Suggest NAS software to also run NPVR

[Tunes0710]

Hi all,
So firstly, Sub if this should be in another forum, please move it (and accept my apologies), but as it was more S/W based rather than H/W, I wasn't sure where to put it.

Currently I have an elitedesk 800 as my machine running NPVR and Kodi, with NPVR using a HDHomeRun Quattro for OTA TV and an IPTV service.
Before I found NextPVR, I was using another machine as a HTPC, running J-River and a TBS6909 card for Freesat.
That PSU recently went pop in that box, and as I don't use it now, I've decided to repurpose it.

As I've filled up 2 x 6 bay QNAPs and don't really fancy forking out for a 3rd, I am going to use this box for it.
It has a Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Mobo, C2Q Q9550 @2.83ghz, 8GB Ram and a 1GB HD5850.
It has 8 x SATA (6 x 3Gb/s and 2 x 3Gb/s).

I am looking for a NAS setup, where hopefully I could also run NextPVR as well.
I first looked at XigmaNAS, as it looks pretty polished since they forked.
The downside is it's BSD based and doesn't look like they have docker support, as reading this docker is broken at the moment. So no way of running NPVR on it?
So was then potentially thinking something like OMV, as it's linux based, so I should then be able to install NPVR.

I don't need it to do anything fancy, as most things I can do from the QNAPs if needed, it literally just has to hold files and give me a web interface so I can keep tabs on it.

The main thing that I need, is if the mobo/cpu etc dies and I need to transfer the array over to another machine (or fit a new mobo), I won't lose anything and it will recognise the array and be able to use it.

Next up, if I went with OMV, what would be best practice to install NPVR. Just install "as-is", or run in a docker container (as it looks like there is a plugin for OMV to run docker)
Because I've never used docker before, I don't exactly know how it works, is it just like a mini-linux VM? If so can you apportion how much system resources go to it, or will it just share the resources?
Can you pass hardware through to it? i.e. the TBS6909?

Then, how will I get the EPG for the channels served by the satellite. I currently use EPG Collector, is there a recommended linux package that can grab what I need? Or can NPVR handle this internally? as I've seen "DVB/ATSC EPG" in EPG Sources, but wasn't sure how well it worked?

Or... should I just stick with Win10 on the machine and create a volume with Parity, so I can use the windows versions of EPG Collector and NPVR - but I'd not be able to monitor the drives remotely (unless there is a decent tool that has a web interface for windows, that allows me to do so).

I'd really appreciate peoples suggestions/recommendations to help me decide which way to go!

Cheers :-)


EDIT: Cpu-Z output attached for system specs

[Tunes0710]

Or!

As an alternative solution... are there any decent Linux/BSD Sat-IP software packages that I could install on whichever NAS I go for.
if I understand correctly, running Sat-IP server software on the box with the card, would allow NPVR to pick it up as an IP device, like it does for my HDHomeRun?

EDIT: Would something like https://github.com/catalinii/minisatip do the trick?

[mvallevand]

My experience is docker is much more trouble then just installing linux and running bare metal, especially if you want to extend it add programs etc. Setting up samba and nfs shares is not hard on linux too, but you can run GUI tools like Webmin to do that if you want.

I do run OMV on an old and run their docker with NextPVR, but their upgrade strategy forces a new build and reinstall, I will be moving to use just going from Ubuntu LTS to another instead of going to OMV 5.

SAT>IP doesn't mean you don't have to configure a tuner, and minisatip just adds one more box, but if you haven't decided between NextPVR and TVHeadend mayb that is an option.

Definitely not the right forum.

Martin

[Tunes0710]

My experience is docker is much more trouble then just installing linux and running bare metal, especially if you want to extend it add programs etc.  Setting up samba and nfs shares is not hard on linux too, but you can run GUI tools like Webmin to do that if you want. 

I do run OMV on an old and run their docker with NextPVR, but their upgrade strategy forces a new build and reinstall,  I will be moving to use just going from Ubuntu LTS to another instead of going to OMV 5.

SAT>IP doesn't mean you don't have to configure a tuner, and minisatip just adds one more box, but if you haven't decided between NextPVR and TVHeadend mayb that is an option.

Definitely not the right forum.

Martin

Hi Martin,

Many thanks for your help and suggestions. I definitely want to run NextPVR, it's just deciding how I do it.
My after thought was seeing if I could install something on the machine so that NextPVR on my current machine could see it like it sees the HDHomeRun Connect Quattro, and that is what I was querying if minisatip could do?
ie.
Box 1 running Kodi/NextPVR
Box 2 - Ubuntu 18.04 LTS / webmin /minisatip with the TBS6909 card.

Would Box 1 running NextPVR "see" the TBS6909 as a network device? or is that not what minisatip does?

[mvallevand]

Sorry you lost me with your setup why wouldn't you just put NextPVR on Box 2 and ignore minisatip Having recordings on the NAS makes sense.

Martin

[Tunes0710]

That...... is because....... I still had it in my head about running NPVR using NAS software (such as OMV, et al) and to be honest... wasn't properly thinking.

Yes... I will go along the route of something like Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with webmin, and put NextPVR on there, so it can handle the satellite card, the hdhome run and the iptv.
I wish I had an excuse for not thinking straight... but sadly I've just been a bit of a muppet.

Thank you (as ever) for your patience and your help!

[Tunes0710]

Actually..sorry.. one more question.

if I do this, how will I get the EPG for the channels.
Can NPVR get the EPG OTA from the card? or is there a linux program that can pull the EPG in to an xml file that NPVR can use?

[sub]

Can NPVR get the EPG OTA from the card?

Yes, it should be able to. I'm not sure if we've had a DVB-S/S2 user on Linux, using the DVB EPG. Most have been DVB-T, but it should be fine.

[Tunes0710]

Can NPVR get the EPG OTA from the card?

Yes, it should be able to. I'm not sure if we've had a DVB-S/S2 user on Linux, using the DVB EPG. Most have been DVB-T, but it should be fine.

Awesome - well at least it will be a good test of the system and be a guinea pig should there be any issues.

I'll report back after I've got it all set up :-)