jiggling the cable, but nothing constant. I opened the box to start the swapping process and noticed that the module that contains the ethernet port and rear USB port was slightly crooked (sorry should have taken a photo). A slight pressure by hand straightened it up and there was a faint click. I put the lid back on and connected everything up again. I can now connect to the network. The box (I'll call it Unit 1) is in a rather confined space in a media cabinet. Perhaps a mixture of a slightly misaligned port and pressure on the ethernet cable was causing the problem? It may be relevant that it is a refurbished unit (from the days of Humax's Managers Specials) and I very nearly sent it back at the time it as the case is a little dented and the lid twisted in places and also the aerial connectors are a little loose (not that this seems to cause problems).

Unit 1 still doesn't show up on my other HDR T2 (I'll call it Unit 2) or TV as a networked media source, but I'm not sure it ever did. I usually connect to Unit 2 via Unit 1. I'm not sure I've ever done it the other way round since we moved here a few years back. The only reason I was trying to do so recently is that my wife is hogging the main TV to watch the football and I've moved to the back room. Content Share is turned ON on both boxes.

I'll try again tomorrow.
 
Thanks. That is a very interesting and informative link. I decided to try "Sharing Recordings by SMB** Server". While doing so, and before getting very far, I found that, incidentally, Unit 1 was again available as a Networked Media source on both my TV and Humax Unit 2. I wonder if this is because I left both Humax boxes on for sometime, while working on "SMB sharing", allowing them to be discovered, whereas during the period I couldn't get the Network connected reliably on Unit 1, I repeatedly just turned it to Standby after a relatively short time. That wouldn't be consistent with the Spare box showing up almost immediately as a Networked Media source when I tested that, but thats another matter. On reflection I should obviously have diagnosed the faulty ethernet connection much earlier. Once I opened Unit 1 it was much more evident that there might be an issue, but I should have noticed something suspect had I looked more closely at the Ethernet port from the back. I searched for a more complex answer when there was a simple one and you and prpr were correct to be skeptical.

Moving on, I have tried to set up sharing by SMB following the instructions in the Content Sharing link. It's not essential, I have the old access back. I'm just pursuing this out of curiosity and while avoiding the football. The specified packages are installed, static IP addresses have been assigned, host names have been changed. I am on a Mac and have assumed that at Step 5 I should create the files and make the amendments in "My Video/[ModSettings]/nfs" rather than "My Video/[ModSettings]/smb". I've done that and rebooted both boxes, but while I can now see Virtual USB under Media >> Storage >> USB, it only contains an unpopulated Mod-settings folder. Anything obvious I should be checking or changing?

Edit Unit 1's name appeared under Media >> Storage >> USB on Unit 2, but then disappeared again. Maybe I just need to wait.
 
Last edited:
catnap said:
I should have noticed something suspect had I looked more closely at the Ethernet port from the back. I searched for a more complex answer when there was a simple one and you and prpr were correct to be skeptical.
Click to expand...
Always start with layer 1 with networking faults! If the fundamental stuff ain't working, the more clever stuff certainly won't and nor will attempts to poke at the latter make the former work.
 
In this context, I wonder if anyone has got a USB->Ethernet adapter working? Presumably it would have to be a dongle matching the Ethernet device built into the BCM7405 SoC, whatever that might be.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top