DSL router changed, now "ERROR: Command failed to execute: No child processes"

Fri Oct 25 02:08:56 EDT 2013

Hi, our DSL router in the UK has recently been replaced (Netgear -->
TalkTalk badged D-Link 3680), since then I have some problems with
get_iplayer.

When I run get_iplayer and use a browser (e.g. w3m for the sake of
displaying output here), then there is no problem.

But, this system is connected via an openvpn VPN connection to a system
outside the UK, and if I run the browser from there, directing it
across the VPN connection to the UK system then this happens:

web client side outside UK:

w3m http://cercis:1935/
Waiting for reply...    [waits forever]

get_iplayer side in UK:

alexis at cercis$ ~/opt/OSI/get-iplayer/lib/get_iplayer/get_iplayer.cgi -p 1935 --debug -g ~/opt/OSI/get-iplayer/lib/get_iplayer/get_iplayer 
INFO: Command: /home/alexis/opt/OSI/get-iplayer/lib/get_iplayer/get_iplayer --nopurge --nocopyright --show-options
INFO: Command: /home/alexis/opt/OSI/get-iplayer/lib/get_iplayer/get_iplayer --nopurge --nocopyright --listplugins
INFO: Listening on 0.0.0.0:1935
WARNING: Insecure Remote access is allowed, use --listen=127.0.0.1 to limit to this host only

[obviously, I waited for it to reach this point, before I ran 'w3m' on the client side.]

REQUEST HEADER: User-Agent: w3m/0.5.2+cvs-1.1027
REQUEST HEADER: Accept: text/html, text/*;q=0.5, image/*, application/*, message/*
REQUEST HEADER: Accept-Encoding: gzip, compress, bzip, bzip2, deflate
REQUEST HEADER: Accept-Language: en;q=1.0
REQUEST HEADER: Host: cercis:1935
GET: /
DEBUG: Using PVRHOLDOFF = 
--
DEBUG: Using CATEGORY = 
--
DEBUG: Using MODES = default
--
DEBUG: Using REVERSE = 0
--
DEBUG: Using EXCLUDECHANNEL = 
--
DEBUG: Using HIDDENTAB = no
--
DEBUG: Using AUTOPVRRUN = 4
--
DEBUG: Using STREAMTYPE = 
--
DEBUG: Using SINCE = 
--
DEBUG: Using FORCE = 0
--
DEBUG: Using SORT = index
--
DEBUG: Using RECORDINGTAB = no
--
DEBUG: Using BEFORE = 
--
DEBUG: Using URL = 
--
DEBUG: Using REFRESHFUTURE = 0
--
DEBUG: Using FUTURE = 0
--
DEBUG: Using SUBTITLES = 0
--
DEBUG: Using SEARCHFIELDS = name
--
DEBUG: Using PROGTYPES = tv
--
DEBUG: Using EXCLUDE = 
--
DEBUG: Using INFO = 0
--
DEBUG: Using PROXY = 
--
DEBUG: Using AUTOWEBREFRESH = 1
--
DEBUG: Using ACTION = 
--
DEBUG: Using VFR = 
--
DEBUG: Using EXCLUDECATEGORY = 
--
DEBUG: Using COLUMNSTAB = no
--
DEBUG: Using NEXTPAGE = search_progs
--
DEBUG: Using CHANNEL = 
--
DEBUG: Using STREAMINGTAB = no
--
DEBUG: Using SEARCHTAB = yes
--
DEBUG: Using SEARCH = .*
--
DEBUG: Using PAGESIZE = 20
--
DEBUG: Using HISTORY = 0
--
DEBUG: Using DISPLAYTAB = no
--
DEBUG: Using VERSIONLIST = default
--
DEBUG: Using HIDE = 0
--
DEBUG: Using COLS = 
--
DEBUG: Using OUTPUT = 
--
DEBUG: Using SAVE = 0
--
DEBUG: Using VSIZE = 
--
DEBUG: Using THUMB = 0
--
DEBUG: Using METADATA = 
--
DEBUG: Using BITRATE = 
--
DEBUG: Using HIDEDELETED = 0
--
DEBUG: Using PAGENO = 1
--

HEADERS:
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 20:08:50 GMT
Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8

DEBUG: get_iplayer options: "modes=default" "force=0" "refreshfuture=0" "future=0" "subtitles=0" "fields=name" "type=tv" "search=.*" "history=0" "versionlist=default" "hide=0" "thumb=0" "skipdeleted=0" "nopurge=1" "listformat=ENTRY|<index>|<thumbnail>|<pid>|<available>|<type>|<name>|<episode>|<versions>|<duration>|<desc>|<channel>|<categories>|<timeadded>|<guidance>|<web>|<seriesnum>|<episodenum>|<filename>|<mode>" "page=1" "pagesize=20" "sortmatches=index"
INFO: Command: /home/alexis/opt/OSI/get-iplayer/lib/get_iplayer/get_iplayer --nocopyright --expiry=999999999 --webrequest modes%3Ddefault?force%3D0?refreshfuture%3D0?future%3D0?subtitles%3D0?fields%3Dname?type%3Dtv?search%3D.%2A?history%3D0?versionlist%3Ddefault?hide%3D0?thumb%3D0?skipdeleted%3D0?nopurge%3D1?listformat%3DENTRY%7C%3Cindex%3E%7C%3Cthumbnail%3E%7C%3Cpid%3E%7C%3Cavailable%3E%7C%3Ctype%3E%7C%3Cname%3E%7C%3Cepisode%3E%7C%3Cversions%3E%7C%3Cduration%3E%7C%3Cdesc%3E%7C%3Cchannel%3E%7C%3Ccategories%3E%7C%3Ctimeadded%3E%7C%3Cguidance%3E%7C%3Cweb%3E%7C%3Cseriesnum%3E%7C%3Cepisodenum%3E%7C%3Cfilename%3E%7C%3Cmode%3E?page%3D1?pagesize%3D20?sortmatches%3Dindex
ERROR: Command failed to execute: No child processes
INFO: Command exit code 72057594037927935

The new router/firewall has been configured to allow VPN (UDP/1194)
and ssh traffic through, and ssh in the same direction as the w3m
request is working fine, and ssh over the VPN connection is also fine.

The old router had the same configuration (22 and 1194 open and
forwarded to the system), but had no problem.

Googling the 'ERROR: Command failed to execute: No child processes'
message, I saw a commit to git made a couple of months ago, so I
got get_iplayer from git an hour ago, but the result was the same
(in fact that is that newest version's output above).

I do not find the 'No child processes' message in the code, but perhaps
thats some strerror thing. The 'Command failed to execute:' part,
I find that in get_iplayer and get_iplayer.cgi, but I'm not familiar
enough with the code to work out what has happened to make it arrive
at one of these places.

It could be a VPN issue, but (1) the get_iplayer error message
indicates that an error has occurred, (2) ssh over the VPN or over the
internet going in the same direction both work, but on the other
hand this all worked until the router was swapped.

Can anybody offer any advice please? Thank you.

Alexis