[Icecast] Keeping icecast + ices 2.X running on a strict schedule?

["Thomas B. Rücker"]

Hi,

On 05/24/2014 11:29 PM, Jordan Verner wrote:
> I'm using Icecast, Ices, and the script module configuration to serve
> the playlist to the server. Playlists are scheduled once per day with
> regularely placed events (like spots) which run at specific times.
> Unfortunately it's being served too fast, so it's always getting ahead
> of schedule (gaining about 10 seconds on every hour).

Sounds like the clocking is faster for some reason.

> I have tried adjusting the flush-samples setting in ices.xml and the
> queue size in the icecast.xml file to no avail.
> I've had to resort to implementing a forced delay into the php script
> which feeds the filenames to ices, so that if ices calls it
> significantly early it'll wait to issue the next filename until it's
> closer to it's scheduled start time. This was causing disconnects
> whenever it became deviated beyond 10 seconds. Disabling source
> timeout fixed this, but still it tries to get as far ahead as
> physically possible and takes as much wiggle room as I give it plus more.

That won't fix it. You're inserting gaps into the stream and that's a
bad thing for your listeners too.

> Is there any fix for this? Streaming for 24 hours would have it
> calling the script as much as 4 minutes ahead of schedule, forcing my
> script to hang for all that time before issuing each and every filename.
> This is way too much deviation for streams which stick to a schedule.
> Two weeks of streaming would have everything an hour early.

So for some reason on your system Ices is running 0.28% faster. I'm not
sure what causes this and where those samples go. Is it by chance a
virtual machine?

You can try to fiddle further with ices settings. If that doesn't fix it
then you could always have your script insert a 10s filler jingle if it
detects that you're out of the timeframe.

Other options would be to explore different automation solutions, but
they might suffer the same problem if it's some underlying clock oddity
on your system.

Cheers

Thomas