[mythtv-users] MythTV Install

[Mike Perkins]

On 08/09/14 05:55, Janusz S. Bien wrote:
> Quote/Cytat - Mike Perkins <mikep at randomtraveller.org.uk> (Sun 07 Sep 2014
> 10:36:35 PM CEST):
>
> [...]
>
>> Debian and Ubuntu have a quirk that when you install mythtv, the database
>> 'mythconverg' is created with a randomised password. This is supposed to be a
>> security measure.
>
> And this it confusing if you accept the default password proposed by the frontend.
>
>>
>> To find out what password was created, go to the home directory of the mythtv
>> user (usually 'mythtv')
>
> Really? It seems to me mythtv is a special kind of a user without a home directory.
>
>
>> It used to be the case that you would have to grant extra permissions on the
>> database to get things to function. If you are using Debian or Unbuntu
>> flavours, that should no longer be necessary.
>
> This weekend I had a lot of problems configuring MythTV on Debian sid (almost
> succesfully) and Ubuntu 14.10 (unsuccesfully) and it seems to me that it is
> still needed, but I am not completely sure.
>
> Regards
>
> Janusz
>
Er, no. I just last week upgraded from deb-multimedia/wheezy (0.26.something) to 
deb-multimedia/wheezy-backports (0.27.3) and had no problem at all with database 
permissions.

I can also assure you that the generated mythtv user /does/ have a home 
directory. It must have in order to be able to run mythfilldatabase, amongst 
other reasons.

What you may find is that the home directory is in /var/lib or somewhere like 
that, where system users often keep their home directories.

Aside: I find that, for Debian and derivatives, upgrading your OS may produce 
strange results. This is because system users do not have fixed UIDs and may 
generate /different/ ones than the last install; this can cause extreme 
confusion in the /var directory! A clean install is best, and that means 
creating the mythtv user /first/ with a genuine home directory in /home, before 
installing any mythtv software.

-- 

Mike Perkins