Re: MythTV frustration.

Lance Levsen wrote:
> I have a tonne of experience with Linux thin client set-ups.

Well, it's not super thin -- just a diskless client that boots via
remote PXE.

> This is what you'll need on the server:
>
> The order of execution is
> PXE/Etherboot -> DHCP -> TFTP -> kernel -> NFS -> X
>
> I highly recommend installing LTSP 4.2 as it will test each of these
> systems in its installer and what not. It also allows for local apps,
> local sound, local devices, swap over NFS, etc instead of a pure thin
> that's display only.
>
> PXE/Etherboot, see my post here:
> http://www.catprint.ca/blog/blog/linux/pxe.html

Ok, I see in the rom-o-matic the option to get the basics via NFS (or
even HTTP), meaning no need for TFTP. I also see options to put in the
kernel name file, which means I don't have to setup all the tricky dhcpd
flags I remember being required from last time. That cuts the stack from:
* TFTP
* DNS (or hosts file correctly setup)
* NFS Server (I use the kernel server, not user-space.)
* X + a login manager

to:
* DNS (or hosts file correctly setup)
* NFS Server (I use the kernel server, not user-space.)

Both of which I already have setup and are well understood. I've used
the remote X stuff before, but it's not needed in this case. It should
be relatively simple to get the remote kernel image over, and then pass
it a ROOT= that is NFS (assuming Linux supports this) which is just a
dump of the current drive inside the machine. It's on 100Mbps, so the
speed will be roughly equivalent given that the old PATA drive inside
can't push 100Mbps ;)

I'm also assuming Linux supports swap space via NFS (like good ol'
SunOS). Anyone with experience here?

Now I need to know how to setup my NFS server to feed the kernel to the
system, and I need to dump the drive off onto the server such that it's
shared out. I'm thinking of making a nice, large LVM slice in XFS and
putting all the data onto it. Has anyone combined XFS with NFS before?
  I've heard of issues with NFS and less-mainstream filesystems.

Also, how do I know if I'm using kernel or userland NFS servers? I have
the NFS v2/3 servers turned on in my kernel config, but I still see nfsd
processes in the process table. I've tried turning up the # of these to
help offset the performance loss on gigabit I get by using small (1500)
packets. That'll learn me for buying a switch that doesn't support
jumbo frames :(

If nothing else, I could put the important and relatively unchanging
things on one of those 15$ 512mb USB keys and get the machine to boot
off of that, and then NFS the rest.
Received on Sat Nov 4 17:00:16 2006