Advice on new installation

[jamo]

Hi All

Sorry if I'm posting in the wrong forum, please advise if so.

Obviously the MCE project is all about home automation and media serving but I was just wondering if someone could advise where the normal desktop computing part fits in best. I've experimented a bit with MCE and I'm keen to try it properly once construction on my home is complete but currently I'm just using my machine as a stand-alone desktop computer (fedora 13) to do the normal stuff - intenet, e-mail, office stuff etc.

When I go to MCE, at present my plan will be to use this machine as the core/hybrid. Where would the desktop computing aspect come in? Would I use the kubuntu stuff on the core/hybrid and just serve that to media directors which become terminals? Or should I have a separate machine to do this stuff and just connect it up to the MCE network to share drives and other resources?

I realise the project is obviously focussed around home automation but I just wondered where /how best to integrate the normal existing computing aspects while I experiment and learn with this exciting concept.

thanks in advance, and sorry for the clueless newbie question.

[bongowongo]

Best practice, would be a dedicated core.
But I do not see why you couldn't use your core as a desktop

[jamo]

Just found this other thread which hits some of the issues I was asking about:

http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=2406.0

Thanks for the response, BW.

From reading these responses, it sounds to me as if my core should be a dedicated machine that I build for that purpose- so I don't sit down at that one to check my mail, I sit down at the core to set things up in MCE etc etc.

For my desktop computing, I should use a media director, but one that is decently spec'd so it can run all the "office type" apps and things I want to do. The only difference between it and a normal desktop linux machine (my current setup) will be that it will pxe boot and use the HDD attached to the core (although it could use its own as well?)

Here're my thoughts, if someone cares to comment, I'd appreciate it:

My current machine (FC13 installation) is a Dell dual core pentium with about 300Gb HDD and a video card and 2x NICs that seem to be compatible with LinuxMCE (from my first installation attempts).

I was planning to turn this into the core/hybrid and then build media directors as required as I expand my MCE empire. But then I was imagining using the core to do my computing tasks - check mail, balance my finances, plan world domination etc.

Now I'm thinking I should build a dedicated core machine that runs the whole time, has all the supported h/w and is used primarily for setting up and administering MCE. Then just plug in my Dell desktop and let the DCErouter set it up as a media director (pxe boot). Then I can use it's reasonable resources to do my desktop computing as normal and also use it to show / drive media if necessary but if I'm doing desktop stuff it won't be hampered by the core resource load which will be handled by DCErouter.

I guess I could even leave the FC13 installation on there if I wanted with a dual boot option and/or access the storage on the hard drive either from FC13 when I boot to that or make the same storage available to the MCEnetwork?

Feel free to comment/ advise/ criticise.

James

[bongowongo]

At your workstation, do you really want to use it as an MD? What I do on my workstation to watch movies........I run an MD in a virtualbox, so if I watch TV I can watch it. But the host is my host OS, windows xp 64bit (do not laugh).

[jamo]

That's interesting... I guess I thougt the workstation would have to be an MD because I figured it will be plugged into the MCE network and if something is plugged into that, doesn't it have to be a media director or an orbiter or some MCE component? Especially if you want to potentially access some of the resources?

Running the MD in a virtualbox on your workstation is an interesting idea. Presumably your workstation is connected to the MCE network then?

I should possibly go and have a look at some of the setups on the FAQ pages and see if people have done similar things.

[bongowongo]

Your workstation/pc doesn't have to be an MD
If you hook it up onto the linuxmce network, it will be added and will get an ip through DHCP.
The core will ask, if you want to add it as a fileserver, and you can access the files on the dcerouter. I use it to upload my media files.
Also you can have an windows orbiter / or use a weborbiter, or in my case use a virtualbox.
So bottemline, you do not have to turn every computer into an MD to be on the linuxmce network.

[jamo]

Ah, I think that answers my question, thanks!

It frees me up to go and search for the ultimate super-cheap and super powerful core. Yay, hardware shopping.

Also, I finally managed to indoctrinate my wife with all the pro-linux sentiment and she really has the hang of Fedora so if she can carry on working merrily on the workstation in a distro and systems she's familiar with while I tinker with MCE that will help a stack.

Thanks BW.