[mythtv-users] My First MythTV Box

[Marvin Match]

On 31 Dec 2007 at 18:47, Brad DerManouelian wrote:

> 
> On Dec 31, 2007, at 4:22 PM, match at ece.utah.edu wrote:
> 
>     OK, Brad and Mike, I understand full well where you're coming from, 
>     and I used to think this way too... back when. Many years ago I 
>     subscribed to this very logic, but not anymore, and I've done it both 
>     ways. Modern SATA 300 drives are faster, cheaper and more reliable 
>     than drives were back then, so I just no longer see the need.
> 
>     Perhaps I've just been lucky, but I've never lost a system disk in 
>     any of my Mythboxen, and I've never encountered I/O throughput 
>     problems by having the Mysql database on the same drive that I store 
>     recordings on. These have just never been issues for me over these 
>     last 4 or 5 or so years that I've been running MythTV.
> 
> 
> Let me know how that holds up when your system grows to something 
> like mine which handles recording 3 HD streams, 2 SD streams, 
> playback of one HD stream, commflagging and transcoding all at the 
> same time. My 60GB system disk is just fine for all that. I doubt I 
> could do all that video plus run mysql on the same disk. Planning 
> ahead can save yourself a whole lot of problems in the future.

Not that different, actually. My current backend has an HD3000 and 2 
Air2PC's so I can record 3 HD streams. Currently the 3 SD cards that 
I used to run (1 250 and 2 150's) have been moved into another system 
because I only have 3 PCI slots in this backend, because I replaced 
the motherboard with a different one. Oh, and 5 Seagate 750GB drives 
only, no tiny system disk because there's no more room in the box.

Besides your system is not "My First MythTV Box", nor is mine.

This has been a healthy discussion. 

I think we need some more current hard data. Like I stated earlier, 
I've never personally suffered a hard disk failure in any of my myth 
boxes nor have I had stuttering, dropped frames, or any of the other 
problems we've bantered about, but I admit that in general use I have 
never tried to cause these problems on purpose. I will make that 
attempt and report back, but I won't be able to get to it until after 
CES. 

If I can identify the need to go back to my earlier way of thinking 
on this subject and put the system and the database on a seperate 
drive then I will gracefully concede, but at this moment in time I 
still contend that the technology has improved to the point where 
it's not needed. We're not running ATA-66 drives anymore after all. 

I guess I'll find out in the second half of January, eh?

Marvin