[mythtv-users] Help with Storage Directories

[Michael T. Dean]

On 03/20/2009 08:50 AM, Moasat wrote:
> Thanks for the replies.  It is becoming clearer (I think).  In my setup, I'm
> guessing that I only have to set up the directories in the Default Storage
> Group as /mnt/video1 and /mnt/video2.  These drives are local to the MBE.
> As long as I mount them in the same place on the SBE, I don't have to really
> configure anything on the SBE as far as Storage Groups go.  I don't plan on
> having any drives mounted locally on the SBE (yet) as I want the MBE to be
> able to serve everything on its own in case I need to take the SBE down for
> any reason.
>
> I guess its nice to know the a remote frontend, while looking for a
> recording, will go to the MBE, which in turn would go to a SBE to find the
> show.

Actually, the remote frontend always goes to the recording host to find 
the show.  Then, once the recording host reports the location of the 
show, the frontend checks to see if that location is readable through 
the filesystem.  For an NFS-/CIFS-mounted filesystem (with the exact 
same path on the backend and frontend), it will be, so it will read 
directly from the network-mounted filesystem.  If the frontend is 
missing that directory location (or the corresponding directory location 
on the frontend is missing that file--i.e. same names, but different 
physical filesystems), the frontend will request the file directly from 
the /recording/ host--not the master backend.

If, however, the frontend has no locally-accessible copy of the file and 
the recording host is shut down and the "Master Backend Override" 
setting (mentioned previously in this thread) is enabled and the master 
backend has access to the file, then the master backend will serve the 
file to the frontend.  However, if the recording host is running when 
the frontend requests the file, it will be the one the frontend asks for 
the file.

>   If I read that other post correctly, if such a scenario were to
> occur, it would be caused by having a local drive in the SBE which the MBE
> had no access to.  Would the MBE then cause the SBE to stream it straight to
> the FE?  Or would the SBE stream it to the MBE which would then turn around
> and stream it to the FE?  This doesn't affect me yet but it might if I have
> to throw more drives into the SBE.

It would always go from the recording host to the frontend--with the one 
exception being the "Master Backend Override" scenario described above 
(and, then, only when the remote backend is shut down).

Mike