# Nomad Issue



## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

I have had Nomad up and running for a while. I hadn't used it in a bit and went to transfer some programs for an upcoming trip. I keep getting the account validation required message (AR/3004). I have uninstalled and re-installed the application to no avail. I have also unplugged and plugged back in the Nomad.

I have a macbook air running OSX version 10.8.2 and Nomad version 1.0.0. Any further ideas or do I need to call DirecTV?


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

No ideas? I called Directv and just got escalated and awaiting an answer. Any help would be appreciated as my trip starts Sunday.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Make sure your Nomad is connected to the Internet so it can talk to the Account Authentication Server.

If it can't communicate with the Server it can't Verify that your Account is in good standing, verify your DVRs, etc.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

All networks have been verified as working. I have also reset the nomad to no avail.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

I finally got past this error and now get a cannot find Nomad error, Find/502. Any ideas? I have verified all devices are on the same network and sub mask. I have reset the nomad after the message and also restarted everything. Any help would be appreciated.


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## volkl (Jun 17, 2007)

What do your status lights indicate on the nomad? All blue, white, flashing, amber?

Do you have an iphone or ipad or different computer to try? Does your HD DVR pass the networking tests?

When uninstalling the Mac OS client software, also go to <username> Library/Preferences/com.directv.application.mac.nomad.production.plist <-- delete this file.

Also delete the Nomad folder at - Library/Application Support/Nomad.

Change to a different ethernet cable connecting your nomad to the router directly.

Do a hard reset of the Nomad - hold the reset button down for 30 seconds.


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## volkl (Jun 17, 2007)

Apparently the Nomad client software does not work with 10.8 Mountain Lion.

When you had the Nomad working, was it with 10.8?


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

So much for the Mac OS 10.6.8 *or above* that is listed on the D* web site! I have been in contact with D* and they have not yet told me my OS is not supported. All lights are solid blue, no flashing. I have tried a hard reset to no avail. Have not tried the plist files so I will try that next and let you know. I don't have another computer to try and my HDDVR passes the network tests. Also tried different cables which didn't work either. Thanks for trying to help!


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Just got off the phone with D* again and they are saying it is my firewall. No way that is the problem so I am stuck. I can see everything on my network and all have the correct addresses and sub masks. Basically I have to contact Comcast and Apple. D* says it isn't their problem!


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

Temporarily turn off the firewall on your router and any software firewall on your Mac and see what happens.

- Merg


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## volkl (Jun 17, 2007)

If it is the firewall, then it is surprising to see all blue lights. OP says it worked at one time.

Merg gives good advice --- turn off firewalls and test.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

shedberg said:


> Just got off the phone with D* again and they are saying it is my firewall. No way that is the problem so I am stuck. I can see everything on my network and all have the correct addresses and sub masks. Basically I have to contact Comcast and Apple. D* says it isn't their problem!


Did you find and delete the files mentioned earlier? That's fixed it for me before.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Hi all, I have turned off all of my firewalls, retested and still no go. Laxguy, I did delete all of those files as well and reinstalled and still no go. I can see the DVR and the nomad on my network and ping both of them successfully. I am running out of ideas.


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## Hoffer (Jun 18, 2007)

I recently had a problem with my Nomad. I had it connected to a switch, which is then connected to my router. I had to power cycle the switch and then the Nomad to get it working again.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

shedberg said:


> Hi all, I have turned off all of my firewalls, retested and still no go. Laxguy, I did delete all of those files as well and reinstalled and still no go. I can see the DVR and the nomad on my network and ping both of them successfully. I am running out of ideas.


My experience on Macintosh generally indicates that deleting and reinstalling the application does nothing. It's the preferences and sometimes hidden files that need shooting in the head.

When you launch nomad, what message do you get?


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## volkl (Jun 17, 2007)

This is a shot in the dark.

If you are using a comcast provided router, try replacing it with a standard router. Also, I have heard of internet providers securing their DNS (like DNSSEC) networks by creating their own private network unbeknownst to you. If they are doing this then the nomad would not appear to be on your private network.

Have Comcast stop the secure DNS service.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

Most interesting, volkl! Can you elaborate a touch? I have CCast, but use my own router a nice Netgear, and have had no problems - well, no problems except service grinding to a halt from time to time.....


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## volkl (Jun 17, 2007)

I can't elaborate because I don't have direct knowledge.

I read that some verizon users had this problem when using the verizon cable modem router combo.

Did a search on Xfinity Comcast service and saw that they use DNSSEC. Sounded familiar so took a shot in the dark.

The technical support site of D* shows threads about lots of people having trouble w/ the Nomad. It needs quite a few ports open, multi-casting turned on, UPNP turned on, and you need the DVR settings at allow sharing on. Seems Win 7 64bit has problems w/ the Nomad. Switches complicate matters more.

Mine is working great. TW roadrunner Cisco cable modem --> Apple Extreme router --->Nomad, and Airport Express ---> DVR. DVR is wireless to the Extreme router. DVR is fixed ip outside of DHCP range. Nomad ip is not fixed and within DHCP assignable range.

It would be interesting if the OP could try another device or computer as the Nomad client.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Well, I have had problems with my Nomad connecting and displaying 3 Blue Lights. I have Rebooted my Router and my Nomad and somtimes it seems to connect for a while and then I get a White Light on the Status Indicator and No Blue Lights for the Network or Activity Indicators.

So after reading this thread about Firewalls causing problems I noticed mine was turned On (which I normally leave Off) so I turned if Off and then Rebooted my Nomad and it has been working for over 2 hours now.

I hope this has corrected my problem.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

The nomad was *working* prior to having this problem. No network changes have been made and the only thing I think has changed is that I upgraded my MacBook Air to Mountain Lion. I use a Linksys router, not one supplied by Comcast >> Netgear wireless router>devices. I can ping everything on my network and disabling the firewalls do make a difference. I have 3 solid blue lights on the nomad.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Richierich said:


> Well, I have had problems with my Nomad connecting and displaying 3 Blue Lights. I have Rebooted my Router and my Nomad and somtimes it seems to connect for a while and then I get a White Light on the Status Indicator and No Blue Lights for the Network or Activity Indicators.
> 
> So after reading this thread about Firewalls causing problems I noticed mine was turned On (which I normally leave Off) so I turned if Off and then Rebooted my Nomad and it has been working for over 2 hours now.
> 
> I hope this has corrected my problem.


This comes from the Windows site regarding Windows Firewall - I suspect your solution will only be temporary...as it's likely not the source of your problem _(I've had Windows Firewall on now for more than a year and nomad still works correctly)_:


> *If I have a router with a built-in firewall, should I also turn on Windows Firewall? *
> 
> Yes, because router-based firewalls only provide protection from computers on the Internet, not from computers on your home network. For example, if a mobile computer or guest computer connects to some other network, becomes infected with a computer worm, and then connects to your home network, your router-based firewall won't be able to prevent the spread of the worm. However, a firewall running on each computer on your network can help control the spread of worms.
> 
> However, running more than one firewall program on your computer at the same time could cause conflicts. It's best to just use one firewall program, in addition to a router-based firewall.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

hdtvfan, I have a macbook air, not a PC so windows firewall is not a concern. I have turned off the firewall in my mac as well as the router and the results were the same after entering the Nomad serial number - cannot find nomad.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

*More info on the firewall theory from the Microsoft site:*



> *What does "allowing a program to communicate through the firewall" mean? *
> 
> Allowing a program to communicate through the firewall, sometimes called unblocking, is when you allow a particular program to send information through the firewall. *You can also allow a program to communicate through the firewall by opening one or more ports*. For more information, see Allow a program to communicate through Windows Firewall.


I believe that nomad actually requires 2 ports to be "open" *in your router *to communicate to the authentication servers to operate properly (6783, 6784). This is a router setting activated within your router when nomad is first installed. If you had any changes made to your router recently...you need to check and see that your router still has these in place under port forwarding settings. Here's one example (router setting screens vary):


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Thanks, I have checked a number of ports based on feedback from another forum and none fail so it shouldn't be a port issue. Again, it worked before. I still suspect it is my upgrade to Mountain Lion OS although D* won't admit it. Nomad worked for me a bit ago by just plugging it in. Nothing on my network has changed and Nomad is supposed to be "plug and play".


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

shedberg said:


> Thanks, I have checked a number of ports based on feedback from another forum and none fail so it shouldn't be a port issue. Again, it worked before. I still suspect it is my upgrade to Mountain Lion OS although D* won't admit it. Nomad worked for me a bit ago by just plugging it in. Nothing on my network has changed and Nomad is supposed to be "plug and play".


It was worth a shot. I'm admittedly not well-versed on mac...so this information only applies to a Windows 7 environment. Yes...nomad should be as "plug and play" as possible.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

shedberg said:


> The nomad was *working* prior to having this problem. No network changes have been made and the only thing I think has changed is that I upgraded my MacBook Air to Mountain Lion. I use a Linksys router, not one supplied by Comcast >> Netgear wireless router>devices. I can ping everything on my network and disabling the firewalls do make a difference. I have 3 solid blue lights on the nomad.


What message do you get, at what point?

Upgrading an OS is very likely the cause of files not being accessed by the nomad app- or the wrong files being accessed.

IAE, I believe that it'd be worthwhile to again delete those files referenced earlier. Make sure they're in the Trash, and then empty it.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Thanks Laxguy. I have deleted all of the files you mentioned and anything associated with Nomad I can find hidden on my system. I have emptied the trash, rebooted and re-downloaded the file from D* at least 5 times. What happens is, I launch Nomad, is goes to finding Nomad and then I get an Ad Nomad screen and enter the serial number (yes, I have entered it correctly). After that, I get the Find/502 error - Cannot find Nomad.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

I know you said you turned off all firewalls, but I would try configuring the OSX firewall to allow the Nomad to communicate through it. This can be done on the 'Firewall' pane of Security & Privacy preferences.

At the Apple support site: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11121


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Hi Diana, thanks for the suggestion. I tried it and still no luck.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

I am still having problems staying connected with Nomad. It connects for 10 or 20 minutes or maybe an hour and then goes back to a White Light on the Status Indicator.

So just for Grins and Giggles I Turned Off my Firewall and Rebooted Nomad and now it is working perfectly again.

I will see for how long and once I finish my Downloads I will reset my Firewall back to ON!!!

Go Figure.

I even specified the Ports to be open for Nomad but I still lose connection at some point and have to Reboot.

Frustrating. :nono2:


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Richierich said:


> I am still having problems staying connected with Nomad. It connects for 10 or 20 minutes or maybe an hour and then goes back to a White Light on the Status Indicator.
> 
> So just for Grins and Giggles I Turned Off my Firewall and Rebooted Nomad and now it is working perfectly again.
> 
> ...


Even more bizzarre....nomad transcodes perfectly fine here for a long time with the Windows Firewall turned on all the time. Like you said...go figure.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Well, I kept digging and finally figured out what my problem is. I use VirusBarrier X6 as my firewall and antivirus software. When initially having issues, I was able to ping my Nomad. I had to go out of town and blocked some addresses as they were port scanning. Apparently, one of the IP addresses I blocked was identical to my Nomad address. I unblocked the address and now I am working perfectly. Thanks to all who provided advise and kept me thinking!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

shedberg said:


> Well, I kept digging and finally figured out what my problem is. I use VirusBarrier X6 as my firewall and antivirus software. When initially having issues, I was able to ping my Nomad. I had to go out of town and blocked some addresses as they were port scanning. Apparently, one of the IP addresses I blocked was identical to my Nomad address. I unblocked the address and now I am working perfectly. Thanks to all who provided advise and kept me thinking!


That makes some sense. Nomad does use 2 ports to communicate with the authentication servers, and preventing that from happening (via firewall or other method) would be an issue.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> That makes some sense. Nomad does use 2 ports to communicate with the authentication servers, and preventing that from happening (via firewall or other method) would be an issue.


Yep, perfect sense - and yet still a DUH moment for me! I did let the case manager know so they can actually have someone check that in the future.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

Also, I learned that you can tell Windows Firewall to Allow a Program to communicate thru the Firewall which is better than Port Forwarding which leaves the Ports open whether or not Nomad is using them.

By Allowing Nomad to Communicate thru the Firewall by telling Windows Firewall that it is okay only Allows those needed Ports to be Opened when Needed and Closed when Not Needed!!!


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

shedberg said:


> Well, I kept digging and finally figured out what my problem is. I use VirusBarrier X6 as my firewall and antivirus software. When initially having issues, I was able to ping my Nomad. I had to go out of town and blocked some addresses as they were port scanning. Apparently, one of the IP addresses I blocked was identical to my Nomad address. I unblocked the address and now I am working perfectly. Thanks to all who provided advise and kept me thinking!


Great you're truckin' now.

But, antivirus on an up-to-date Mac? Who knew! I may be just lucky, but in 25 years of Macintoshes, I've never run AV software nor been infected... and, dang, I hope I don't regret writing that..... the virus-karma Gods may get angry!

Thanks for posting your solution.


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Laxguy said:


> Great you're truckin' now.
> 
> But, antivirus on an up-to-date Mac? Who knew! I may be just lucky, but in 25 years of Macintoshes, I've never run AV software nor been infected... and, dang, I hope I don't regret writing that..... the virus-karma Gods may get angry!
> 
> Thanks for posting your solution.


Well, since I use this Mac for work, we mandate virus software to provide customer protections as I am a consultant. I have been quite happy with the VirusBarrier x6 software. I have actually been on client sites where I have to block incoming traffic from spying eyes!


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

Laxguy said:


> Great you're truckin' now.
> 
> But, antivirus on an up-to-date Mac? Who knew! I may be just lucky, but in 25 years of Macintoshes, I've never run AV software nor been infected... and, dang, I hope I don't regret writing that..... the virus-karma Gods may get angry!
> 
> Thanks for posting your solution.


connect and read to the Homeland Security CERT notifications and you just might be in for a suprise


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

wingrider01 said:


> connect and read to the Homeland Security CERT notifications and you just might be in for a suprise


No thanks. If it's a real surprise, I can wait. Or you could outline it for us lazy folks. Please.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

Laxguy said:


> No thanks. If it's a real surprise, I can wait. Or you could outline it for us lazy folks. Please.


I could post the last 5 years of CERT notifications for security issues with the Apple OS, but I think the mods would get upset with the number of posts it would require - the only secure OS is one that is installed on a piece of equipment that has no outside connect except for a keybaord and a mouse and is under full video recording 24x7x365. Amazing how these so called secure OS's have holes that the companies never say anything about - Linux, MAC are the two that aer bandied about the most, oh and lets not forget Android.


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## Laxguy (Dec 2, 2010)

wingrider01 said:


> I could post the last 5 years of CERT notifications for security issues with the Apple OS, but I think the mods would get upset with the number of posts it would require - the only secure OS is one that is installed on a piece of equipment that has no outside connect except for a keybaord and a mouse and is under full video recording 24x7x365. Amazing how these so called secure OS's have holes that the companies never say anything about - Linux, MAC are the two that aer bandied about the most, oh and lets not forget Android.


Don't want no stinkin' notifications posted  ; just a practical explanation of what damage this has done to average users of Macs. (MAC is something(s) else.)
I am not maintaining that I am invulnerable to a successful attack today or tomorrow, just that it's a miniscule risk. I am not that interesting to anyone with the power to hack me or attack me.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

Laxguy said:


> Don't want no stinkin' notifications posted  ; just a practical explanation of what damage this has done to average users of Macs. (MAC is something(s) else.)
> I am not maintaining that I am invulnerable to a successful attack today or tomorrow, just that it's a miniscule risk. I am not that interesting to anyone with the power to hack me or attack me.


the CERT notifications are information about security issues in computer software that can be utilized to hijack, destroy systems, or steal data. The notifcations of security holes in Apple's software that can allow theft of data are more numerous then most apple supporters like to believe

As far as "I am not that interesting to anyone with the power to hack me or attack me" that is way off the mark - if you have a good credit rating you are the ideal target for anyone out there that deals with ID theft, that is unless you never look up your checking account, mortgages, credit card bills or purchase anything that requires you to enter your personal information or credit card numbers.

This is off topic but even Apple needs Anti-Virus software, if it did not the major players in that inductry would not spend the time nor the resources required to write, test and maintian the product.

Good luck


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