More than one core (server, not CPU)

[LameDuck]

High, I'm new here, so be gentle ;-)

I currently have 3 media centres running.  2 Vista and one mediaPortal.  I have 2 aerial point in 2 rooms and one the last room.  Currently all machines run independently.  What I really want to be able to do, is schedule recordings on any of the machines and watch said recordings on any of the media centres.  Vista MCE is a no hoper, mediaPortal comes close, but doesn't get the cigar, because it's just too flakey! 

Looking at LinuxMCE, it looks to have come on enough to have a play.  The one thing that worries me is that it reads like you have 1 central media server (the core) and then a bunch of thin clients.  I don't want this.  My clients all have multiple tuner cards in them and all have dedicated aerial feeds.  Plus, as they're wired into different rooms, I can't physically put them all into one server.

So, bottom line, can I make a LinuxMCE network be a distributed solution, or does it have to be client portal.  Hopefully the answer will be yes, or I'm going to be stuck with the regularly falling over mediaPortal installs :-(

Thanks in advance

Edit - It's really late now, here in the UK, time for sleep, so I won't see any answers untill the morning.  Good night :-)
Jim

[tschak909]

The system does have a central server, the core. This acts as firewall/gateway/central file server. Devices can go here as well...but devices can also be distributed to media directors, which are diskless PCs that boot their OS from the core.

It is important that  you read the FAQ, and follow it precisely, so that you can have the best experience possible.

-Thom

[Esperanto]

And although the MD's are then diskless you can just as easy add a disk to a
MD that is then recognised by the core and can be added to the storage of the system as a whole. So the only point is that you:

- need to have everything connected to you LAN
- need 1 pc that is always on, connected to the internet and controls everything

[totallymaxed]

High, I'm new here, so be gentle ;-)

I currently have 3 media centres running.  2 Vista and one mediaPortal.  I have 2 aerial point in 2 rooms and one the last room.  Currently all machines run independently.  What I really want to be able to do, is schedule recordings on any of the machines and watch said recordings on any of the media centres.  Vista MCE is a no hoper, mediaPortal comes close, but doesn't get the cigar, because it's just too flakey! 

Looking at LinuxMCE, it looks to have come on enough to have a play.  The one thing that worries me is that it reads like you have 1 central media server (the core) and then a bunch of thin clients.  I don't want this.  My clients all have multiple tuner cards in them and all have dedicated aerial feeds.  Plus, as they're wired into different rooms, I can't physically put them all into one server.

So, bottom line, can I make a LinuxMCE network be a distributed solution, or does it have to be client portal.  Hopefully the answer will be yes, or I'm going to be stuck with the regularly falling over mediaPortal installs :-(

Thanks in advance

Edit - It's really late now, here in the UK, time for sleep, so I won't see any answers untill the morning.  Good night :-)
Jim

Hi Jim,

I agree with the other comments made already - all good advice.

As your in the UK I would also recommend you choose VDR over MythTV when you install LinuxMCE. VDR will make better use of your DVB-T tuners because it makes it possible to record multiple channels from a single tuner (ie all the channels on the multiplex your DVB-T tuner is tuned to). This is a massive advantage clearly as it provides an enormous gain in flexibility for recording and watching simultaneously multiple channels.

If your also thinking of Freesat then you can intermix Freesat (ie DVB-S) and DVB-T cards to provide channels from both. This is possible now but currently needs a fair amount of manual config changes. We will have an update to make this config easier in the new year.

All the best

Andrew

[LameDuck]

Thanks for the prompt replies, almost wish I'd stayed up now ;-)

I have read the FAQ's and watched the video too (very slick video BTW, great idea to seel LMCE), but they haven't really answered my fundamental question.  This thread hasn't yet either.  I'm a complete newb to LinuxMCE, but not to Linux, I'm a developer by trade a very old one :-(, so reasonably competent with an OS.  WHat I want to be able to do, is have several client machines (Directors?) being able to record TV.  So that I'll be recording FreeSat HighDef my lounge projector TV, recording analogue on the one in the kitchen, whilst my girlfriend will be recording weird girlie stuff in the bedroom.  I then want to be able to watch stuff recorded in the kitchen, in any of the rooms.  I understand that the core can control and share devices, but I only understand devices to mean disks and plugged in AV kit, such as set top boxes, screen, audio etc.  Does devices also include tuner cards internal and/or USB.

BTW - I like my network just fine the way it is and don't want to change it.  My wireless ASDL router is my gateway and DHCP server and it currently feeds 4 PC's and 2 laptops.  The core will be in a different room to it and the ADSL supply, so running an ethernet lead to it is not an option, neither is making it a gateway.   Having said that, I have no issues with having 2 DHCP servers, static IPs etc and am familiar enough with TCP/IP to set up whatever you guys recommend.  I inherently don't like the idea of network booting machines.  It's OK with thin clients and understand (and actually approve) of the LinuxMCE model for that, but that's for a dedicated LinuxMCE network and machines on it.  None of my kit would be dedicated to it and as the lowest machine is a dual code with 4 gb ram, I'd be reluctant to do that.

So, hopefully I can get LinuxMCE to do what I want and will not be stuck with MediaPortal and regular reboots!

BTW - This is a good time to try it, as one media centre has died.  I've downloaded the install DVD iso and will try it with a couple of machines.  I may even be in a position to answer this question myself later ;-)

Thanks for the replies guys, not all forums are this helpful...

[skeptic]

WHat I want to be able to do, is have several client machines (Directors?) being able to record TV.  So that I'll be recording FreeSat HighDef my lounge projector TV, recording analogue on the one in the kitchen, whilst my girlfriend will be recording weird girlie stuff in the bedroom.  I then want to be able to watch stuff recorded in the kitchen, in any of the rooms.  I understand that the core can control and share devices, but I only understand devices to mean disks and plugged in AV kit, such as set top boxes, screen, audio etc.  Does devices also include tuner cards internal and/or USB.

LMCE supports this, and this is the way it works out of the box with MythTV.  I've never used VDR so I don't know the limitations and it's not clear to me from the reply by totallymaxed.  I suggest reading the wiki and/or search forums a bit more.  Perhaps someone else can give a direct answer.

BTW - I like my network just fine the way it is and don't want to change it.  My wireless ASDL router is my gateway and DHCP server and it currently feeds 4 PC's and 2 laptops.  The core will be in a different room to it and the ADSL supply, so running an ethernet lead to it is not an option, neither is making it a gateway.   Having said that, I have no issues with having 2 DHCP servers, static IPs etc and am familiar enough with TCP/IP to set up whatever you guys recommend.  I inherently don't like the idea of network booting machines.  It's OK with thin clients and understand (and actually approve) of the LinuxMCE model for that, but that's for a dedicated LinuxMCE network and machines on it.  None of my kit would be dedicated to it and as the lowest machine is a dual code with 4 gb ram, I'd be reluctant to do that.

In the end you will need a LMCE internal network that does not have any DHCP server other than LMCE, and an external network that a second nic in your LMCE core is attached to.  All the other stuff that is separated from the LMCE net doesn't matter.  Do NOT try to change the IP range of the internal LMCE network, 192.168.80.x.  Of course it's best if you follow the guidelines and let LMCE act as firewall/DHCP for everything, but if you want to complicate things that's up to you.

So, hopefully I can get LinuxMCE to do what I want and will not be stuck with MediaPortal and regular reboots!

BTW - This is a good time to try it, as one media centre has died.  I've downloaded the install DVD iso and will try it with a couple of machines.  I may even be in a position to answer this question myself later ;-)

Thanks for the replies guys, not all forums are this helpful...

Good luck!