AltEPG

Has anyone else had problems with nic_config_tivo?

Yesterday I imaged a new hard drive for an old Tivo using the altepg-1_0b.iso cd. I got it up and working with DHCP, ran it through guided setup and let it index over night and I was happy.

This morning I decided to give it a static IP address, so I ran nic_config_tivo but found two problems with it:

Using the standard Windows Vista telnet, nic_config_tivo was displaying control codes on screen, making it quite difficult to be sure that the correct values were being entered. For example:

Code: Select all

? Enter IP Address.[9;59H?
? Leave null for DHCP.[10;59H?

The other problem was that I could enter IP address, MAC address and subnet mask, but it skipped straight past the Gateway address without giving me the opportunity to adjust it.

I fixed these problems by editing the config file directly and it's all working now, but has anyone else seen these problems?

I'm guessing the first is a termcap problem but I'm not sure what to do to fix it. The second seems like a bug in the bash script.

Yes, I've had similar problems in the past, resolved like you by editing the file directly. I think it's a terminal emulation issue - and the reason that the gateway adress gets "skipped over" is that something in the control codes is being interpreted as a Carriage Return.

One day, I might have time to have a look...

Yes, you could try a better terminal emulator than the windows one like putty. Editing manually also is just as easy, the scripted interface is more for novices not comfortable with editing system files.

Also, Brian has created a method to change all network settings through the TiVo UI in the next version of the AltEPG image (currently in testing) !!

markbanang wrote:The other problem was that I could enter IP address, MAC address and subnet mask, but it skipped straight past the Gateway address without giving me the opportunity to adjust it.

That's normal behaviour for the built-in Windows XP Telnet. For some extraordinary reason Microsoft made the Windows XP telnet send two carriage returns for a single tap of the Enter key. Why they though this is a good idea is anybodys guess.

The fix is to hold down Ctrl and tap J (for brevity often written as "Ctrl-J" or "Ctrl+J") instead of tapping Enter. That will just send a single carriage return and therfore programs like nic_config_tivo will behave properly.

BrokenStar wrote:That's normal behaviour for the built-in Windows XP Telnet. For some extraordinary reason Microsoft made the Windows XP telnet send two carriage returns for a single tap of the Enter key. Why they though this is a good idea is anybodys guess.

That is particularly braindead, thanks for the Ctrl+J workaround. It showed that there were actually several screens in-between the screens it stopped on that I had never seen before as they were cleared away too quickly for me to notice.

healeydave wrote:Yes, you could try a better terminal emulator than the windows one like putty.

Yeah, not sure why I didn't use putty in the first place. All of the control codes are properly interpreted by putty, unlike windows telnet. Interestingly even in putty, each press of the enter key is being transmitted to the Tivo as two CR's, so I still have to use the Ctrl+J workaround.

Not quite correct - there is a setting in PuTTY - under System Menu/Connection/Telnet - "Return key sends Telnet New Line instead of ^M" - if you uncheck this, then it should work correctly for you.

You could also try "stty igncr" or "stty sane" as soon as you telnet in.

You'd have to do that every time though - changing the settings, will allow you to make a custom setup for TiVo.

For example, i always change the scrollback buffer to 200,000 lines, and then I change the background and screen colours so I can easily identify which of my 3 TiVos I am accessing at a glance - without having to worry about being able to see the titlebar. And of course if you save a session, it allows you to save it as telnet (rather than the SSH default) so you can just double click its name on the list....

In the office, I use PuTTY Connection Manager - gives it a tabbed interface - as I often have 15-20 similtaneous connections open.

SolidTechie wrote:You'd have to do that every time though

Not if you put it in your bash profile

Okay - okay - can we call it a draw?

spitfires cheated! He wrote "as soon as you telnet in" and then did a little side-step

Ah good point I win!

Spitfires - you should be ASHAMED of yourself!

I shall get my wakizashi and carry out seppuku immediately