[mythtv-users] How to automatically copy recordings from slave tomaster backend?

[Craig G.]

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: Jerry Rubinow
>To: Discussion about mythtv
>Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2007 9:26 AM
>Subject: [mythtv-users] How to automatically copy recordings from slave 
>tomaster backend?
>
>.......
>
>The solution?:
>
>I'm thinking that since the frontend machine doesn't have a huge
>drive, it can probably hold whatever I want to record in any given
>day, but not much more than that.  So stop NFS mounting the MBE's
>drive and record locally.  Then run a job in the middle of the night
>that copies all the local recordings to the MBE and adjusts the
>database accordingly.
>
>I probably want some post-record job that updates a table of "things
>to be copied" so it doesn't try to copy anything that's still being
>recorded.
>
>Updating a list of programs to copy, easy.  Having a cron job to do
>the copy, easy.  Updating database - ???.  I see I'd probably have to
>change the hostname field in the recorded table for each copied
>program.  What else would I need to update?
>
>-Jerry

Jerry,

If you are running one of the newer SVN version of mythtv then its easy 
enough to move files from one system to another.   I use a setup where I 
record and do transcoding of content on my backend, then move it off to to a 
networked attached HDD.
The secret is setting up two storage groups 
(http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/File_storage and 
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Storage_Groups).   In the SVN version 
you can have multiple storage groups (directories) and when you go to play a 
recording mythtv will search the storage directories to find the file.   So 
if you move a file between storage directories, you don't seem to have to do 
any database updates.

Example implementation in your case:

Storage Group: Frontend/Slave
Directory Path:  /myth/tv

Storage Group: Backend/Master
Directory Path  /myth/tv2

On your frontend /myth/tv would be a local directory and map /myth/tv2 to 
your NFS share on your backend.   Then on your backend have /myth/tv map to 
the NFS share on your frontend, and /myth/tv2 would be local to it.

On your frontend create a directory called /myth/tomove and make it owned by 
your mythtv group.

Configure mythtv to run a job after all our recordings.  Have the command 
the job runs set to:
touch /myth/tomove/%FILE%

When that job runs it will create a dummy file in your "tomove" directory. 
Since jobs don't run untill after program is done recording, it will only 
show up in the tomove directory once recording is over.

Then in a cron job at what at like 3:00am run a script like:
        #!/bin/bash
        FILES=`ls /mythtv/tomove`
        for file in $FILES
        do
             echo Moving File $file
              mv /myth/tv/$file* /myth/tv2
              rm /myth/tomove/$file
              continue
        done

The above is a highly simplified version of what I am doing, but should work 
for you.   I haven't had any problems with  my setup here which includes two 
fronends, one slave backend, one primary backend, and a simpleshare 500gb 
network attached drive running NFS.    There is a field in the database that 
shows where the program was originally recorded, but haven't had to change 
that when I moved the file to a different storage group.  The version of 
mythtv in SVN just finds the file per the notes in the above links.  The 
basic concept should work for you with a bit of tweaking for your unique 
deployement.  For me it minimizes impact on all systems involved when it 
comes to moving files around.

An additional benefit of the storage directory model for you, is that  your 
frontend would record to the local directory storage group first.   But if 
it did happen to get full before the "move" job runs at night, it would use 
the secondary storage directory over NFS to your backend, so you wouldn't 
lose a recording.   Then the next recording that started after the move cron 
job had freed up space, would go back to using your local directory.

Craig