Hi

 

i don't want to build a dedicated server and another HTPC acted as movie player, so my idea is:

 

1. I want to install a Linux version of XBMC on an unRaid Server. it is possible?

 

2. Can i install unRaid Server and Window 7 into same PC: for example, i have a PC with 7 hard disk. i want to set up unRaid Server with 6 hard disk (one parity and 5 data) and install window 7 into the remaining hard disk.

 

If i want to watch movie, then i can boot unRaid Server and use with XBMC installed on this server, or if my wife want to use Window for web surfing, she can boot this PC with Window

 

Please advise me

It is possible, and complex.  I wouldn't do it and I know how.

 

Either way,  unRAID can be placed on top of an XBMC distro as long as the kernel is recompiled with the proper drivers or XBMC can be placed on unRAID if the kernel is compiled to support the video and sound drivers.

 

Then there is the added complexity of having a windows setup.

 

This is allot of work either way.

 

I would do the follow.

1. build a dedicated unRAID server.

2. build a dedicated Windows & XBMC machine for viewing and browsing.

 

Although what you're proposing is entirely possible, It's complex and will be a fair amount of work.

 

 

I built a dedicated Windows & XBMC for the living room with one SSD.

I moved all my other drives to the server. 

I could not be happier.

 

You can get decent priced nettop boxes that can serve double duty for xbmc & windows at a fair price.

Thank you, if is complex, then i will do as you suggest.

You can get decent priced nettop boxes that can serve double duty for xbmc & windows at a fair price.

http://www.nordichardware.com/en/component/content/article/67-cases/10915-zotac-to-release-five-new-mag-nettops.html

 

Click the link in my sig.  The Revo 1600 runs XBMC flawlessly, and costs only $200.  As long as you just want to surf the web, it will run Windows 7 as well.  I am using XBMC Live, since I do my web surfing from my laptop/desktop.

I use a WDTV live to view the content from my unRAID server, and i'm VERY happy with it. It's not quite as flexible as a full blow htpc, but it's fast, boots up in seconds, small and silent.

 

I paid £80 for one, as I live in the UK, I think they go for around the $100 mark in the US.

 

http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/products.asp?DriveID=735

Does anyone know if the Zotac or Revo nettops' eSATA ports support port multipliers?  TIA

Does anyone know if the Zotac or Revo nettops' eSATA ports support port multipliers?  TIA

 

As far as i'm aware, the only ports that support port multiplier are 3rd party addin cards. So i'm pretty sure it wont support one.

As far as i'm aware, the only ports that support port multiplier are 3rd party addin cards. So i'm pretty sure it wont support one.

 

The built-in eSATA ports on my Intel SS4200 support port multipliers. I currently have a Sans Digital 4 bay enclosure attached to it.

As far as i'm aware, the only ports that support port multiplier are 3rd party addin cards. So i'm pretty sure it wont support one.

 

The built-in eSATA ports on my Norco NS-520 support port multipliers.  I have one 5-bay enclosure attached to one of them.

 

Does anyone know if the Zotac or Revo nettops' eSATA ports support port multipliers?  TIA

 

As far as i'm aware, the only ports that support port multiplier are 3rd party addin cards. So i'm pretty sure it wont support one.

 

Port multiplier support is based on the chipset

 

Silicon Image, JMB, Marvel are the few I've tested and it worked.

 

Marvel is on the NS-520, DS-520G, Rosewill RC-218 and others. I found the best speed and reliability with Silicon Image.

 

Supposedly later revs of Intel chipsets support Port Multipliers.

I don't know if Linux support is there. It did not work in my tests on an ICH9R.

the Intel ICH, DOES support multipliers, but as the chipset only supports 6 disks and if you have 6 ports internally, gg

the Intel ICH, DOES support multipliers, but as the chipset only supports 6 disks and if you have 6 ports internally, gg

 

If it is supported, I was unable to get it to work.

I read it has to be the ICH9 or ICH10 and above.

I picked up a ASrock ion-330 to investigate XBMC.  I have it running under windows XP.  The ASrock box is very nice, but might not have the needed power (1.6Ghz 2 core processor with 2G mem).  I am getting (without doing anything fancy as I do not know how yet) 1080p with some jerkiness and audio hesitation (only looked at BR disks so far).  In audio I seem to get everything except DTS and the HD codecs, that is, I get DD 5.1.

 

My question is would I be better off running XBMC under Ubuntu or Windows? I set up the machine to dual boot to either one so I can play with both. So far I have only loaded the win version of XBMC so I can get used to XBMC.

Although the OP's question is no longer in play, I thought I'd add to the difficult-to-build warning by mentioning that whenever I've tried dual-use setups, they've inevitably resulted in higher maintenance (or at least the feeling of it), to the point where I've been relieved when I've gotten round to rebuilding the dual uses as separate machines.

My question is would I be better off running XBMC under Ubuntu or Windows? I set up the machine to dual boot to either one so I can play with both. So far I have only loaded the win version of XBMC so I can get used to XBMC.

Yes, you should use the Linux version of XBMC since the window's version does not, as of yet, use the GPU to assist in playing the video.

 

A single-core ion CPU under linux can keep up with HD material.

Thanks Joe.  I will plan on usingUbuntu 9.11 as the OS in that case. 

 

Do you have a recommendation for a better version of the OS? 

If the machine is to be dedicated to XBMC then use the XBMC live CD hard disk install

NAS you just confused me.  There is an XBMC live disk install?  I know about the Ubuntu Live disk but I was unaware that there was a completely packaged solution for XBMC as a live disk install.  I will try and find it

NAS you just confused me.  There is an XBMC live disk install?  I know about the Ubuntu Live disk but I was unaware that there was a completely packaged solution for XBMC as a live disk install.  I will try and find it

 

Look for XBMC live. It is a minimal Ubuntu install with XBMC configured on top of it. You can boot it as a live cd to test out your hardware with XBMC and there is an option to install it to a HD/flash drive giving you a pre-configured linux XBMC install.

Look for XBMC live. It is a minimal Ubuntu install with XBMC configured on top of it. You can boot it as a live cd to test out your hardware with XBMC and there is an option to install it to a HD/flash drive giving you a pre-configured linux XBMC install.

 

This is what I did. Installed it on a small SSD and the machine boots up to usable in 20 seconds.

Yeah its rather good. Its minimal as has been said but also has been tweked in a number of ways specific for an XBMC HTPC.

 

If the live cd works for you the HDD install version should just be faster/slicker.

 

Dont be tempted to update Ubuntu or XBMC this now. Think of it as an appliance and not an OS. Every 6-9 months a new version comes out and you can just backup your config and do a complete upgrade

Yeah its rather good. Its minimal as has been said but also has been tweked in a number of ways specific for an XBMC HTPC.

 

If the live cd works for you the HDD install version should just be faster/slicker.

 

Dont be tempted to update Ubuntu or XBMC this now. Think of it as an appliance and not an OS. Every 6-9 months a new version comes out and you can just backup your config and do a complete upgrade

 

What I did do, was update a few packages, to add Samba, so I could remotely rip onto this machine.

I added some flac/mp3 tools to automatically convert from my flac deposits to mp3.

I may add firefly for my Roku M2000 and M1000.

 

Other than that it's pretty solid.

 

Only issue I do have is the http server is flaky.

 

With my MSI board and the Intel GPU, it supports both the DVI and VGA connector simultaneously.

 

I have a 24" monitor nearby for direct access, and when I need to, I turn on the 40" TV and set the input to XBMC machine.

 

It really has improved the way I handle my music and video.

NAS you just confused me.  There is an XBMC live disk install? 

+1  Cannot reccommend XBMC live install any more highly.  It's AWESOME.  20 minutes to download/install to USB/install to stock Revo with a USB remote plugged in.  Everything just worked.  Video, remote, shares, HDMI sound....everything just worked. It was like buying a stand alone media player, except everything worked just right without any firmware updates needed. 

NAS you just confused me.  There is an XBMC live disk install? 

+1  Cannot reccommend XBMC live install any more highly.  It's AWESOME.  20 minutes to download/install to USB/install to stock Revo with a USB remote plugged in.  Everything just worked.  Video, remote, shares, HDMI sound....everything just worked. It was like buying a stand alone media player, except everything worked just right without any firmware updates needed. 

 

I just picked up a Zotac HD-1D11 and I can only wish my setup process had went as smoothly. First of all I run XBMC live from USB ( didn't need to install ) with a persistent partition. New Nvidia HDMI audio didn't play nice with the alsa sound drivers that come with the 9.11 livecd, and the included nvidia drivers were too old for VDPAU to work on the ion2 platform. Then came the fiddling to get wireless working. Then the box would only do 720p to the tv so I had to fiddle with the xorg.conf file. Needed to make some SMB tweaks to unraid so it doesn't drop out part way through a video.

Might've been a smidge easier if X was installed, I rather use nano than vi ( did install vim which is heaps better ).

 

But having said all that, I'm ready to go through it again when xbmc comes out with minimal ubuntu 10.04. Very happy with how it works.