[mythtv-users] How big CF card for frontend?

[Tom Lichti]

On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Colin McGregor <colin.mc151 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2/15/09, Nick Rout <nick.rout at gmail.com> wrote:
>> How large would a CF card need to be to hold a mythbuntu front end? I
>> am hoping 4G but can't find a figure anywhere.
>
> Just over a month ago I put the Mythbuntu front end on to a USB memory
> key. It was quite happy on a 1 GB key. I don't recall if it would fit
> on a 512 MB key (probably, but I was just testing things, and the 1 GB
> memory key was what I had handy). Bottom line, a 4 GB CF card would be
> SERIOUS over kill.
>
> My first choice would be to do a network boot, which has issues, but
> you don't have to worry about updating flash devices, whereever.
>
> If network booting isn't an option (old BIOS, or buggy BIOS (I've seen
> both)) then if you have a spare 4 GB CF card and the extra hardware to
> support a CF card on your system, go for it. On the other hard, if
> you're buying new hardware and have a machine with a BIOS that
> supports USB booting, I would get an under $10 1 GB USB memory key.
>
>> Also how do people with CF systems handle updates? I know there can be
>> a swag of downloads added somewhere in /var/apt and I am guessing
>> these might fill the filesystem up pretty quickly.
>
> The name of the game is you update the flash device by doing an
> erase/re-program each time you do a server version upgrade (once every
> say, 6 months or so). Unless something very strange happens, not worth
> doing incremental updates...
>
>> Any tips accepted :)
>
> Hope this helps.

I use an 8GB USB flash drive on my frontend, with a full MythDora
10.21 install, and SVN myth trunk repository, I am still only using
about 2.5GB. I paid a bit extra for a faster than normal drive (OCZ
Rally Turbo) and it seems to work fine.

Tom