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201 - Configuring CMC to Connect to CCC

Chameleon CentralController (CCC) is used to export My Movies metadata directly to CMC's Movie DB, and manage User Accounts and Parental Restrictions, and tracks Watch History and WatchLists on a per-user basis.
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Pauven
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201 - Configuring CMC to Connect to CCC

Post by Pauven » Wed Nov 25, 2020 5:19 pm

TL;DR:

Only proceed if you've successfully completed a Full Export using CCC. CCC should also be running now so CMC can connect to it.

In CMC, go to Settings > Chameleon CentralController.

Enable "Use Chameleon CentralController (CCC)", enter the PC name or IP address of the PC running CCC (use localhost if CCC is running on the same PC you are currently using), then click "Test CCC Connectivity".

If you get a "SUCCESS!" test result, Save your new config, then close and restart CMC.

:!: If you get an error test result, then review 202 - Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues

Skip to the next chapter: 203 - Syncing with CCC




CCC Tutorials 200 Series
Before continuing, you should have completed the 100 Series tutorials for Chameleon CentralController (CCC). Those included an overview of CCC, guided you through installing and running CCC, the initial configuration, and running your first Full Export.

The 200 Series tutorials detail how to use Chameleon MediaCenter (CMC) with CCC. This will include configuring CMC to connect to CCC, and some new features that get enabled when you use CMC with CCC.

If you have not yet completed a Full Export with CCC, then STOP. Do no proceed until you have completed all steps in the 100 Series tutorials.



Overview of CMC Operational Modes
Since v1.0 of CMC, there has only been a single "operational mode", so this will be a new concept for existing users. That sole operating mode was Folder Scanning. You would configure one or more folders for scanning in the "Movie Library Scanning" section in CMC's settings:

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You would then run a Sync, and CMC would scan your media folders, one-by-one, finding all your playable media and importing your collection data from the XML metadata files.

Beginning with CMC v4.0, there is now a 2nd operational mode: the Chameleon CentralController mode. Instead of scanning your media folders, CMC will connect to CCC to import your My Movies collection.

CMC will not allow you to operate in both modes at the same time. You can either be in Folder Scanning mode, or CCC mode, but not both. If you've made it this far in the CCC tutorials, I'm guessing you want CCC mode, right?

NOTE: The is another big change with CMC v4.0 - by default CMC will be in CCC mode!

This is for both new installs and for existing upgrades. When existing users upgrade from CMC v3.6, they will be presented with a notice alerting them to this change, and their existing Folder Scanning collection will not be shown, plus the Sync function will not immediately work.

This is all by design, to get existing users attention so they understand this change has occurred. If any users are not ready for CCC, they can take a few seconds to disable CCC mode and get back to the legacy Folder Scanning mode they were previously using, so the impact should be minimal, even if unexpected.



Configuring CMC to Connect to CCC
It is extremely easy to configure the CCC connection. In CMC, go to the Settings, and select the new option at the top, Chameleon CentralController:

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To place CMC in the CCC operational mode, simply Enable the first option, "Use Chameleon CentralController (CCC)". Notice that when Use CCC is enabled, the 2nd menu option on the left, "Movie Library Scanning", disappears.

The next step is to enter the PC name (or IP address) of the PC where CCC is running. If CCC is running on the same PC you are using, enter localhost, otherwise you need to provide the Windows configured name of the remote PC. I have a dedicated Windows virtual machine named "MyMoviesVM" running on my Unraid storage server where I have installed My Movies and CCC, so I will enter that value.

  • TIP: Be sure to press ENTER after typing in the name or IP address!

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The next option is the "CCC Connection Timeout", which by default is set to 2 seconds. This is probably fine for most home networks, but if you get occasional random timeouts you may want to try increasing this value, 1 second at a time, until the issue is fixed.

The configuration is now done (that was pretty easy, right!?), but you should test it to make sure it is working. Click the "Test CCC Connectivity" button, and CMC will check if it is able to communicate with CCC. Hopefully you get a "SUCCESS!" message like this:

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:!: If you get an error, please review the 202 - Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues tutorial, which covers common errors and how to fix them, plus instructions for configuring your PC's firewall rules if needed.

TIP: The last row, "Last Sync with CCC", is not a setting, but just troubleshooting info. It probably reads "none" now, as shown in the screenshots above. Later, it will be a timestamp showing the most recent time CMC successfully synced with CCC. If you think new collection data isn't showing up correctly in CMC, then this date value may provide a valuable clue.



Save the Config then Restart CMC
Once you've successfully tested connectivity with CCC, be sure to Save your new configuration.

Then you will want to close CMC and restart it. This is to make sure that CMC is correctly started in the newly configured CCC operational mode.



Proceed to the next chapter: 203 - Syncing with CCC
President, Chameleon Consulting LLC
Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

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