[Resolved] Error 1326 - cannot connect to shared folder issue

[p64imp]

Please see the above image... i get this every time i open CMC. It hits when it attempts to sync. Only thing is... when i dismiss the dialog it connects to sync just fine. In the settings under test connections with CCC and CMC, both resolve successful. It's just this annoying dialog that keeps bugging me every time i open CMC. How do i get this to stop? It seems the error is bogus as i have zero connectivity issues....

i'm running the 7.0 build.

Thanks!

[Pauven]

CMC connects to CCC using 2 different methods.

It uses a direct messaging connection to send & receive the media database info, but this does not include any artwork.

And it uses a Windows Shared Folder to retrieve all artwork, like disc covers and fanart backgrounds.

The reason you believe the sync is working correctly is that the first method is working, so you are getting database updates. But the error is explaining that the artwork is not being updated. Since artwork gets copied locally by CMC, at first you may not even notice this issue, except for seeing the "?" covers show up for new titles (the "?" is the missing cover placeholder).

If you go into Settings > Chameleon Central Controller, you will see that there are 2 different connectivity test buttons, the second one testing the shared folder connectivity, and I expect that this will fail. So there really is an issue here that needs to be addressed.

Possible causes:

A) Shared Folder could be missing. On your CCC PC, you can close and relaunch CCC, and if the folder is missing it will offer to create it for you.

B) The user credentials for connecting to the share are wrong or no longer valid. This could happen if you changed a password, for example. To fix, in CCC you would go into Settings > Startup Options, and at the top there you would enter the correct password, and optionally change the user if you want it to use a different user account other than the one you are currently using yourself.

C) Possible shared folder corruption if you moved CCC or renamed its directory. If this sounds like your issue, let me know and I can help you fix. This is actually a Windows issue, it kinda freaks out if you change the directory structure that contains a shared folder.

D) Firewall issues. This is probably least likely, since CMC is reaching the CCC PC, so I'd focus on A and B first.

I know it may seem weird that you enter the username/password into CCC's Settings to fix CMC logging into CCC, but this really is how it works. When CMC connects to CCC using the first method direct messaging method to get the DB updates, it also gets the username/password you've configured. It then uses those credentials to log into the shared folder and grab the artwork. This makes it easier to maintain a whole house full of CMC HTPC's, you only have to enter the user/password info once, into CCC, rather than separately on every single CMC PC. But you also have to maintain it if there are any changes.

Hope that helps. If you need more info, please check out this link: 104 - Initial CCC Configuration

[p64imp]

Thank you for your thorough reply!

I actually did test CCC connectivity and CCC network share connectivity. This is what i meant when i said:
"In the settings under test connections with CCC and CMC, both resolve successful"
though i didn't really phrase that 1:1 with the command so i'm sorry if it sounded unclear.

Its actually pulling in all artwork fine as well. Nothing shows ? labels. All the new titles i added last night (some 150 titles) all imported 100%

I can test the network share path from this accessor PC to my server and both network paths resolve fine, so its not a firewall issue.
(testing my CCC share folder access, as well as my movie folder access with no issue)

I tried as you suggested to restart the service on the server, no issue at all. Also even rebooted the system, still no issue starting CCC on server side.

Its really not causing me any headache other than that box pop up that seems to be incorrect. Seems like i'm experiencing an unusual issue?

[p64imp]

Sorry one more thing i think i should add...

I notice sometimes when i open CMC, my movies go back to a lower movie count (4478), and a smart sync does not change anything. When i issue a full sync it jumps back up to the correct count (5007).

Opening up the app again later even after letting my full sync fully complete (arrows no longer spinning indicating completion) - in this case i let my last sync run overnight last night, it was fully in sync. I closed the app, reopened, it was back to 4478.

When i issue full sync though i note that my dashboard is instantly back in order - all 5007 movies show up instantly with artwork and all even though sync is still happening in the background...

and when i close/reopen later i will be back to 4478. Odd? Maybe this is related to my above issue?

[Pauven]

It definitely sounds like some sync weirdness is going on.

Please enable CMC > Settings > Startup & Logging > Debug Logging. Then close and relaunch CMC.

Let the sync finish normally on its own. Then, paying close attention to the PC's clock, don't do more than one sync per minute. So wait a full minute after the launch sync is complete. Then run a quick/smart sync. Then wait at least a minute, and then run a full sync. In each step, make sure the previous sync is complete, and don't run a new sync until a new minute is on the clock.

For example, launch at 12:07, quick sync at 12:08, and full sync at 12:09. You can go slower, but don't go faster, as each sync debug log gets saved in a timestamped file, and if you run two syncs in 12:08, the 2nd debug log overwrites the first, so we lose the first log file.

Once that's done, send me the sync logs that were generated, you'll find them in the Logs subdirectory. Feel free to email them to me if you'd prefer not to post here on the forum.

[p64imp]

I actually fixed the issue looking at the debug logs from the autosync attempt.

I think what i was most confused with is the instructions don't specify client or server side with each step, so i was confused with where to operate with each of the steps.

I did as you suggested and went back through the inital setup guide realizing the password was stored on the server for accessing the server (seems a bit odd to me, how can a client hit the server if the client needs to use the authentication that is stored on the server behind authentication?)

I know there is more to it than i'm visualizing, but that's how my mind approached it, so i updated the creds on my client side which was invalid.

At some point my server updated the password, and that update did not get pinned in the CCC.exe on the server in setup options. When i updated the password here, the issue is resolved and auto sync, as well as sync on open, are showing my full collection now without error.

The second level of confusion for me is why full sync would get past this password block and sync pulling full library from the server. I know it connected and did not just revert to valid cache as the 150 movies i added yesterday show with full sync, so it would appear that full sync has different auth paths than the smart sync does...?

At any rate, i'm fixed, and i thank you once again

[Pauven]

Excellent!

(seems a bit odd to me, how can a client hit the server if the client needs to use the authentication that is stored on the server behind authentication?)

You may have missed my answer to this in my first post above:

I know it may seem weird that you enter the username/password into CCC's Settings to fix CMC logging into CCC, but this really is how it works. When CMC connects to CCC using the first method direct messaging method to get the DB updates, it also gets the username/password you've configured. It then uses those credentials to log into the shared folder and grab the artwork. This makes it easier to maintain a whole house full of CMC HTPC's, you only have to enter the user/password info once, into CCC, rather than separately on every single CMC PC. But you also have to maintain it if there are any changes.

A bit more detail on that. When CMC connects to CCC via direct messaging, because I wrote both apps they can seamlessly talk to each other without additional user credentials. So as long as a firewall or network issue isn't blocking things, this always works.

But since I rely on Windows Shared Folder for all artwork, CMC needs those credentials to access that share. The shortcut here is that CMC is already talking to CCC via the internal direct messaging, so it simply asks for those credentials. I don't program CCC to auto-update (or otherwise snoop on or steal your credentials), so you have to manually enter them into CCC on initial setup and anytime they change.

The second level of confusion for me is why full sync would get past this password block and sync pulling full library from the server. I know it connected and did not just revert to valid cache as the 150 movies i added yesterday show with full sync, so it would appear that full sync has different auth paths than the smart sync does...?

Well, the sync is split into 2 parts, the DB sync (no credentials required) and the artwork sync (Windows Shared Folder credentials required). So yes those new movies would show up in the DB sync, but I would expect the artwork to be missing. Exceptions to this could be if the artwork for those titles already existed locally from a previous sync (I don't know the history of those 150 new movies, perhaps you had previously had them and removed them, or maybe you also do folder scanning syncing).

The full sync doesn't use any different auth paths. The difference between a full sync and a smart/quick sync is that the quick one is a delta sync, sending only changes since the last check-in. A full sync will send the full DB, regardless. Ditto with the artwork, a quick sync will only grab artwork for changed titles, while a full sync will grab all artwork regardless. But the pathways and auth requirements are identical.