[mythtv-users] Mythbackend on VMware Server with DVB-tuners

[Fredrik Hallgarde]

david robinson skrev 2011-04-30 20:24:
> Thought it useful to share my experience also with a virtual mythtv. I 
> have running the free version of VMware ESXi with two Hauppauge Nova 
> T-500 cards passed through to the guest operating system. The guest is 
> running Opensuse 11.4 with the latest packaged release of mythtv 
> installed.
>
> It took a while to match all the hardware but it was worth it in the 
> end. I now have a super system which runs solidly. I have attached to 
> my network a QNap 509 network storage device and have an iSCSI node 
> attached to my vmware esxi server. This allows me to write all tv 
> recordings across my network and essentially make the server a 
> diskless system.
>
> The benefits to this allow me to upgrade mythtv onto a new os or new 
> version without affecting my working installation. I build the new one 
> in the background and then switch over when ready. It also allows me 
> to run lots of other virtual servers in my network. The only thing I 
> would say about virtualisation, products such as VMware Server run 
> ontop of windows so come with additional over head, as would virtual 
> box. ESXi and Xen are very good low level operating systems without 
> the overhead and sit much closer to the hardware.
>
> regards,

David,

would you be so kind to share some more details of how you have set this 
up, what hardware do you use? ESXI 4.x ?
The new server I have is a Q57-chipset which provides AMT 6.0 with 
KVM/VNC which is nice but AFAIK is not fully supported by vSphere.

Do you use VT-d? any issues or other notable things?
Passthough of the USB-devices or the PCI-card/bus?

Thanks

Fredrik