[mythtv-users] Mythbackend on VMware Server with DVB-tuners

[Fredrik Hallgarde]

Raymond Wagner skrev 2011-04-29 18:11:
> On 4/29/2011 08:35, Fredrik Hallgarde wrote:
>> Some say that its overkill to run virtualization at home
>> (http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/475464#475464)
>> I have to disagree as it allows me to keep a Mythdora 10.21 installation
>> (2.6.27) while experimenting with newer kernels and mythtv-versions
>> (without using more hardware).
> No, it's simply overkill.  There are two reasons to play with new
> kernels, hardware support and new interfaces.  Since you're accessing
> static virtualized hardware, there is not going to be any gain in that
> department.  Unless you're actually doing development work to implement
> use of new kernel features into an application, there's not a whole lot
> of reason to use a VM for that.
>
> Anything in the userland can be completely isolated from the rest of the
> system using a chroot, or something more complex, so there is nothing
> preventing one from running multiple distro installs on a single
> kernel.  I've got several jails (advanced chroot) running on my FBSD 8.1
> backend, some of them still using a FBSD 6.x userland.  I have several
> old root images for my frontends sitting on iSCSI shares, and at any
> time, I can connect to one, chroot in, and run it natively.
Raymond,

As my understanding of jails is severly limited to yours I would like to 
know if jails or any other solution (besides full virtualization) would 
help me out.

I had a Mythdora 10.21 (Fedora 10 + Mythtv 0.21) installation on a P4 
server that died, it used a 32bit kernel to which I have added a few 
modules that are not available in 64-bit AFAIK.
The new system is meant to be primarily Mythbackend but also other 
things (as services on the Mythbackend or as VMs). Its based around a 
Core i5, Q57 chipset, 4GB RAM. My bandaid solution was to simply move 
the old disks to the new system and plug in an old 100MBit NIC to get 
network support (no driver in Fedora 10).
My attempt to use VMware server was meant to contain the old 
installation until I had a proper setup on the hardware (e.g. 64bit 
kernel, compiled module for Intel Gbit NIC) and allow me to test MythTV 
0.24 in parallel to my production system. In other words, the new kernel 
is not in the VM, its on the hardware (which is new).

As VMware Server, in my opinion, did not work out well I am planning to 
try out ESXi with a VM running the old mythtv 0.21 install and another 
running 0.24.

I am sincerely interested in suggestions on how to approach this in a 
different way.

Thanks

Fredrik