Series 3 caller ID: NCID

Important Note: This requires a hacked S3 unit. Go see the PROM mod thread in the S3 dev forum for more info about all that.

The Tivo is a great platform for a caller-ID server. It has a built-in modem, networkable, and it is always on.

I've gotten John L. Chmielewski's (jlc) quite excellent TivoNCID (MIPS) working on my Series-3 Tivo box. I've been running it for a couple days on my S3 (system v8.0.1c) and it has been working well.

Tivo Series-3 has its modem on /dev/ttyS3, also available on /dev/modem (cua3).

You need a few things to make TivoNCID work on an S3:

1. ncidd server - Part of TivoNCID for Series-2 MIPS (v0.67 as of this writing)
2. tivoncid client (also part of TivoNCID MIPS package)
3. uni2osd script from Hichhiker found here on DDB
4. AlphaWolf's All-in-One Utilities for MIPS (hopefully already installed).

(Make sure your All-in-One Utilities (tivotools) are installed and working.)

The ncid-0.67-series2-tivo.tgz package likes to install on /var, so I suggest putting it there until you're happy with its operation. Upload it to your hacked S3 into /var. Then unpack:

Code:

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My_S3_Tivo# tar -zxvf ncid-0.67-series2-tivo.tgz -C /var

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It will create several layers of directories under /var/hack and install all the NCID binary files.

NCID Server
Edit /var/hack/etc/ncid/ncidd.conf configuration file. Near the bottom of the file are some of the configuration settings. Specifically change the ttyport setting:

Code:

---

#################
# TiVo Settings #
#################
set ttyclocal = 1 # TiVo requires CLOCAL
# set ttyport = /dev/ttyS1 # TiVo Modem Port <-comment out or delete
set lockfile = /var/tmp/modemlock # needed for TiVo Modem Port

set verbose = 3
set port = 3333
set cidlog = /var/log/cidcall.log
set datalog = /var/log/ciddata.log
set ttyport = /dev/modem  # S3 Modem Port

---

Create the log files, since ncidd won't do it itself (this is optional).

Code:

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My_S3_Tivo# touch /var/log/cidcall.log
My_S3_Tivo# touch /var/log/ciddata.log

---

Now run the ncidd service on the Tivo (use -D for debugging):

Code:

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My_S3_Tivo# /var/hack/sbin/ncidd &

---

This should get the server part working, taking and recording logs of incoming calls. Client setup follows.

The NCID client software is what actually shows incoming Caller ID on the screen. For the S3 Tivo at the moment you pretty much need to use Tivo's included text2osd utility.

You don't need the ncidd server running on the same machine to use the client. If you have multiple Tivos (or even PCs) you can use the "main CID server" to Collect caller ID info and run just the client software on each.

Once you've unpacked the ncid-0.67-series2-tivo.tgz package into /var/hack you need to copy over Hichhiker's uni2osd script into /var/hack/bin. I had a problem when unpacking the script (from the zip file) with line-endings, so you should run dos2unix on it to make sure it strips any extraneous carriage-returns.

Unfortunately, out2osd doesn't yet work on the S3 with v8 software. Move the original out2osd program to a new name (such as 'original_out2osd') and make a symlink from out2osd to uni2osd.

(dos2unix is part of AlphaWolf's All-in-One Utilities.)

Code:

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My_S3_Tivo# cd /var/hack/bin
My_S3_Tivo# dos2unix uni2osd
My_S3_Tivo# chmod a+x uni2osd
My_S3_Tivo# mv out2osd original_out2osd
My_S3_Tivo# ln -s uni2osd out2osd

---

Edit the uni2osd so that OUTPUT is forced to text2osd

Code:

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### OUTPUT which software to use as output program
OUTPUT=text2osd

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Also be sure to add the directory/var/hack/bin to your PATH statement in your /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit.author file, or the tivoncid client seems to fail after awhile.

Now run the tivoncid client and enjoy Caller-ID info on your TV screen.

Code:

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My_S3_Tivo# /var/hack/bin/tivocid &

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Check the /var/log files for troubleshooting, and edit friends and family phone numbers in the /var/hack/etc/ncid/ncidd.alias file. There are lots of good instructions and information in /var/hack/doc/ncid.

You can also set up just this client on other Tivos and to get Caller-ID.

Code:

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My_Other_Tivo# /var/hack/bin/tivocid <ip.of.server.address> &

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Thank you Narf54321 for the great description of installing and running NCID on the Series 3. You did a much better job than the documentation for its usage. However, your description on setting up the client should use the name tivocid instead of tivoncid. The confusion in names is my fault.

The tivocid client is an alias for ncid, it sets the proper options and uses out2osd as the display module. When out2osd broke on a series 2 OS release, a user wrote uni2osd so it could be used as you describe. This was a good idea so a module called ncid-tivo, which uses text2osd to display text, was developed, as insurance, in case out2osd broke again.

The tivoncid client is another ncid alias. It sets the proper options but calls ncid-tivo, not out2osd as the display module. Options are set in ncidscript.conf. The tivoncid client was first included in the 0.66 release.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jlc

The tivocid client is an alias for ncid, it sets the proper options and uses out2osd as the display module. When out2osd broke on a series 2 OS release, a user wrote uni2osd so it could be used as you describe. This was a good idea so a module called ncid-tivo, which uses text2osd to display text, was developed, as insurance, in case out2osd broke again.

The tivoncid client is another ncid alias. It sets the proper options but calls ncid-tivo, not out2osd as the display module. Options are set in ncidscript.conf. The tivoncid client was first included in the 0.66 release.

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Thanks for the response, jlc. The main reason I spent time during those instructions for uni2osd was that the INSTALL-TiVo docs briefly mention tivoncid using Tivo's built-in text2osd utility but for some reason wasn't reliable on my setup. I'll have to look through ncidscript.conf.

It is also unreliable if you don't have the rc.sysinit.author PATH environment variable set to the ncid directory (usually /var/hack/bin ). Just setting it at your telnet prompt isn't enough, as it stops working once you log out.

I'll certainly willing to change the instructionsto tivocid, but I have gotten it working in the fashion described and I'd want to personally do a little testing to avoid unexpected glitches.

EDIT: Okay, I tried it with the tivocid utility instead of tivoncid and it bombs out. I had moved uni2osd back to my tivotools directory with a symlink called out2osd but it didn't work.

EDIT: Copying uni2osd back to the /var/hack/bin folder and re-symlinking it fixed the problem. I still want to give it a couple of days to make sure its all working proper and doesn't go zombie on me or anything.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Narf54321

Thanks for the response, jlc. The main reason I spent time during those instructions for uni2osd was that the INSTALL-TiVo docs briefly mention tivoncid using Tivo's built-in text2osd utility but for some reason wasn't reliable on my setup. I'll have to look through ncidscript.conf.

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TiVoNCID should call ncid-tivo, and it in turn calls /tvbin/text2osd, changeable in ncidscript.conf. If you find the problem and make any fixes, they will be incorporated in the next release.

Quote:

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It is also unreliable if you don't have the rc.sysinit.author PATH environment variable set to the ncid directory (usually /var/hack/bin ). Just setting it at your telnet prompt isn't enough, as it stops working once you log out.

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Yes, it needs to be set from sysinit. I usually set the path to include /var/hack/bin and /var/hack/sbin in /var/hack/etc/rc.hack which is called from rc.sysinit.author using this line:

Code:

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[ -x /var/hack/etc/rc.hack ] && /var/hack/etc/rc.hack

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I am thinking of changing the NCID location to /opt or /usr/local instead of /var/hack. This would be compatible with the rest of the world.

Quote:

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I'll certainly willing to change the instructionsto tivocid, but I have gotten it working in the fashion described and I'd want to personally do a little testing to avoid unexpected glitches.

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I firmly believe in testing so I agree. Take a look at the begining of ncid. Both tivocid and tivoncid are aliases and just set options. The running code is the same. Be warned, ncid code is tricky. The same script can be executed by shell, tcl, and tk.

Quote:

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EDIT: Okay, I tried it with the tivocid utility instead of tivoncid and it bombs out. I had moved uni2osd back to my tivotools directory with a symlink called out2osd but it didn't work.

EDIT: Copying uni2osd back to the /var/hack/bin folder and re-symlinking it fixed the problem. I still want to give it a couple of days to make sure its all working proper and doesn't go zombie on me or anything.

---

Okay, I've been running a few days with the call to tivocid instread of tivoncid and I'm happy with it, so I've edited the original client instructions to use tivocid.

Great piece of work jlc!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Narf54321

The ncid-0.67-series2-tivo.tgz package likes to install on /var, so I suggest putting it there until you're happy with its operation. Upload it to your hacked S3 into /var. Then unpack:.

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Thanks a ton.

I used these instructions on a S2 649DT and they worked perfectly to the letter.

I keep all my hacks out of the var directory. How do I move the application now that I have this working from the var directory?

Can I just move the files to the directory of my choice then rereun all the below steps except using the new location?

I am sure you moved yours, how did you do it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Soapm

I keep all my hacks out of the var directory. How do I move the application now that I have this working from the var directory?

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You need to move /var/hack and rename it to ncid. then you need to set up a symbolic link to point to it.

For example, if you want to move it to /opt/ncid then you would do:

Code:

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    mv /var/hack /opt/ncid
    ln -s /opt/ncid /var/hack

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One little quirk I noticed on my 649 S2 DT

The screen goes blank after the caller id stops displaying

ex.. If I am on the screen that says now playing list etc... Caller id will come on and when I answer the phone the menu will be missing from the screen. once I hit a button to change menu it all comes back but I did notice this. It doesn't do this on movies, just Tivo menues.

I also noticed I seem to have two menues imposed together on most screens. When I change screens there appears to be one menu that flys off to the right but you can see the menu still there. The second one just dissappears???

I knew those drugs from the 70's would catch up to me someday...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Soapm

I knew those drugs from the 70's would catch up to me someday...

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I thought the same thing ;) But it happens on my assortment of S2 tivos too with certain osd applications.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jlc

You need to move /var/hack and rename it to ncid. then you need to set up a symbolic link to point to it.

For example, if you want to move it to /opt/ncid then you would do:

Code:

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    mv /var/hack /opt/ncid
    ln -s /opt/ncid /var/hack

---

---

Any thoughts on moving that directory?

FamRoom-bash# mv /var/hack /opt/ncid
mv: cannot move `/var/hack' across filesystems: Not a regular file

Also, there is a NCID folder in the var directory. Do I need to move it also or are those just the install files?

First you need to make sure your root directory is read-write.

Code:

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TiVo# mount
/dev/hda4 on / type ext2 (rw)

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If it says (ro) then you have read-only access and need to change it.

Make the folder you prefer such as:

Code:

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TiVo# mkdir /opt/hack

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Then copy the whole directory (recursively) into that new place

Code:

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cp -pr /var/hack /opt/hack

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Reply to Soapm
I normally use Fedora, and its "mv" command can move directories across filesystems. The TiVo one seems like a old version that can not do it. You should use the procedure by Narf54321 to copy /var/hack/, but after you do that you need to remove /var/hack and replace it with the symbolic link. You only need to copy /var/hack/, no other directories in /var.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Soapm

One little quirk I noticed on my 649 S2 DT

The screen goes blank after the caller id stops displaying

ex.. If I am on the screen that says now playing list etc... Caller id will come on and when I answer the phone the menu will be missing from the screen. once I hit a button to change menu it all comes back but I did notice this. It doesn't do this on movies, just Tivo menues.

I also noticed I seem to have two menues imposed together on most screens. When I change screens there appears to be one menu that flys off to the right but you can see the menu still there. The second one just dissappears???

I knew those drugs from the 70's would catch up to me someday...

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I can confirm this behavior on my 649 unit as well.

Also, on Kidzone when on the screen saver (I don't allow any channels in kidzone, so it goes to a black screen with the kidzone logo or sometimes a screen saying the channel isn't allowed), the screen went totally black when the CID info is cleared. Just pressing the TiVo button took care of it.

I also noticed when I was listening to Live365, when callerID came up, it totally corrupted the screens (I could sometimes see background images, but everything was totally unreadable, if the text even showed up). I had to hit the tivo button, and thus stop the audio stream, before the screen corrected itself.

Troy