MythTV Users - Do we need NFS?

[kennelm]

I am a long-time Mythtv user and I am in the process of upgrading my backend.  One idea I had is to use an UnRAID server to host all my content.  Reading here, I am troubled to see that NFS is not officially supported, and I am not sure I want to hack up a work-around that may not be reliable.  I also read that stuttering occurs under heavy load with Samba.   It just seems silly to me that I need Samba to allow two Linux boxes to interoperate.  Isn't Samba intended to allow Windows clients and Linux (Unix) servers to interoperate?

 

What is the sentiment here regarding MythTV and the apparent lack of NFS support?   If NFS may someday be supported,  I wonder if I should just go in another direction and return to UnRAID when NFS is available.

 

Larry

[WeeboTech]

I think when the new kernel is used and fuse suports NFS, then NFS support will be official.

Right now it's unofficially available via direct disk shares with a few hacks.

if you need more then full disk share of mythtv access, then you may have to wait.

If mythtv can access more then one directory for it's data, then you can use the disk shares.

[kennelm]

I think when the new kernel is used and fuse suports NFS, then NFS support will be official.

Right now it's unofficially available via direct disk shares with a few hacks.

if you need more then full disk share of mythtv access, then you may have to wait.

If mythtv can access more then one directory for it's data, then you can use the disk shares.

 

The latest release of myth does support multiple directories for recorded content.  So, if an NFS configuration could be stood up using disk shares, then it sounds feasible.

 

Since my myth box is currently out of service, I am not sure I want to dwell too long on this issue.  If I could just drop in a script and be done, then maybe I'd be interested...

[WeeboTech]

Light bathroom reading ;-)

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=1221.msg8544#msg8544

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=2480.0

 

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=1666.0

[Torquewrench]

What about this:

 

NFS-GANESHA is an NFS version 2-4 server that runs in the user address space instead of as part of the operating system kernel. Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE) lets you run a filesystem in the user address space instead of as part of the Linux kernel, but the FUSE support in the Linux kernel from many Linux distributions does not allow you to export FUSE through NFS. NFS-GANESHA lets you expose FUSE through NFS without patching your kernel.

 

from: http://www.linux.com/feature/153789

 

TW

[WeeboTech]

Tom is aware of the FUSE/NFS issue. There was mention of an upcoming beta soon.

I would suggest sitting tight in the meantime.

[ubuntuaddicted]

I am most likely going to be using my unRAID server to store media and nonmedia files. So movies, pictures, music, computer backups, etc. I have looked into using an NFS share from the unRAID server as the recording directory and the mythtv debs said NO WAY! That I would most likely see lock due to mythtv writing so much info as its recording a show, then unRAID would have to do all it parity updating etc etc. so if anyone come along, although mythtv currently allows you to write to a NFS share as its recording directory, don't let it be from a unRAID server share. I know a person can hookup a USB had drive to unRAID and share it out over NFS but it not in the unRAID hard drives space that's parity. Good luck to all

 

 

Tapatalk is tha shizzle

[JonathanM]

I am most likely going to be using my unRAID server to store media and nonmedia files. So movies, pictures, music, computer backups, etc. I have looked into using an NFS share from the unRAID server as the recording directory and the mythtv debs said NO WAY! That I would most likely see lock due to mythtv writing so much info as its recording a show, then unRAID would have to do all it parity updating etc etc. so if anyone come along, although mythtv currently allows you to write to a NFS share as its recording directory, don't let it be from a unRAID server share.

Boy, I'm glad I didn't see this post before I tried it for myself. My setup has the entire Mythtv recording structure on a Unraid Samba share, and it works great. If I would have seen this post, I probably wouldn't have bothered setting it up. The trick is to enable the cache drive for whatever share you use. The mover runs when nothing is being recorded, so there is no conflict there either. Whoever you talked to that said "NO WAY", is uninformed about how Unraid actually performs.

 

tl:dr Mythtv works fine using Unraid as a recording destination.

[ubuntuaddicted]

I am most likely going to be using my unRAID server to store media and nonmedia files. So movies, pictures, music, computer backups, etc. I have looked into using an NFS share from the unRAID server as the recording directory and the mythtv debs said NO WAY! That I would most likely see lock due to mythtv writing so much info as its recording a show, then unRAID would have to do all it parity updating etc etc. so if anyone come along, although mythtv currently allows you to write to a NFS share as its recording directory, don't let it be from a unRAID server share.

Boy, I'm glad I didn't see this post before I tried it for myself. My setup has the entire Mythtv recording structure on a Unraid Samba share, and it works great. If I would have seen this post, I probably wouldn't have bothered setting it up. The trick is to enable the cache drive for whatever share you use. The mover runs when nothing is being recorded, so there is no conflict there either. Whoever you talked to that said "NO WAY", is uninformed about how Unraid actually performs.

 

tl:dr Mythtv works fine using Unraid as a recording destination.

this information isn't helpful to anyone without informing everyone for the future what your current setup.

 

My setup example above has 3 analog tuners and the mythtv devs stated themselves quotes write speeds that it was just NOT a good idea to use NFS (definitely not SMB due to being slower) for a recording directory FOR MY SETUP. I plan on incorporating a HDHR as well so I will have 5 tuners. Which could possibly overload the unRAID server because there is just no way to be able to write fast enough over NFS when you're talking about 5 recordings at once.

 

I am glad it works for YOUR setup. I will be sticking to a local 1TB drive in the mythtv backend headless server. If the drive dies, what are really talking about losing here? A silly tv show? Right, using unRAID (for the purposes of what it was intended) really has no benefit as I will never have 1tb of recordings at once, EVER so there is no need for exandability and as I already said, don't need the parity protection because it's just tv, it's not the end of the world.

 

I'd like to point these are my opinions expressed regarding the use of unRAID as a recording directory for mythtv BUT NOT my opinion when talking about hdd write speeds over NFS WITH 5 tuners recordings at once.

[dave_m]

Hitting 1TB of recordings using MythTV doesn't take as long as you might think.  I have several local recording drives for my MythTV box, but I've just set up an unRaid share as a storage group in MythTV and a cron job to copy the files over from the MythTV server to the unRaid server.  No reason not to use the unRaid for media storage like this, there's always recordings we haven't watched yet that I would want to recover if a hard drive died.  I did give up using NFS though, too many "stale file handle" errors.

[JonathanM]

I am most likely going to be using my unRAID server to store media and nonmedia files. So movies, pictures, music, computer backups, etc. I have looked into using an NFS share from the unRAID server as the recording directory and the mythtv debs said NO WAY! That I would most likely see lock due to mythtv writing so much info as its recording a show, then unRAID would have to do all it parity updating etc etc. so if anyone come along, although mythtv currently allows you to write to a NFS share as its recording directory, don't let it be from a unRAID server share.

Boy, I'm glad I didn't see this post before I tried it for myself. My setup has the entire Mythtv recording structure on a Unraid Samba share, and it works great. If I would have seen this post, I probably wouldn't have bothered setting it up. The trick is to enable the cache drive for whatever share you use. The mover runs when nothing is being recorded, so there is no conflict there either. Whoever you talked to that said "NO WAY", is uninformed about how Unraid actually performs.

 

tl:dr Mythtv works fine using Unraid as a recording destination.

this information isn't helpful to anyone without informing everyone for the future what your current setup.

 

My setup example above has 3 analog tuners and the mythtv devs stated themselves quotes write speeds that it was just NOT a good idea to use NFS (definitely not SMB due to being slower) for a recording directory FOR MY SETUP. I plan on incorporating a HDHR as well so I will have 5 tuners. Which could possibly overload the unRAID server because there is just no way to be able to write fast enough over NFS when you're talking about 5 recordings at once.

 

I am glad it works for YOUR setup. I will be sticking to a local 1TB drive in the mythtv backend headless server. If the drive dies, what are really talking about losing here? A silly tv show? Right, using unRAID (for the purposes of what it was intended) really has no benefit as I will never have 1tb of recordings at once, EVER so there is no need for exandability and as I already said, don't need the parity protection because it's just tv, it's not the end of the world.

 

I'd like to point these are my opinions expressed regarding the use of unRAID as a recording directory for mythtv BUT NOT my opinion when talking about hdd write speeds over NFS WITH 5 tuners recordings at once.

 

Guess what hot rod? You stated that it wouldn't work, period, without giving any setup details, then complain that I said it does work, right now, with my setup. Then you come back and say, well, it won't work with what you have planned, and then state your requirements. Go back and reread your original post. You tell the mythical person of the future, don't bother trying to use unraid as a mythtv recording storage group because it won't work. I'm telling you, in general terms, it does work. For your specific use, possibly not, but you are not in a position to speak for the entire mythtv unraid using populace.

 

I was just trying to set the record straight so someone in the future wouldn't find your post and assume mythtv wouldn't work with unraid as a recording directory, when in fact it will, in some cases. I haven't pushed the limits of my setup to find out where it breaks, but 2 different 1080P streams from OTA works just fine to 2 different clients, so I'd say it's pretty capable.

 

There is no need to continue this on the forum, if you want to argue, PM me, I'll be glad to continue in private.