"Portable" DVR Install

Channels DVR Server
#1

Is it possible to install the Channels DVR onto an external drive such that it is completely portable? By that I mean I plug an external drive (with Channels DVR on it) into computer A, launch the DVR on that computer and run it there for awhile. And then shutdown the DVR, unplug the drive from computer A and plug it into computer B, launch the DVR on computer B and run it there for awhile. Then switch it back to A if I want.

The reason I ask is that I have a desktop PC that I prefer to use as my primary DVR server. But occasionally I do high CPU, high I/O intensive tasks on that computer and would like to move the DVR over to a temporary computer (eg. my laptop) for a day or 2 until I'm done with that activity and then move it back to the desktop.

I know about the backup/restore stuff, but was wondering if there's a more elegant way?

#2

Are you using Linux? Does the system you want to run Channels on use systemd for init and management?

If so, then with a little bit of work, Portable Services are probably exactly what you are looking for.

#3

If you installed the dvr onto the external drive, you could run ./uninstall.sh move the drive and then run ./install.sh

#4

I'm using 2 Windows PCs. Unfortunately, the installer has C:\ProgramData hard-coded as the install location. No opportunity to override it. I suppose what I could do is...

  • On PC A
    • Run the installer and stop the DVR service (but don't uninstall it)
    • Copy the C:\ProgramData\ChannelsDVR directory to the external drive that also stores my recordings
  • Move the drive over to PC B
  • On PB C
    • Copy the ChannelsDVR directory from the external drive to C:\ProgramData
    • Run the installer and start the DVR service

Then reverse the process to switch back from B to A.

I'll just have to be careful that the external drive gets assigned the same drive letter on both machines.

#5

Ah yes on Windows the path is hard coded.

Newer versions of Windows let you use symbolic links so you could use one of those to point c:\ProgramData\ChannelsDVR at your external drive