Channels DVR Ext Storage not working

Channels DVR Server
#1

I'm running Channels DVR on an iMac Retina 5k 27" 2020 with the storage on an external Seagate 3TB Expansion Desktop Drive.

Today, the computer wanted to update the OS to Monterey Ver 12.3.1. After rebooting, we noticed that Channels quit working on our TV's, so went back to the computer to investigate.

After a lot of digging, discovered that the external hard drive under the DVR Database was greyed out and the Channels server won't communicate with it.

I tried running First Aid through the Disk Utility to see if there were any problems with it and it didn't find any. I checked the permissions under the drive Info for read/write and sharing and they are all checked. I can go to the drive directly and add/copy/delete files with no problems.

I went back to the Basic Setup and unchecked the DVR box, then rechecked it to try adding the external drive back. I can click on the external drive, but when I try to save it or add a new subdirectory to it, it gives me an error message that it can't create it.

If I go back and change the drive to the computer, I can add it just fine and Channels begins working again. I can then go back and add the External drive at that point as a secondary storage path and it works.

It's got me back up and running again, but that's not how I want to run this. I want the external drive to be my DVR storage like it has been clear up until today and keep from cluttering up my main computer hard drive.

Did the OS update do something to the keep the Channels server from communicating directly with the external hard drive or what do I need to do to fix it?

#2

If anyone else is having this problem after MacOS updates, here's the fix.

Make sure you are logged in as Administrator, then Under the MacOS "System Preferences", go to "Security & Privacy", click on the "Privacy" tab, scroll down to "Full Disk Access", click on the "Click the lock to make changes", type in your password to unlock, then scroll down the list on the right to find "channels-dvr" and check the box. This allows Channels DVR to use the external hard drive and it instantly fixed my problem even without rebooting.

I have no idea why the MacOS update turns this off when it was enabled previously.

4 Likes
#3

I know it's been over a year since you made this comment, but I just wanted to let you know after tearing my hair out trying to set up my existing external storage on a new Mac Mini and having issues, Google let me to this post and resolved my problem immediately. So THANK YOU!

1 Like
#4

You are welcome and so glad it fixed your problem!

Like you, I was at my wits end trying to figure it out and had posted on the forum asking for help but to no svail. I’m not real computer literate like most who post on there, but just kept digging and got lucky and finally figured it out.

It was a common problem I found out later and is evidently caused during a software upgrade. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer through it so posted what fixed it for me.

It was interesting…a few days later after I posted the fix, I got a personal thank you from the Channels Developer. I’ve never had that happen before and it shows what an outstanding guy he is!

Best of luck to you and thank you for the kind words!

1 Like