[mythtv-users] Best options/howto for diskless frontends

[Patrick Ouellette]

On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 07:27:57PM +0100, Mike Perkins wrote:
> On 25/10/12 19:06, Patrick Ouellette wrote:
> >On Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 12:25:24PM +0100, Mike Perkins wrote:
> >>For reference LTSP under Debian "Just Works". Once I figured out
> >>which chicken to sacrifice (the docs are a little obscure for my
> >>liking) I just ran the scripts and it all worked out of the tin.
> >>
> >>I wouldn't dream of running a front end that way, though. You would
> >>have to make it a 'local app' since there's no chance in hell you
> >>can run the video over remote X from the server*. For a workstation
> >>LTSP is fine, though.
> >>
> >>* It's perfectly possible to run the setup and walk through the
> >>front-end menus screens via LTSP. Just don't try and watch anything
> >>that way.
> >
> >You make it a "fat client" and everything runs on the frontend machine
> >locally.  Works just fine.
> >
> ...in which case you might just as well set up a netboot chroot, no
> need to get involved with the complexities of LTSP.
> 

Actually I went the LTSP route to avoid the issues with setting up a
netboot chroot - primarily hassles with tweaks for specific machines.

> LTSP is only useful if you have (i) 'thin' kit or old PCs which can
> be used as such; (ii) you are doing normal desktop functions but
> don't want to duplicate OS, files and storage across your
> workstations.

Just because you would not use something in a particular way does not
make it invalid for someone else to have a different use/opinion.
LTSP is useful for what you mentioned, it is also very useful for other
applications (like managing a group of mostly homogeneous frontends for 
Mythtv, where each machine has some small but important individual tweaks).

> 
> Because it uses the remote functionality of X for the display LTSP
> is not really appropriate for graphic or video functions (although
> pulseaudio means you /might/ be able to use it for audio).
> 

LTSP does NOT *have* to use the remote X, you can use a local X server and
it is entirely appropriate for A/V work in that configuration.
 
Pat