Should I go Linux?

[stanger89]

So, feel free to slap me with a "try the search function moron" but I'm somewhat struggling with what to do next with my Sage server.

My current one is running:

• Windows Server 2003 Standard
• HD PVR (USB-UIRT w/ Dish)
• HDHR
• Sage
• J River Media Center
• Cacti (via IIS)

And it's running on my now ancient:

• Athlon XP 1800+
• 1GB Ram (IIRC)
• numerous misc HDDs (smallish)
• 8x250GB RAID-5 array

I've also got a ReadyNAS with 3x 1.5TB drives (and a fourth waiting) that runs Squeezecenter.

Anyway, my server is getting a bit long in the tooth obviously, and I've been thinking it's time to rebuild/upgrade it. For some reason of late, I've been drawn to the idea of building a Linux based SageTV server. I've always had a "soft spot in my heart" for Linux, it's free, it's great as a server. But I always end up going back to Windows for my "daily use" machines because stuff is just easier, mainly the media apps are more prevalent there.

So yeah, I've been struggling with whether to go for it with a Linux server. To that end, I took my old HTPC, an Athlon 64 X2 BE-2400 (dual-core 2.4GHz), 2GB ram, Gigabyte 780G board, and threw some HDDs in it and installed Kubuntu 9.04 x64 on it.

I managed to get the fglrx drivers working, I setup a couple old 500GB HDDs in a 1TB md+lvm+xfs RAID-0 array for kicks, got cacti setup, samba, figured out how to nfs mount my ReadyNAS shares...

So now I'm down to the real question at hand, is it worth running Sage on Linux vs Windows? Anything work better? Anything work worse? I don't use many customizations (just the comskip reader) and I think that works fine. Any recommendations?

[bastafidli]

If both work fine, then run the one you are more comfortable supporting or the one you would rather learn how to support. That's my case, not a best way how to get familiar with Linux than to support production box where WAF factor depends on it :-).

[bcjenkins]

I say go for it

The HDPVR is well supported in Linux. HDHR works too, no experience here though.

Comskip processing works and the plugin runs fine.

B

[gplasky]

Try the search function moron!

Anyways the same thought has crossed my mond too. But correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't you have to give up your J River Media Center plugin? I don't use it but I know it requires .Net but I'm not sure if you can just install it on a client. Plus you would need to run J River somewhere other than your SageTV server. If you can give that up than give Linux a shot.


Gerry

[Apap]

I am considering the same move.
I'll be watching this thread closely while I experiment.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by gplasky

Try the search function moron!

Anyways the same thought has crossed my mond too. But correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't you have to give up your J River Media Center plugin? I don't use it but I know it requires .Net but I'm not sure if you can just install it on a client. Plus you would need to run J River somewhere other than your SageTV server. If you can give that up than give Linux a shot.


Gerry

It's not actually the JRMC plugin, just JRMC (I use it mainly to stream music to work). I think JRMC might work under wine, but Squeezecenter might fit the bill too.

[bcjenkins]

I haven't tried JRMC, but it might run with Mono and WINE

B

[cenwesi]

I will say go for it since you mentioned you don't use many customizations (just the comskip reader). I too started out with windows and had everything working but i always knew linux is where i needed to be. I tried different OS before deciding on Ubuntu (server end). Once you decide which variant of linux you want then you have to decide if you want 32bit or 64bit and personally i will say start with 64bit. I am currently Ubuntu Jaunty 64bit and i have everything including my HVR-1800 working. I too have md+lvm+xfs setup and it is the best combination. You mentioned J River Media Center, i am sure you can run vmserver and run that there or another thing you can do is P2V your current win2003 server and run that in the vm. It also looks like you have figured out the other stuff you mentioned so i am sure you are ready.

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by stanger89

So now I'm down to the real question at hand, is it worth running Sage on Linux vs Windows? Anything work better? Anything work worse? I don't use many customizations (just the comskip reader) and I think that works fine. Any recommendations?

Honestly Stanger, I think you 've got time on your hands and you are trying make life interesting again....

Honestly, why bother to break something that works....?

I had the same itch a few months ago when upgrading the hardware but stuck with XP when I remember how many months it took me initially to get a stable system. At least, I have some time now to watch a movie every now and then.

I setup a linux box for experimentation though.

[tmiranda]

Sage has indicated that it intends to release a "Linux on a stick" version of SageTV. Maybe you should consider waiting or that?

[oddjob]

I'm a diehard Linux person, but I still have windows as my main server.
Windows is brainlessly easy to setup. Linux can take some time, you need
make sure you install startup scripts, services and filesystems. Of course once you get the system the way you like it - thats when you screw it up. So I would only go Linux if you got lots of time on your hands.

P.S. - I still feel Linux is rewarding and hours of fun.

[bcjenkins]

Interesting point. I find it easy to run SageTV in Linux. If you install a GUI then run NoMachine to run headless. http://nomachine.com/

Otherwise, putty for ssh and a good graphical sftp program.

The one thing which will take a little effort is making sure you have the best drivers installed for capture devices. There are a few Mercurial tutorials in various thread posts though.

I am fairly well practiced at setting these up as I tend to switch distros around every so often. (Not SageTV related)

I personally prefer to use the gzipped tarball on Debian distros over the deb file. Most distros support the running of commands via rc.local. My current distro also supports rc.local.shutdown which would allow for a kill script too.

Running my own start and stop allows me to run SageTV as a non-privileged user.

B

[whartsell]

I have ran sage on Linux (ubuntu 64), XP and WHS. I ended up staying with WHS as it was brainless to setup and easy to manage. I havent rebooted WHS since i setup sage on it. It was also extremly easy to migrate my XP sage config over to WHS. Its current uptime is over 90 days without so much as a hiccup

[stanger89]

What I seem to be getting is that basically Sage doesn't run any better/different on linux. Which I guess is to be expected.

Originally Posted by Lucas

Honestly Stanger, I think you 've got time on your hands and you are trying make life interesting again....

Honestly, why bother to break something that works....?

Well a few things started this, I've now got two Athlon X2 machines lying around, plus my current server is getting old, underpowered and I'd like to replace it's storage with fewer, larger drives. But on top of that all the talk of the Linux server on a stick got me really thinking about Linux again.

I had the same itch a few months ago when upgrading the hardware but stuck with XP when I remember how many months it took me initially to get a stable system. At least, I have some time now to watch a movie every now and then.

I would have the advantage of still having a working Windows server til I got the Linux one working (or til I were to give up...)

Originally Posted by tmiranda

Sage has indicated that it intends to release a "Linux on a stick" version of SageTV. Maybe you should consider waiting or that?

Yeah, that's kind of what started this whole thing, but looking around all the server on a stick things are notoriously hard to expand. unRAID, etc, it's quite hard to run other stuff on them. Maybe I should just hold out and see what the Linux server ends up being.

[ONLYinHD]

Originally Posted by stanger89

all the server on a stick things are notoriously hard to expand. unRAID, etc, it's quite hard to run other stuff on them

Isn't there an option to install on your HDD? The "SageTV Linux Server on a stick" should be simply a convenient way to install a working server on your hardware, not a prison for your apps/OS.

Edit: I meant to add: If there isn't an option to install on your HDD then there should be.

[ScubaMedic]

Does directv serial control work with Linux?

[Fuzzy]

eh... I'm really comfortable with windows... so i like to stay there.. that said, you might want to wait until the Server on a Stick comes around, and just go that route. Clean, Simple, and Easy.

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by ScubaMedic

Does directv serial control work with Linux?

Yes

[davephan]

If there was a trial version available for Linux, then your decision would be much easier. Since there isn't a trial available for the Linux version it is a $80 gamble.

What are the reasons to switch? I think people that made the switch could best answer that question. Is SageTV more reliable with Linux? Is the performance better?

Is there a tested backup / recovery method for Linux? I think PING, Partition Image is Not Ghost will work to image Linux, but it would would have to be tested, including a test recovery.

Dave

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by davephan

What are the reasons to switch? I think people that made the switch could best answer that question. Is SageTV more reliable with Linux? Is the performance better?

Yeah, that's really the question I was initially wondering about. Those who went Linux, why did you do it? Because you like Linux better? Compatibility with other Linux functions? And as above, is there any Sage performance/stability benefit?