[mythtv-users] Myth backend: Console or GUI OS ? Init level 3 or init level 5 ?

[Simon Hobson]

Warpme wrote:

>Initially I was using Debian, but soon I observe that I have 10G OS 
>part with tons of software where only 20% is relevant to things 
>running on server. The same for files on system HDD. I like 
>orderliness so I decide to trash Debian based solution and build 
>something where I will have all under my control.

Eh ?
Debian does **NOT** install 10G of stuff unless you tell it to ! My 
Debian backend runs with less than 1G on the OS volume :

$ df -h
Filesystem            Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/md126            2.0G  873M  1.1G  46% /
/dev/md127             97M   20M   72M  22% /boot
/dev/mapper/vgmain-var
                       9.9G  775M  8.6G   9% /var
/dev/sda4             1.3T  521G  690G  44% /store1

I've got "quite a number" of systems at work, and none of have a 
significantly larger OS footprint than that. It could be that you 
weren't paying attention when the installer asked what selection of 
packages to install - I vaguely recall the default is a full desktop 
(I once forgot to untick it and had a WTF moment when it announced 
how many packages it was downloading).


Kris B. wrote:

>Ok, then I will be the dissenter and write what was said in some 
>myth faq somewhere... running X doesn not have a terrible impact on 
>performance, it is easier to run mythtv-setup with it installed, and 
>if you install a small DE like fluxbox or icewm, you are barely 
>impacting your overall system.  In todays HD space, you aren't 
>taking up anything percentage-wise by installing them, and then they 
>are there when you need it.  You can always drop to init 3 on a 
>normal basis (but I don't see the reason).
>
>	With today's processors/memory/hd space, it isn't something 
>worth going through the effort to do.

True. It's neither here nor there in disk space (especially 
considering the hundreds of GBytes we're going to be using for video 
storage) and performance loss is going to be near as makes no 
difference zero when it's not being used.

But, in my case, although I actually have a monitor attached at the 
moment, to use it means standing in a cupboard, using a keyboard 
perched on a box, and a mouse on a (very small) bit of empty shelf. 
YMMV, but I basically run my servers headless unless I'm having boot 
time problems, and do all my admin from the comfort of my desk.

-- 
Simon Hobson

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