[mythtv-users] Netbooting Fedora Core 5

[Otto Kolsi]

>     My current setup is a fedora core 5 box with a large hard drive sitting
>     under my tv. I'm looking for a way to netboot this entire setup from my
>     server. Space isn't an issue, I'd just need to netboot the myth box and
>     have a copy of its entire hard drive on the server to mount over
>     nfs. Has
>     anyone done anything like this before? My server is running sarge, and
>     googling hasn't really turned anything. I've seen the fedora core
>     system-config-netboot package but I really just want a copy of myths
>     filesystem stored on the system and that mounted over the network. Any
>     ideas?
> 
> For what i can gather is that most people think on netbooting to do away 
> with the HDD noise. I have basically seen two usable ideas.
> 1. and the most popular is to use a CF (compact flash)card to hold read 
> only copy of the operating system. Then plug this into a cheap CF to IDE 
> converter.
> 
> 2. Is to do a PXE boot or net boot.
> Of everything i have seen written, and there is a bit on this list, 
> every one says it can be done, PXE that is, but CF card is easier.
 >
> Don't get me wrong if you can get it to work pleas Post here a detailed 
> how to and we can all benefit. I have not been able to get it to work on 
> the PXE front and i am now saving for a the required hardware to try the 
> CF card low powered front end route.

I've successfully built diskless frontend using FC5 and 
system-config-netboot, NFS, PXE etc. I had no previous experience on the 
diskless stuff, PXE or even NFS but got it working. I have to admit that 
this was the trickiest part of the whole myth system setup. My diskless 
frontend is connected through 54M WLAN to the backend.

I think diskless clients are usually built around the idea that you are 
running them in schools, libraries etc. environments where you don't 
want users to be able to mess with the root partition.

Because of the package updates, installations etc. I needed the whole 
filesystem to be read-write, not read-only. I didn't find any easier way 
so I ended up slightly to modify one of the system-config-netboot 
scripts so that now the root partition also gets mounted as a read-write 
through NFS.

Just in case you haven't notice, there is a Diskless Frontend page in 
Wiki: http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Diskless_Frontend
-- 
   Otto