[mythtv-users] Master backend with no capture card

[Michael T. Dean]

On 02/02/2010 08:12 PM, Christian Szpilfogel wrote:
> Dale Pontius wrote:
>> I found this issue discussed on the list back in 2005, but no definitive
>> answer given.
>>
>> I'm looking to build a new server soon, and with terabyte drives so
>> cheap, I'm looking at moving my Myth storage down to the server.  Since
>> the server is also guaranteed to be running 24x7, I'd also like to move
>> the Myth master backend to that machine.  But it doesn't work to get an
>> antenna feed down into my server closet.  I works much better to make my
>> current (only) backend machine into a slave backend, and set up WOL so
>> the master can kick it when it needs to record.
>>
>> I do have an old unused capture card that I could stick in and
>> configure, but I really can't get a signal there.
>>
>> Is it possible to run a card-less master backend?  Lacking that, can I
>> stick a card in, set it up properly and associate it with my Schedules
>> Direct lineup, then somehow configure it so it'll never get used?
>> (Since it won't really work, anyway.)
>>   
> While I don't believe it is officially supported (ie. not a tested
> config), I have had a dedicated MBE running with no cards on it. I
> then had a separate slave backend with a PVR-500 registering into the
> MBE. This was my config up to 0.21-fixes. It worked flawlessly for years.
>
> I needed to do this at the time since my MBE is in a VM guest but I
> had only a PCI card at the time. The slave was actually on the host of
> the VM. As of 0.22 I moved to HD-PVRs which can now access the VM
> guest via USB. So I can't confirm 0.22 will work as well.


Of course, you could all just spend 3 minutes making a dummy tuner (as I
described earlier) for no extra cost and no performance loss and
actually run a supported configuration.  Then, when we fix all the "must
have a tuner" assumptions, you can delete the extra tuner/video
source/channel.

Besides being a supported configuration, the other benefit is that when
you do, you won't have to go around telling people that something that
has known issues works--you'll actually be able to tell people how easy
it is to set up the system in a supported configuration.  (Remember,
after all, not every Myth box is configured exactly like yours, and it's
quite possible yours may display the issues and you just haven't noticed
the problems, yet.)

Mike