Mailing List Archive: Idea for the most common installs

It seems that the most common installs here are the Pundit, the Xbox
frontend, and the EPIA M10k. By 'common' I mean that when someone uses the
pundit, Xbox or EPIA, they tend to also have installed a PVR
250/350/freestyle. The Xbox frontend group has already started putting
together an install CD to make the process easier (an outstanding idea).
This works especially well with the Xbox since the hardware is identical on
all Xbox's. What would be the biggest challenge in putting together a CD
for the Pundit and the EPIA (separate CD's of course), assuming 1 PVR card
and hosting both front and backend on the same machine? In my own mind
(children singing, puppies and kittens frolicking in the spring flowers) it
would make installing much easier. Basically it would be something like

Mondo Archive (
http://www.microwerks.net/%7Ehugo/download/mondoarchive.1.html ) where you
pop it in, and let it do its thing. When it boots up after the image, it
would go through the install script like now, only all the drivers and what
not would already be installed so a LOT less 'doh' and killings of otherwise
harmless machines. Obviously a flavor of linux would have to be settled on
for each system, etc... but we all know that what matters is performance not
loyalty to a flavor.

I will go ahead and start the roasting with 'Patch Plz.'

--Tom

On Wednesday, Tom Howard wrote:

> It seems that the most common installs here are the Pundit, the Xbox
> frontend, and the EPIA M10k. By 'common' I mean that when someone
> uses the
> pundit, Xbox or EPIA, they tend to also have installed a PVR
> 250/350/freestyle. The Xbox frontend group has already started putting
> together an install CD to make the process easier (an outstanding
> idea).
> This works especially well with the Xbox since the hardware is
> identical on
> all Xbox's. What would be the biggest challenge in putting together a
> CD
> for the Pundit and the EPIA (separate CD's of course), assuming 1 PVR
> card
> and hosting both front and backend on the same machine? In my own mind
> (children singing, puppies and kittens frolicking in the spring
> flowers) it
> would make installing much easier.

I'v actually been contemplating embarking upon the creation of a custom
Red Hat Linux 9 CD, with all sorts of rpms from ATrpms, including
drivers for the most popular capture cards, apt, and of course, the
mythtv rpms. All the necessities would easily make it onto a single
disc. You'd use Anaconda to install, be able to set up your partitions,
your network card(s), video card, etc. with the installer (okay, so
you'd still have work to do for TV out)...

> Basically it would be something like
>
> Mondo Archive (
> http://www.microwerks.net/%7Ehugo/download/mondoarchive.1.html ) where
> you
> pop it in, and let it do its thing. When it boots up after the image,
> it
> would go through the install script like now, only all the drivers and
> what
> not would already be installed so a LOT less 'doh' and killings of
> otherwise
> harmless machines. Obviously a flavor of linux would have to be
> settled on
> for each system, etc... but we all know that what matters is
> performance not
> loyalty to a flavor.

That would be the other route I've considered. (Mondo is VERY cool,
excellent backup software, just to let anyone who hasn't used it know).
The only problem I see with this method is that it isn't anywhere near
as flexible as creating a custom Red Hat CD, though you're probably
going to have a whole lot more work to do post-install (capture card &
lirc related, mostly) with the custom Red Hat CD route. But you'd only
need a single CD for the Pundit, EPIA, and just about any other system
(except the X-Box). I'm partially more inclined to go the custom Red
Hat CD route because I don't have either a Pundit or EPIA myself. :)

-jcw