[mythtv-users] Rethinking Xbox-Myth

Duane Ellis duane at franklin.com
Sun Jan 25 23:59:14 EST 2004


Hello,

I've got my mythbackend setup - now I'm going to setup an xbox as the
front end - it meets the "WAF" (Wife Approval Factor), and KAF ...
(Dad, this means we can get an XBOX - cool!)

I've already installed Eds-Debian - now it looks like I need to undo
that part. It was not clear to me that xbox-myth was in effect a
complete/alternate/replacement distro too.

I got reading the xbox-myth docs (what little their are) and got
thinking about it... All things concidered, i think there is a simpler
way of running xbox-myth as a frontend.

I know many of the pieces of this puzzle already and I'm quite willing
and able to work towards this and make this really happen.

Comments and suggestions any one?

-Duane.

Here's the idea:

A) I am behind a firewall I trust 100%, I think most people are too.
   If not - why not? Why can't you drop most if not all security
   protections? Just leave simple/crude ones in place. What must you
   protect your self from? Your wife? Your kids? What?

   I certianly don't have WMD I'm hidding in my home.

   Ok dorm rooms/frat houses are a different beast.

B) Xbox-myth-frontend could (and should) use DHCP from the backend
   server to configure its network settings. Remember - DHCP includes
   lots of other features - like the "option root-path", so that the
   client knows how to find its ROOT disk.

   Busybox inside of the initrd has, by the looks of it, a DHCP client
   built in right now, it can get all the information needed from
   the dhcpd server on the backend.

C) The backend disk is HUGE, the xbox disk is TINY.  

   Why can't the xbox NFS mount ROOT from the backend? How much disk
   io does an xbox myth frontend really generate? Remember - the Xbox
   is wired, and supports 100mBit - as does nearly ALL things today.

   Of course - /tmp and SWAP space would remain local to the xbox
   besides - you now have more disk space on your xbox hard disk.

D) To configure, test, or update a front end is very simple,
   three easy steps:

   1) Backup xbox config before you mess with it.

      bash$ su - root
      bash# tar cfz /path/to/backup.tar.gz /nfsexport/xbox-root
     
   2) Hack away

      bash# cd /nfsexport/xbox-root
           ... hack hack ...
	   ... done ... 

   3) Power cycle the xbox.

E) Ever screw up really bad? Solution 3 easy steps.

   1) Cover your tracks:

      bash# rm -rf /nfsexport/xbox-root

   2) Restore from backup.

      bash# tar xfz /path/to/backup.tar.gz /nfsexport

   3) Power cycle the xbox.

F) What about 2 xbox front ends? Simple - make two
   export directories:
   
	/nfsexport/xbox0-root 
    and /nfsexport/xbox1-root

G) Customizing the xbox front end now is simpler - all of the xbox
   myth files are now completely in the open - not burried inside of
   several huge files on the xbox, and you don't have to update them
   via ftp or burn a new cd?
   


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