KnoppMyth Release 4     "CoCo2"

Hello and thanks for choosing KnoppMyth.
This document will describe what KnoppMyth is and how to install it!

Q. & A.

What is KnoppMyth?
  • Short Answer: KnoppMyth is Knoppix optimized for MythTV.
  • Long Answer: My vision is a distribution that makes it trivial to setup a set-top box.
    I've included everything that I believe is needing to reach this goal.
    And, in fact, the developers use this distribution on their own PVR's.
What is Knoppix?
What is MythTV? Cool!   So does this run completely from the CD?
  • No. You can use the CD as a frontend, but KnoppMyth must be installed to the hard drive.
Will it ever run completely from the CD?
  • Maybe.
So what else is included? Why isn't program X included?
  • I only installed what I thought was needed. This doesn't mean you cannot install it yourself:
    # apt-get update
    # apt-get install <packageX>
Why should I use KnoppMyth instead of dristribution X?
  • Ease of installation. KnoppMyth can be installed in as little as 10 minutes (depending upon your hardware speed)
    then all you have to wait for is the first week of TV scheduling to be downloaded.
    If all your hardware is supported under Linux, you may not have to edit any configuration files.
Can I hook my boxen up to a television?
  • Yes, that is how I watch TV. ;-)
So this is Debian?
  • Knoppix is based on Debian testing and unstable. It functions in the same manner, the only thing that isn't recommended is
    # apt-get dist-upgrade

Installation

  • In your BIOS, set the system to boot from CD.
  • At the splashscreen press:
    • for no TV out:
      <ENTER>
    • with TV out:
      tv <ENTER>
      This will set your video adapter to a resolution of 800x600.
      Note: You'll still need to edit /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 to change the refresh rate or you CAN destroy your TV.
  • Once the CD boots, you see 6 options.
    1. Frontend
    2. Auto Install
    3. Auto Upgrade
    4. Manual Install
    5. Reboot
    6. Quit
    I'll now go into detail describing what the first four of these do (I won't bother with the last 2).
    Frontend
    This allows you to use the CD as a frontend if you have a MythTV backend setup.
    You can select this option by pressing <ENTER>. After providing the requested information, the CD will boot X and start mythfronted.
    Note: Using the CD as a frontend is dependant upon the backend being configured with MySQL listening on the network.
    If you are running KnoppMyth as your backend server, Then on the backend:
    • Edit /etc/mysql/my.cnf, comment out 'skip-networking'. The backend will only accept the mythtv user with a password of mythtv.
      Before:
      skip-networking
      After
      # skip-networking
    • Restart MySQL(as root)
      # /etc/init.d/mysql restart
    • Reconfigure MythTV (as the mythtv user)
      $ mythtv-setup
      On screen 1 change 127.0.0.1(both instances) to the actual IP of the backend server.
      <ESC> out of the myth-setup.
    End of backend section.
    Auto Install
    This will automatically perform a complete installation of KnoppMyth.
    Just provide the requested information in the various dialogs and sit back!
    After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth will open an Xterm and ask for the root password.
    If you have an Nvidia video card, I reccommend pressing <CTRL><ALT><F1>.
    Log in as root (You did not forget the administration password you entered during installation did you?).

    **NOTE**
    At the root prompt, type:
    # install-nvidia.sh (Thanks Kano!).
    This will build and setup the NVidia modules.
    When it completes, X will restart and you'll be taken back to the
    Xterm asking for the root password.
    Please provide it and follow the script providing any requested information.
    Auto Upgrade
    This will automatically upgrade KnoppMyth from an earlier version (R3).
    Just provide the requested information in the various dialogs and sit back!
    After the system reboots it will start X and KnoppMyth will open an Xterm and ask for the root password.
    If you have an Nvidia video card, I reccommend pressing <CTRL><ALT><F1>.
    Log in as root (You did not forget the administration password you entered during installation did you?).

    **NOTE**
    At the root prompt, type:
    # install-nvidia.sh (Thanks Kano!).
    This will build and setup the NVidia modules.
    When it completes, X will restart and you'll be taken back to the
    Xterm asking for the root password.
    Please provide it and follow the script providing any requested information.
    Manual Install
    Manual install is recommended only for advanced users.
    1. If you only see 2 options, select partition the drive. If there are more selections, use option 3 to partition your hard drive.
        Create 4 partitions as described below.
      • Partition one will be used for /. Make this no less than a 2 gig partition, this will leave plenty of room for growth. Make this bootable.
      • Partition two for swap. No more than 256 megs is needed. Set the type to swap(82).
      • Partition three for cache. 5 gigs should be plenty, if you have a PVR x50 you may want to may this bigger.
      • Partition four for myth. Make this the rest of the drive. Write the partition table to disk and quit (you may need to reboot).
    2. Load config
      Use a configuration path of /KNOPPIX/knoppmyth
    3. Configure installation
      Choose /dev/hda1 as the partition upon which to put KnoppMyth. Provide the requested information.
    4. Start installation
      This will take some time as all the files are coppied to disk. Please be patient.
    5. Reboot

    Note:
      During the making of partitions, you can choose any fstype you wish, ext2 is recommended for the live buffer (hda3) and ext3 for the data (hda4).
      # mke2fs -O sparse_super -m0 -i8000000 -L cache -M /cache /dev/hda3
      This should yield some performance increase on /cache (used for the ring buffer)
      # mke2fs -j -O sparse_super -m0 -i8000000 -L myth -M /myth /dev/hda4
      (I highly recommend a journalling fs for /dev/hda4)

    ***NOTE***

      Some people have reported that for various reasons they cannot install to hda.
      If you are one such person, configure the installation as described above. Then:
      • Save the configuration.
      • Remove /KNOPPIX/knoppmyth and choose a name.
      • Press <CTRL><ALT><F3>. vi the file (using the name you choose).
      • Change hda to hdb or whatever drive you'll be installing on, dont forget the drive map. Write and Quit.
      • Press <CTRL><ALT><F1> to get back to the main menu.
      • Load the configuration.
      • Start the installation. **Use this method at your own risk**

    FS layout

    KnoppMyth uses the following filesystem layout. 
    /cache/cache (for the ring buffer)
/myth
	/backup  (used to backup the database, /home and /etc,
                  so upgrading between releases will be easy!)
	/gallery (for your photos)
	/game    (for games)
		/nes   (for Nintendo emulation)
			/roms     (for roms)
			/screens  (for screenshots)
		/pc    (for "regular" computer games)
			/screens  (for screenshots)
		/snes  (for Super Nintendo emulation)
			/roms     (for roms)
			/screens  (for screenshots)
		/xmame (for xmame) the binary is in /usr/games/xmame
			/cabs     (for cabinet photos)
			/flyers   (for flyer photos)
			/hiscores (for Hi-Scores!)
			/history  (for gameplay history)
			/roms     (for your roms)
			/screens  (for screenshots)
	/music
	/tv     (where recorded programs are kept)
	/video  (for various video formats)
		/motion (MPEGs created my Motion are stored here)
	/tmp    (temp space used by MythDVD)

    Added software packages

    • IVTV: The open source drivers for Hauppauge PVR-250 and 350. I've included the first version of decoder-alpha.
      I've tested this extensively with the PVR-250! While it should work equally well with the 350, you may have better results with the newest release.
      See ivtv.sf.net for more as well as http://www.poptix.net/ivtv/Jul-2003/msg00366.html for information on getting the TV out to work.
    • LIRC: So you can use a remote! LIRC is compiled to support Hauppauge tuners/remotes. The configuration file in /etc/lircd.conf is for the Hauppauge gray remote. lircrc in /home/mythtv/.mythtv/lircrc is for the Hauppauge gray remote. For more information on LIRC, see lirc.org. Source is in /usr/src/
    • Motion: Motion is used to detected and record motion. It is configured to create these files in /myth/video/motion, so you can use MythVideo to view the files. You can also view live captures at http://<ip.of.knopp.myth>:8081/motion.html. Give a proper firewall/router configuration you can monitor your home from anywhere! The configuration file for motion is in /home/mythtv/.motion/motion.conf. To use MythVideo to use the clips, first go to For more information on Motion, please see motion.sf.net and take a look at the Motion guide.
    • MPlayer: Compiled on an Athlon XP, recompile for different architecture or if you require additional features. Source is in /home/mythtv/r4_src

    Tips and Hints

    • KnoppMyth runs a script on each boot that checks for tuner cards. If changes are detected, KnoppMyth will update the modules configuration. If your card needs special options, then more /etc/modutils/KnoppMyth. This will tell you which file is used, make the changes to that file.
    • If you have the system hooked up to a TV, then **ENSURE** that /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 contains:
      HorizSync "30 - 50"
      VertRefresh "60"
    • If you have your box hooked up to a TV and, when it boots, you see a message saying Press <RETURN> to see modes...... You'll need to edit your lilo.conf At the top, it should say vga=<XXX>, change it to vga=normal Don't forget to lilo -v when you are done ;)

    Enjoy!
          Cecil