WHS 2011 & WDTV Live

Hi,
My setup is this one: a WHS 2011, a Windows 7 PC and a WDTV live (Western Digital Media Player)
My problem is this one: from the WDTV, when i choose to see the network’s shared folders (“Network Share” in WD terminology), it can see my Win7 PC…but not the WHS!
BUT, if I simply browse my WHS’s folders from the WIN7 PC…suddently the WHS become visible to the WDTV!!

I must add that when I choose “Media Server” from the WDTV (working on another protocol, I suppose, a kind of DLNA?!) the WHS is “seen” directly!!!..
SO, the problem might come from the samba protocol? (hope that I’m not saying stupid things :wink:

Could you please help me understand the reason behind this!? Why does the WHS becomes visible to the WDTV once I browse it from another PC?

Thanks very much for any kind help!! (hope I’m clear enough…English isn’t my mothertongue :wink:

Understand that this is a guess… someone else may have a better answer.

One computer on the network acts as “Master Browser”, telling all the connected devices what else is connected.  As far as I know, it can take up to 30 minutes between updates.

So, if the Win7 PC was acting as Master Browser, it might not have been telling the WDTV about the presence of the WHS yet.  When you accessed the WHS from the Win7 PC, the list would have been updated and it would provide updated information to the WDTV.

I don’t believe DLNA (“Media Server”) uses the same “Master Browser” and just essentially asks “is anyone there?” so it was never prevented from seeing the WHS.

If I’m wrong, I apologize.  Maybe an IT/networking person can clear things up.

(And, for what it’s worth, your English is better than many native-speakers :smiley:)

Thank you very much for your reply!

You helped me identify  the problem…which is the one you described here: Master Browser

I suppose that the master browser might be (by preference) the router!?

It seem to ME so evident that the router, which is the only hardware connected 24/24 should be given this role (and track new in/out PC, regularly?!

Does anyone know of a router with such a feature? Surely possible with DD-WRT or Tomato?

Thank you very much!!

Hi there,

I am having the same problem…

Altough  haven’t confirm that WDTV will recognise WHS shared folders after browsing them with other PC in the network (?!?!?!?!?!), if so, it must be wrong!

Having a router and a server 24/7, why oh why, WDTV won’t see the shared folders? Is it a WHS problem?

My question to the forum is: is there something that could be done? 

thks in advance

This sounds very similar to a problem I had with my Windows 7 based server and my WDTV Live boxes. I downloaded a little utility called lanscan (just google it) and it can tell you a lot about what is being assigned as the master browser for each of your workgroups.

Originally I had the WDTV Lives and the Server on the same workgroup, but whenever the role of Master Browser got transferred from one device to another (it didnt matter in which direction this transfer occured) then the WDTV Live would only be able to see the server under “Media Server” and not under “Shared Folders”. If I restarted the server, and it was the newest device on the network, then it would restore the ability to be seen under Shared Folders and it would assign one of the WDTV Live boxes as Master Browser.

My workaround: The only way I got any stability in the system was to ensure that my WDTV live boxes were on a different workgroup than every other device in my house. Basically I have one workgroup for my server, desktops and laptops and and one workgroup for my WDTV Live boxes. I have had virtually no losses of connections since then.

Let me know if this helps at all. Do a seach for master browser on this forum and a few of the other WDTV forums out there, there is some pretty good information out there. I think there is a user here named Tony____ that has provided a lot of that information.

.dp

thanks discopig (altough a late one)

please correcte me: if I change wdtv live workgroup name, it will not see the whs, correct?

i am trying now, the media server is still there, but nothing happens …

Jayme65 wrote:

Thank you very much for your reply!

You helped me identify  the problem…which is the one you described here: Master Browser

 

I suppose that the master browser might be (by preference) the router!?

It seem to ME so evident that the router, which is the only hardware connected 24/24 should be given this role (and track new in/out PC, regularly?!

 

Does anyone know of a router with such a feature? Surely possible with DD-WRT or Tomato?

 

Thank you very much!!

I have a Netgear WNDR3700 and it acts as the master browser on my network. It works fine as a master browser with the official firmware. I have read in this forum that some routers do not perform well as master browser, but I have never had any trouble with my 3700 acting as the master.

One reason that I prefer my 3700 as the master is that I can turn all of my various computers and wireless devices on and off and the master browser does not switch computers and cause problems.