new pc, based on Linux for DVD films to Media Center

Fallschirmjager

Greetings,

i have 2 questions that perhaps u could shed some of your genius on:

1. i want to build a home server, one that can take a couple of 500gb drives and as a storage array for dvd etc. i would like to use linux for no other reason as it is a backend server that is , how shall we put this, reliable, but can share to windows media centre.

2. microsoft media centre: any gotchas? can it link to a linux server (i assume it can) but does anyone know a reason or 2 as to why this is a bad idea. i want to store music, pictures , all the usual stuff...but i want to move dvds to the disks.

anyone got any ideas, recommended mobos etc.

oh and i will be wiring with cat5 (yes the horror!) and i will have to dig out plasterboard, floorboards etc to do it.

thanks

WizZard

Are you just building this "server" for storage space?
If so there are a couple of dedicated solutions instead of a PC. (NAS/SAN etc)

Why not use wireless if it's that much hassle to put in CAT5. (And go CAT6 if you are going to that much effort.

Fallschirmjager

CAT6 it is!

wizz, have you got any links, i spent all morning looking at pc specs and i assumed i would have to build it..

masteroftherealm

Netgear SC101's run finux and can have 2drives in them with raid integrated check them out.

WizZard

Check out these
External storage. Not networked, but use a Linksys NSLU2 to make them networked drives.
Or if you have spare money get this.
Or use a couple of the Netgear thngs above. Cheaper. Or anything on this page.

DemonOfTheFall

Would it not be easier just to put these extra hard drives *in* the windows media centre PC ? Seems to me like it'd save you an awful lot of hassle...

WizZard

DemonOfTheFall wrote:

Would it not be easier just to put these extra hard drives *in* the windows media centre PC ? Seems to me like it'd save you an awful lot of hassle...

Nah, they'd create noise and heat. And there probably wouldn't be room. Plus it limits your expansion potential.

unklerosco

What about a couple of stackable external HDs??? Or am i missing the point?.?

SouperComputer

I think stick with the linux filesever TBH. You have more control over quality and most importantly cooling. A PII with 256MB will do, just grab an IDE or SATA card for your drives. Also, stuff a GB NIC in there. Clarkconnect is a linux distro that makes this very easy to get setup. Running linux gives you the option of installing cool software like slimserver and other sutff like twonky vison.


MCE is okay, but you cannot specify the network drive as the storage area for recorded TV. Or to be more accurate, you can, but it ignores your request. I have tested this til death with every trick I could think of. Seemingly nowone has an answer for it yet.

MCE will connect to the fileserver grand though, I have a couple of rigs setup that way. You can then add the stored media on the server to MCE's media library.

If you are using linux, MythTV TBH would be a more flexible, scaleable way to go. Its also free! Like most things open source, it can be a lot of work to get it setup, but overall it whips MCE in most areas once its running sweet.

The backup dvd thing is another interesting one. You can go the traditional route of DivX\Xvid, or you could use some really cool software called RatDVD.

RatDVD doesnt run on linux yet, so if you are going for MythTv, then its Xvid or DivX.

You also have to consider where do you want to do the ripping, you have three main options:

1. Rip locally on a "client", then run a batch file to throw the file on the server
2. The above but rip on the fly to the server.
3. Make the server a beast and turn it into a dedicated ripping machine!

The other caveat is that if you are running MCE and want to use the settop boxes (AKA Xbox360 or extenders) to access it, they wont play Divx, Xvid, Rat DVD other any fancy shcmancy codecs.

Lastly, depending on the amount of machines you have, you should consider a GB switch, but force all the client machines to 100Mb mode in software. This way you can be pretty sure that it wont get too choppy if one or two machines decide to dump a gig of info on the server at the same time!

This whole media thing is pretty interesting and tends to suck you in. You have been warned!

Fallschirmjager

okay, i think some of the Q here are the ones i had, so let me elaborate a bit

1. i have a linksys nslu2 already and to be hoenst it a small pile of poo. it doesnt appear to handle any files that are large. if i copy say a camera card with *.jpg, it times out. it doesnt appear to 'like' large file copies. if i copy a few at a time it works cool. this is my second one, as the first didnt work at all. so i dont trust it to stream properly. i also did a upgrade and it is still the same. maybe i just got a dodgy one and dont ask me to explain the support...absolutely appalling, anyway i digress..

2. the requirement i have is that i want to copy a lot of movies and i originally though i would put them in the media pc case, but has been pointed out here, the heat and noise and limited space will cause me problem in the future...hence the storage question. i could not find anythign altho Wizzard identified a few. most of the storage boxes are quite expensive, i suspect because they have scsi backbones....

3. that leads me to the 'server' thing. i was thinking, cheap case, cheap mobo, cheap process, linux (reliable and free) and i can plonk in 500gb disks as i need and (courtesy of Wizzard note above!) some cat 6 cable..

thanks to all , and Souper thanks for the MCE info, it was these issues also that i was worried about..

Fallschirmjager

SouperComputer wrote:

This whole media thing is pretty interesting and tends to suck you in. You have been warned!

and that is where i am...oh sweet jesus....:eek:

masteroftherealm

If your looking into MythTV its horrible to instaly some some nice people invented KnoppMyth which is MythTV with an easy to use graphical walkthrough installer. Best thing ive ever found.

gline

as for the cat6 thing, defo use that man, i have the kind of setup you are talking about. I have 1tb fileserver(also being used as a firewall + AV) and gigabit lan and an MCE client attached to it. I used XP on the server though because it is easy to use and i am too lazy to try and learn how to use linux . And for major streaming and net traffic the gigabit lan is definitly recommended, forget wireless for that kind of a setup.. its too slow. Though i will agree MCE is kinda cack, im sure mythtv is better.