[mythtv-users] Multiple Directories for Recordings

[Michael T. Dean]

On 09/01/06 20:04, Lachlan McIntosh wrote:

>I was wondering if it is possible to spread TV show recordings across
>multiple directories or disks rather than a single directory.
>
>I would like to move older "do not delete" recordings to a NAS box, and
>free up space on my media box.
>
>Is this possible?
>

Yes, yes and no, and not yet.  (All answers to the question, "Is this 
possible?")

Yes:  All recordings must be accessible through a single directory per 
MythTV backend.  So, by setting up multiple backends, you can specify a 
different recording directory for each backend and thereby spread your 
recordings out across multiple directories.  Unfortunately, though, the 
directory used by the backend with the most-preferred input will fill up 
much more quickly than the other directories, so you'll probably end up 
moving things around (which requires changing things in the database), 
so this approach can be a lot of work.

Yes and no:  All recordings must be accessible through a single 
directory per MythTV backend.  A symlink in the recordings directory on 
the MythTV backend referring to the recording file in some other 
directory makes the recording accessible through the appropriate 
directory for the MythTV backend.  For this to work correctly (and to 
continue to work), you should specify an absolute path in the link (i.e. 
"ln -s /path/to/recordings/directory/subdirectory/recording.mpg 
/path/to/recordings/directory" as opposed to "ln -s 
./subdirectory/recording.mpg /path/to/recordings/directory") and you 
should put the recording in a subdirectory of the recordings directory 
(see http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/commits/219443#219443 
).  Check out the contributed script myth_archive_job.pl (which has 
nothing to do with MythArchive, BTW)--which was designed specifically to 
make it easy to move recordings from the main recording directory to 
other directories and create an appropriate symlink.  Note, though, that 
the show will be recorded in the recordings directory and must be moved 
after the recording has begun.

Not yet: 
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/commits/200913#200913 .  
Much work remains to be done on that patch.

Mike