Virtual server for NPVR

[trummel]

Sorry if this is dumb/asked before type question, but does anyone have any experience of running NPVR on a virtual server. I'm pretty sure it wont run on Hyper-v, because of the HAL rules governing USB and PCI devices. However ISTR that ESXi can support some physical hardware. I don't want to spend hours setting it up just to find that someone else has already found it to be a dead end.

I currently have 3 fairly serious servers running different home automation type systems. Any one of them is powerful enough to run all of the applications, but they all require different operating systems. If I can VM them, it would be really nice.

I don't require to be able to watch anything on the NPVR server, as I do that all on the clients. The server is stuffed away in the comms room (cupboard in loft).

[sub]

I'm sure you can probably do this as long as you stick to USB, or network tuners like the HDHomeRun. I doubt you'd get it working with an PCI device.

[mvallevand]

As sub wrote, I can confirm my HDHR's do run ok using Virtual Box. However since you need an O/S license anyway and Win7/8 are much better suited to being NextPVR servers then the Windows server editions, you can probably build a more robust backend using $200-300 bare metal.

Martin

[Reddwarf]

I would run npvr on a native Windows 7 and run the other OS's in a Virtual Box server on that computer. I have had npvr running in a VMWare session and using pci devices but it was not stable and VMWare is not free.

[trummel]

Thanks for the feedback gents. I like Reddwarfs suggestion, as the other servers only have to talk to ip cameras or serial ports to monitor the alarms and the heating system. Might give the hyper-v in Windows 8.1 a go, as I get licences for that bundled with my MS partner subscription.

[boringgit]

I used NPVR in a Win2003, then 2008r2 virtual machine running on free esxi, first 5.1, then 5.5.

I now run the same machine as native 2008r2 because my needs changed and I wanted to be able to use the video output to the TV. I am using a USB tuner stick and I must say it was super reliable.

USB pass through is always a bit of an issue with VMs. My experience with VMware bare metal hypervisors is that the support is abysmal in that entire categories are simply not available for passthrough - but if you happen to get lucky, they tend to be pretty stable. Type 2 hypervisors are a different beast - I've used VMware again, Parallels and Virtual Box - In my experience, the range of supported devices was superb, but the reliability of the connection was patchy at best. The host OS would goto sleep, and on waking up it would take the device.. Not ideal!

If you have a PCI capture card I suspect things will be more complicated but I don't have any experience here.

[whurlston]

Thanks for the feedback gents. I like Reddwarfs suggestion, as the other servers only have to talk to ip cameras or serial ports to monitor the alarms and the heating system. Might give the hyper-v in Windows 8.1 a go, as I get licences for that bundled with my MS partner subscription.

I run Server 2012 headless with a NextPVR server instance configured on the Host OS and then run various multiple VMs in Hyper-V. It's been pretty flawless. I even have a Windows 8 VM on it running an NPVR client (for testing purposes).

[KRA]

I run Esxi 5.0

Nextpvr is running on a WHS2011 VM with wmdirectpath passthrough of USB port for my USB tuner and wmdirectpath for a pcie tuner. WHS is installed on a HD that is setup as RDM device. My old PCI tuner did not work with wmdirectpath and my firewire tuner did not work either.
I also run a Win7 VM frontend with wmdirectpath ATi graphics card and a PCI wmdirectpath USB controller for MCE remote.
Then I run some ubuntu servers and freenas with ZFS disks.

so it works, but you might run into compability issues.

[wodger]

Bit late to the party, but check this out: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1460740

As for me, I want to go Hyper-V and have NPVR running in a W7 VM, but looks like I can't.