[mythtv-users] Ubuntu Backend install

[Paul Kidwell]

Hi Everybody,

About two weeks ago the UPS on my backend server went out. Apparently
it needed some company for the trip, so it took by backend mythserver
with it.

A friend of mine had been singing the praises of Ubuntu for some time,
and I had noticed the link to:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV#head-e8488a1209f25fb40b2acd56716145fac6a8383a

and thought I'd give it a try.

Seeing this machine sits in the basement in a locked room I figured
the "Backend Only" link:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV_Edgy#head-f76b9e561b7ee359efe453a7a8c96f581f192e53

In the quick description they have the line

"Setting up a backend only machine will require that the computer you
remotely administer it from has an X server installed so that the
initial setup (which does require X) can be performed over a network."

Now, I didn't think much of that. I just thought it was letting me
know about an upcoming step.

The install process went very smoothly. No difficulties at all. At one
point the procedure has you install Xauth, no problem there, but I did
notice another little note:

"Later on, you will need to forward an X connection to a remote X
server. If you have no idea how forwarding works, I'd recommend some
light reading from the gentoo wiki."

Xauth installed with no problems and I continued on my way. The
installation of the backend files and mysql went smoothly, exactly as
described.

Then I came to:

"Run the initial MythTV setup app.

Note, this won't work on the local console, as it requires an X
server. You will either need to install an X server on the local
machine (not recommended as its a waste of space and resources), or
remotely connect to this machine using ssh and X forwarding. If you
have never forwarded an X application, I'd recommend you read the
Gentoo Wiki X Forwarding Page."

It was at this point that I sailed off the cliff and fell into the Abyss...

I now realize that those previous little notes were actually encrypted
messages that in clearcode actually read "ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO
ENTER HERE"

That may be a little harsh, but I didn't have another Linux machine
handy. So I had to find an X server package to install on the Win-2K
machine that I was working on. I didn't really want to pay for one, so
I was looking for a freeware version and I wasn't having a lot of luck
getting one to work. I found a couple of crippleware versions that
were fully functional, for thirty minutes, then they'd shut themselves
down.

Had I known that I only needed to use it for about ten minutes I
probably would have saved myself a lot of grief and gone with the
crippleware, but hindsight is always 20-20. As it happened. I
struggled for about three hours, then punted.

I took a look at the combined backend/frontend install at:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV_Edgy_Backend_Frontend

I noticed that the install procedure was almost identical up to
installing the backend software & mysql. All I had to do was cut and
paste an apt-get and continue on. The rest of the install was
uneventful.

I ran into a little trouble in the last section of "Install MythTV":

"11. Right click the desktop and log out of the openbox session. At
the gdm screen, switch the session to Mythtv. Login. When asked if you
want mythtv as the default, hit yes. Now, when restarting your
machine, mythtv should come right up."

The gdm screen never came up. In fact the screen pretty much locked up
at that point. But it didn't much matter, seeing that this machine is
only going to be used as a back end.

All in all not to bad an experience...

Getting the Xbox front ends going was another matter all together.

But that'll be for the next thread