PocketPC Wireless Webserver

Patrick Morris writes: "I learned that I could put Linux on my iPaq... so of course I did. I did a little research and found thttpd already ported to the ARM platform... So, I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver. Hey, it's kinda cool holding a webserver in your hand and being able to walk around with it."

Comments

46 hits and not slashdotted yet?

[metacosm]

I am currently taking time (measured in seconds) until total slashdot meltdown of the poor little ipaq.

Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet?

[ImaLamer]

300+ when I went.. very good I would say.

Good idea giving your ipaq the stress test this way. Very, very cool hack.

Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet?

[MaxVlast]

Is it really that cool? (Disclaimer: It's slashdotted, so I can't see the details.) From the post, it looks like a guy installed linux on his ipaq and found a ported version of httpd, turned it on, and submitted the story. Big deal.

Re:46 hits and not slashdotted yet?

[mjstrom]

That burning sensation in your pocket? That's your iPaq on Slashdot....

1...2...3.... its down for the count.

Comment edited obviously

[rhadamanthus]

What he originally said was, "So, I've got this poor little 206mHz ARM processor with 64mb running a webserver, and I want to kill it"

----rhad

Re:Comment edited obviously

[kzinti]

Really. Do us a favor, Taco & Co.: the next time someone writes in to say that he has a web server running on his ancient computer / handheld computer / kitchen appliance / Craftsman power tool / wife's electronic pleasure toy, please DON'T BOTHER to post it unless the submitter can reasonably claim that said device can handle the slashdot effect. Now, if they have a how-to / making-of site complete with story and pictures, on a server that can handle the load, now that's cool. But this assisted suicide of unusual web servers is just kind of pointless and perverse otherwise.

--Jim

Re:Comment edited obviously

[Erasmus Darwin]

"I don't mean to flame but I hate reading an interesting story only to be filled up with comments from people who don't care about it."

Try reading the comment you replied to a little more closely. The person explicitly supported the notion of publishing these things if there's an actual story we can read. But in a case like this, all we have is a Slashdot summary that boils down to, "So I, uh, installed the prepackaged webserver and stuff on my iPAQ."

I hate the people who mindlessly bash every interesting project, but in this case, there's nothing to actually read about here. It isn't even an interesting hack, in that the webserver was apparently already packaged and ready to go. All this guy did was install it. And if he actually did more, we wouldn't know since there's no link to a robustly hosted story of what was done.

This guys cool, but a little nuts...

[Bryan_Casto]

Anyone ever seen an iPaq burn before?

We need a new Slashdot poll.

[Tweezer]

How long until this Ipaq is slashdoted?

30 sec.
1 min.
5 min.
10 min.
1 hr.
CowboyNeal

Before this poor little thing gets mashed...

[DavidpFitz]

I'm sure that this poor little beastie will buckle sooner rather than later, here's what it said: (Plus a hit counter underneath, at 165 when I visited)

---

This server is running from a Compaq iPaq 3765 running the Familiar distribution of the linux operating system. The http server is thttpd which can be found here. Furthermore, this server is completely wireless. The only cable plugged in is a power cord to replenish the battery.

Re:Before this poor little thing gets mashed...

[WoofLu]

Ok.. now you can stop .. the owner has finished heating up his meal!

The first webserver on an IPAQ

[Mr. Sketch]

is now the first slashdotted handheld device.

So?

[noahm]

Honestly, what's the big deal here? There's a Linux box running a web server. Is that a big deal anymore, even if it runs on "exotic" hardware? I'm sure this isn't the first web server run on a handheld. It's definitely not the first web server run on a Linux handheld. And it's not the first web server run on a Linux handheld over 802.11b.

Here, just for fun, is a link to my iPaq running thttpd over a wireless link. It's really nothing spectacular.

noah

Re:So?

[Erasmus Darwin]

"Is that a big deal anymore, even if it runs on "exotic" hardware?"

I have to agree with you on this not being anything noteworthy. Slashdot has had a number of interesting wacky webserver postings over the years (including the one that was supposedly potato powered and one running off a pinball machine), but the iPAQ one just can't compete on pure novelty. Hell, the platform isn't even particularly underpowered -- I'm sure there are quite a few traditional Linux boxes that've run webservers with less memory and processor speed.

I could understand if it had some sort of actual feature on the site that related to its handheld nature (such as tying it to a GPS and allowing people to track the server), but that doesn't seem to be the case here (though it's slashdotted, so I can do little more than guess).

what's that you're ipaq'ing?

[L. VeGas]

geek: "Hey, is that a webserver in your pocket?"

me: "No, I'm just happy to see you."

Re:what's that you're ipaq'ing?

[WolfWithoutAClause]

So, its in his trouser pocket, I just hope he hasn't got a web cam too...

"Put it away- no take it; I mean, look away loooook awayyyyy"

Obligatory visitor count post....

[Anemophilous Coward]

I reached it at 9:32am MST and it had 506 hits at that point. That was about 7 minutes or so after the /. post.

I just went back there at 9:34am and could not reach the server.

Elsewhere in a galaxy far, far away...but at the exact same time....

- "what happened? Are you alright?"
- "I just felt a great disturbance in the force. It was as if a million transistors in an IPaq all cried out at once, and then were silenced. I feel something terrible has happened."

- A non-productive mind is with absolutely zero balance.
- AC

R.I.P.

[Mr. Sketch]

iPaq webserver
9:25am-9:35am (MDT)
May it rest in peace.

Zaurus

[IceFox]

For those that have a Sharp Zaurus pda we have been doing this for a while.

How about Apache with PHP


Or maybe the smaller Boa web server


How about a GUI Server manager for these? (screenshots)


Maybe put MySQL on it too have some more fun!


How about instructions on how to set up all of the servers (including smb)

There is nothign quite like getting your data by putting your sd card into the Z, selecting it as the root page and then browsing to it from another box.

Benjamin Meyer

P.S. How would you like to play Doom full framerate, multiplayer on the Zaurus! (for free too) It is coming soon! (Quake is more of a technical demo, can't do much without a floatingpoint, but if you want to see Quake on the Zaurus packages are already made.)

I must say though ...

[TheViffer]

/. history "might" have been made with this being the first "hand held" to feel the /. affect.

Any also why did he do it?

Because he could :-)

Load Test in Progress....

[bahtama]

Can't companies pay Slashdot and it's readers a ton of money to do load testing on servers? Now that would be cool. We could give out a "Slashdot-Proof" certificate or something.

I was surprised to see Moshe Bar's web server handle the slashdot load just fine. He even says, The server handling this site is a noname PII 500Mhz machine with 256MB RAM, Apache 1.3.20, Mysql 3.23, Linux 2.4.18 and two IDE 6GB disks. Very simple hardware, but it still can withstand the Slashdote tide.

So what troublemakers really should do is stop writing trojans/bots and instead concentrate on building a community website and make sure it becomes really popular. Then, when you want to unleash a DOS attack, forget bots, IRC and all that other stuff, just post it and away you go! :)

Why would it die?

[tweakt]

Guys, it'n on 802.11 wireless.
Running @ 200Mhz.

Last time I checked that was more than enough for thttpd. thttpd is a non-blocking non-threaded design... (select()). It's supposed to scale BETTER than apache, etc..

It will just have it's network link congested I think, but it won't *die* or *crash*.

Try out Linux on an iPAQ

[Test Drive]

If you want to try out Linux running on an iPAQ for yourself, we happen to have one in the HP Test Drive Program. We also have a cross-compiling toolchain that lets you compile for the StrongARM from our Alpha servers. Additionally, we have a number of DEC Shark systems which are also based on the StrongARM processor available for your use.

Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised...

[GeneralEmergency]

...by Microsoft in the early developer kit promotion literature but it never was delivered. I suspect that the RIAA got to them and persuaded them to drop it because the last thing that they wanted to see was people sharing music/files on a mobile, wireless basis. Imagine a subway car full of people sharing music files.

Now if someone could come up with a wireless, peer-to-peer Gnutella type client....

'ipkg install thttpd'

[moray]

Yup, all you need to do to replicate this amazing feat is:

• Take a few minutes to download Familiar
  
• ipkg install thttpd
  

There's also the BOA web server if you prefer.

meanwhile on irc.openprojects.net/#handhelds.org

[honeypea]

raduga> check out headlines on slashdot!
raduga> some crazy hacker has apparently managed to run linux on an ipaq!!!!
dc_> OMFG
dc_> who??
dc_> I want one!
raduga> i dunno
raduga> but slashdot seems to think its amazing
raduga> not only linux but an http server!!
raduga> and wifi!
dc_> hahaha
dc_> omg.
dc_> somone's actualy installed linux on an...
dc_> iPAQ!!
raduga> WEIRD
* honeypea goes to read :)
dc_> really
honeypea> theyre really on the ball, arent they
raduga> slashdot is news for nerds!
raduga> er. you *are* a nerd, aren't you?
honeypea> stuff that used to matter!

Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised..

[Mr_Silver]

Now if someone could come up with a wireless, peer-to-peer Gnutella type client....

Now that would be cool and something I'd love to have a hack at, however, doesn't 802.11b require a base station? In other words, you can't have two people with wireless cards communicating with each other without going through a base station. If thats the case then you couldn't just wander out into the street and hook up with a bunch of people nearby as they'd need access to your network.

Of course, you could just use bluetooth or IR, but that would mean you'd need 15,000 people stood just a bit too close to each other for comfort.

Toasted Webserver, In more Ways Than One...

[virg_mattes]

The point is to do something like this to demonstrate that it can be done, because it'll find a use eventually. For example, wouldn't it be really handy to take this toy to a conference, and after giving a presentation, host the support files on it for the day or two? That's just one use I came up with in ten seconds. The reason for doing this may seem silly now, but then the reasons for networking PCs together back in 1980 were fairly dumb, too. Sure, an iPaq won't handle much, but maybe the iPaq2 (or 3 or 4) will have the bandwidth necessary to make this happen. Who knows? But saying it's dumb because you can't conceive a practical purpose for it right now is short sighted and arrogant.

Virg

Re:Personal Web Server for PocketPC was promised..

[4of12]

This sounds interesting.

Do these iPAQs or Zauri come or be augmented with audio, for example?

A portable web server that streams out live music or video from remote locations (concerts, theatres, seminars, political speeches) would be quite useful.

Practically, though, you wouldn't want everyone connecting directly to the BW limited wireless device. Better to relay to a cache server with big pipes to handle the multicasting.

Newton Message Pads...

[heyjero]

...have been doing this for a long time. Here is a site that lists a few running Newton Message Pad web servers.. http://misato.chuma.org:2110/ I didn't get to see the IPaq's page, but the Newton's pages listed here are pretty remarkable.

Slashdot - the Dr. Kevorkian of the Internet

[Oliver Wendell Jones]

Future Slashdot story:

Man Claims Development of Invulnerability Fabric
John Q. Public writes, "I just developed a new kind of fabric that renders the wearer invulnerable. I can be found at 123 Main Street, Smalltown, USA and I'll be wearing a suit made from this fabric in case anyone who reads this wants to drive by and take a shot at me."

Re:How long before...

[ncc74656]

...some clever hacker has a T-1 hooked up to the wife's electronic pleasure toy?

You'd need to find a hacker with a wife before that can happen...