MythDora upgrade, ClarkConnect downgrade

A quick one... I know, they're all quick... anyway... I upgraded the DVR. MythTV, based on Fedora 8 (MythDora) with a 120 GB hard drive suffices, but we really needed more room to add movies, so that watching a DVD doesn't involve opening the DVD storage area, fighting the kids, and hoping they don't break the DVD player, or scratch a disk...

I love LVM. Expanding the storage pool was pretty much seamless.

However, one thing I hate about using "old" RedHat distros... trading features for stability. In order to transfer some of these movies to the DVR box, I had to physically bring the machine up to the network. I just had a wireless b adapter in the DVR to get guide information. That's really too slow to transfer anything.

I also didn't have a router. I was using ClarkConnect as a Gateway, and hadn't even put a wireless card in the box to do an access point. I was using a DWL-900AP+ wireless B access point. The machine I was using was a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz HT that I really could have been doing something else with, so I decided to get a D-Link DIR-655 gigabit wireless-n router, and a couple of D-Link DWA-552 adapters. Supposedly the Atheros chipset in those PCI adapters works in Linux.

I installed the router, downgraded my server to an old 450 MHz box with a 20 GB hard drive, and recommissioned the server. Everything is good, until I realize that Fedora 8, as configured in Mythdora didn't just plug and play the wireless N card.

So, what am I going to do? I'll consider trying to patch up Mythdora 5, or hope that the next version follows Fedora 10 really quick, and that the upgrade is somewhat seamless.

My CC box is doing well as a stand-in for Windows Home Server... I don't know if this 450 MHz / 20 GB will suffice. I'll definitely need more space, but I'm really starting to think about trialling those discs I got, and moving back to Vista on the desktop... sigh, we'll see.

TorrentFlux and ClarkConnect

After a little trial and error, I got TorrentFlux installed on my ClarkConnect box. Awesome. Now I don't have to worry about leaving my main PC running when I want to download a torrent... you know, like maybe Fedora or something?

I really, really wanted to try Amahi, but I like having ClarkConnect as a gateway, and I'm not confident enough in my linux admin skills to turn a fedora installation into a gateway by adding a second NIC, as suggested on the amahi-users list. I'm definitely not feeling the suggestion that I go buy a wireless router, just so that I can plug it in and disable dhcp and stuff.

However, the Personal Backup Appliance, and running on a "newer" code base are still options that appeal to me. I may yet give Amahi a try. There was a recent review on Linux.com, but the reviewer didn't even have broadband internet, so I'm somewhat skeptical that it told me anything that I didn't already know from reading it.

I still haven't given in to the urge to just wipe and try Windows Home Server (which also has no official gateway mode). So, I guess that's something. Since I have a "real" web server running now, it might be time to put up that picture gallery running out of my house. Maybe that will spell the end for my sensless attatchment to flickr as well.

Regarding that HDA-ized Personal Backup Appliance, I really do need to look into automating some kind of solution with ClarkConnect, or Amahi or something. I imagine that I'll get there eventually.

The other issue is wireless support. I wouldn't mind using a wirless adapter on the server to serve up my wireless network. The only wireless clients in my house are our Windows Moblie T-Mobile Shadow phones, and the 802.11b adapter in the MythTV DVR downstairs, grabbing guide information. However, I'm serving it up now with an old D-Link DWL-900AP+ 802.11b access point. I don't think there's any wireless N adapters that work in Linux, but if there are, I need to find them, and then I'll probably update the one in the DVR, add one to my ClarkConnect box, and sing their praises.

Time to start searching google, I guess.

I found out who's reading my blog!

Friday, I did an interview with a student from the Professional Writing program back at Purdue. Good experience for me, and hopefully for them. As it turns out, they read my blog, as part of their research on me. Yikes... I had to answer some difficult questions about it, but I made it through unscathed. However, I think I'll have to put a bit more into this now.

A Night Out... minus kids

Whew, a long day today. After it, we went out to a Butler basketball game with a buddy of mine and his wife. Good time. Mom-in-law watched the kids. They don't have any, but his wife teaches 1st grade, so they might be ready for when they start their family. My kids are 2.5 and 1.5, so it can be a bit rough to enjoy time sitting down at a restaurant or social event.

Voting Early

I voted early today. After going to the gym, we took the kids and my mom-in-law to the Southport location and spent about 45 min total doing a pre-arranged absentee ballot. Not a bad alternative. If it is this way all across the nation, I wonder how it will affect the process of voting in the future. Maybe we'll vote online from the comfort of our homes. Heck, the IRS sure is willing to take my money over the Internet...