I know R4 allows users to boot from the CD in frontend mode. Are you guys planning to have an installation option that will install mythtv to a hd in "fronend only mode" such that the system is built without mysql, xmltv, etc?

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Retired KM user (R4 - R6.04); friend to LH users.

I would also like to know if this is possible, I don't have any need for the TV recording functions.

being a frontend only has nothing to do with not having the tv recording options. every frontend has to have a backend weither it is on the same computer or not, so even if you don't want or use tv recording functionallity, even if you managed to remove it somehow (I don't think this is possible. the project is called mythtv) you would still need the backend.

That doesn't address the situation of someone having a backend running somewhere and not needing the backend installed on a second system.

As noted elsewhere, I have a fully functioning front end box sitting in my livingroom. Having a spare motheboard lying around, and wanting a setup in my bedroom that I could watch stuff I have already recorded, as well as occasionally watching DVDs, VCDs, etc, and if possible burn some of my recorded programs to VCDs and SVCDs, I threw the necesary components together. Since I plan on turning this box off when not in use, I selected a low noise case that incidentaly does not have enough room to install a capture card in, and close the case up. (At least it looks that way, minuet piano black case, I seem to recall someone having a similar case that they got to work by carving the case up a bit, I will re-check the fora.)

As it is, I can set up the system to use a different backend, but every time it boots it checks the local backend, discovers that the database does not exist, and wants me to run myth-setup again. Most everything else works. I can watch live tv from my master box, I can watch programming from my master box.

Stuff that doesn't work:

- watching video's that have been transcoded on the master. That can be fixed by sharing the folder and mounting it locally, but then I have to create a local database of titles, etc.

- watching live tv and using the 'M'enu option to select other channels.
osd for current channel is not displayed ('I'nformation)

- nuvexport reports no recordings found.

- other stuff that I would not expect to work in my setup, but should normally, including music and gallery (don't work in my setup as they are on the master as shares from another system)

Because the system does not have a capture card at all, It should recognize that the backend, and the database are located on a seprate system. It should not be prompting me for stuff that the back end needs, because that exists elsewhere.

Part of a 'front end only' install should be to properly map the /myth directory from the master, and it would be nice if it would also map any sub folders that the master mounts to myth as well.

As an example, my master has the following mapings

hda4 => myth
hdb1 => myth/tv
//othersystem/sharedmusic => myth/music
//othersystem/sharedpictures => myth/gallery

Since this system is already sharing /myth and /myth/tv, it would be nice if the new frontend-only system could ask the backend system what folders are mapped, and build a mapping for local mounting that matches. It would also be nice if the mysql session running on that backend would share all the appropriate information for things like the shows recorded in myth/tv, and myth/videos, as well as the play history for music.

And while my own setup is probably unique to me, I would not be surprised if there were not a few people who would be more than willing to set up a similar configuration, where they set up a master in the basement where the Cable comes in, and they set up a quiet no capture card systems in other areas, such as their livingroom, or if they have one, a TV room, that is purely going to be a front end to the noisy system in the basement.

I am not saying that I can't add all of the above features. Yes it requires a bit of tweeking on my side of this, but that's where the rub is. It would be really nice if a knoppmyth cd option included 'install a frontend-only system' option. Granted you would have to tell the installer what the IP of the master was, and it should advise you as to whether it could talk to the appropriate parts of the master, but if it can, then there is no reason to install the backend, or the mysql server. You would still need the mysql client tools, but that's exactly what you get when you decide to run with just the CD enabled frontend.

What you don't tend to get with the CD frontend, is the opportunity to customize the UI for the next time you use it, and I believe that you don't get to use your dvd player unless you happen to have two cd drives in the box.

Are there other options around? Sure I could use a boot from the net image that I would have to set up a tftp server somewhere to load. I would probably learn quite a bit about network booting, and have lots of fun tweeking the system, but I strongly doubt that we want to tell others that this is the 'best' way around the issue.

-Rusty

p.s. sorry about writing a book, it's a current sore spot with me.

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Master:
- AMD 1800XP on a MSI KT4V motherboard, via KT400 bios
- 120 G Segate Baracuda /, /cache, /myth, swap
- 200 G Segate Baracuda /myth/tv
- 3 Haupauge! WinTV PVR250s
- 19" Daewoo Monitor (1280x1024 ni)

I empathize with you I have searched the forum for days on different topics and configurations and posted a suggestion on a front end only CD the responses I see are not always really clear or helpfull. I guess this is a project for fairly advanced linux users and not for the faint of heart. I just want to watch TV record some shows maybe listen to a bit of music. I would even be happy with a front end install to a usb stick or compact flash drive as a way to keep your IP/configuration info, I just don't see my kids remembering to put in 192.168.0.3 to watch tv . I guess I am going to have to learn more about network booting . I am in the progress of ordering parts for a pvr box myth will be my first try but if it doesn't work out I may have to go the windows route (yech).

Sorry the network boot works just like the frontend cd does.

We are not trying to make this a project for advanced users, but lets just admit this right now adding several frontends is a rather advanced setup, and we can handle it, although not quite as gracefully as might be possible. Now remember cd is a read only medium, so saving changes to it for your particular setup with your ip's etc. is not easily done. there have been a few suggestions on the board like yours for the usbkey, and someone else mentioned a multisession disk. The plain and simple fact is that while simplifying things for the user these options greatly complicate the programming. I'm not saying that there won't be an easy way for joe sixpack to do this with knoppmyth in the future, but for now there are other issues that are more important.

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Have a question search the forum and have a look at the KnoppMythWiki.

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