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Tiny Boxen

Posted by michael on from the blink-and-you'll-miss-it dept.

swg101 writes "These people (openbrick.org) have developed a small computer designed for open source and free software. I quote: "This great little Linux box can be used as a firewall, micro-server, PABX, thin client, multimedia, almost anything imaginable. It contains a fanless 300 Mhz x86 compatible Geode processor and 128 MB SDRAM. Software can be installed on a Compact Flash or on an optional Hard Disk." Sounds like a nice solution for many applications."

16 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. Openbrick Off The Wall by spacefight · · Score: 4, Funny

    Looks like they're serving their website out of one of these tiny boxes ;)

  2. Truely Quiet and Cheap by fm6 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Hmm. If Flash memory gets just a little cheaper, you could have a serious desktop computer with no moving parts at all. Or you could install a disk drive that emphasizes low power consumption and limiting noise, rather than performance. There are a lot of desktop users who hate computer noice and dislike power waste.

    Of course this all depends on availability of good Linux apps. It isn't just the Linux emphasis of the boxes designers. Windows is just too bloated to run on this kind of system.

  3. Slashdotted... by Cubeman · · Score: 4, Funny

    I bet they need a fan on that CPU right about now :)

    *flames scorch the motherboard*

  4. Google Cache by OrangeHairMan · · Score: 4, Informative

    Get the Google cache here: http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:fi5nQ4GvkE0C: openbrick.org/+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

    Orange

  5. Dual NIC by mmca · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For firewall use, I would like to see dual NICs.
    They would make great IDS nodes.
    $300 bucks is a pretty good deal for a computer that small with that amount of proc power.

    -M

    1. Re:Dual NIC by hazard · · Score: 4, Informative

      Take a look here: Nagasaki Thin Client, there are versions with three NICs. OpenBrick actually looks to be a rebranded MS2100.

    2. Re:Dual NIC by friscolr · · Score: 5, Informative
      in case you haven't seen these before- www.soekris.com/
      486/133, 3 NICs, 4.85" x 5.7" mobos, 64 mb RAM, plus dedicated encryption boards for $332

      There's also http://www.bcmcom.com/tech/BOX-3410/BOX-3410.htm
      Geode 300mhz, 2 NICs in 106mm (W) x 178mm (L) x 65mm (H)

      and http://www.nexcom.com/product/ebc/ebs1563p/
      VIA C3 processor, 3 NICs, 177 (W) x 51 (H) x 228.6 (D) mm

      Depending on what you need, you could buy an old laptop off of ebay and get 2 nics for it.

      --

      -f
      www.blackant.net

  6. Article with more details by gregfortune · · Score: 5, Informative

    openbrick.org seems to be getting hit pretty hard, but Linux Max has a pretty detailed article on the Open Brick.. And it's not slashdotted.. yet... http://www.linuxmax.net/news/00816.html

  7. Unfortunately by __aahlyu4518 · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you look at this page, you'll see that for some of the features you need a non-free XFree 3.3.6 driver. Another fun detail on that page : description says : 300 to 400 EUR while it is sold for 590 EUR. But it definately is cool. Once they sell it for less than that 590 (which would buy you a nice PC WITH storage), and that non-free Xfree 3.3.6 driver thing is solved... it is a really nice box.

  8. And you call yourself a geek? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This "boxen" issue has come up before on ./ and I'm surprised the argument continues.
    1) Since the oh-so-consistent English language uses the term "oxen" as the plural of "ox", it sounds reasonable (and amusing) to use "boxen" for "box".
    2) Any hacker or geek with some sense of computing history knows that clusters of the late, great VAX systems from Digital Equipment Corp. (pre-Compaq) were known as VAXen.
    3) The English language has no ultimate authority comparable to the Royal Academy of the Language in Spain, or its equivalent in France. So making up words in English is quite easy, and legitimacy comes to them with wide usage. No need for the latest official dictionary to be published. ;-)

  9. Too much money!! by nweaver · · Score: 5, Informative

    300 to 400 euros is WAY too much money for what you get, when you compare with things like the Via Epia motherboard (available for $130 at outpost. The Via Epia has an 800 Mhz x86 processor, SDRAM slots, is 18 cm on a side, and has practically everything you need but memory, storage and an ATX power supply. They even have a completely fanless 500 MHz version (althouh you can't get that version from Fry's).

    --
    Test your net with Netalyzr
  10. Filesystems... by Vengie · · Score: 5, Informative

    One thing about all the compact flash stuff. Typical flashable memory can only be "erased" on the order of 100,000 times. Now, many of you are saying "sure, this isn't a problem" -- but i dont think most /.'ers realize how many temp files Linux (and Operating Systems in general) create. Unfortunately, using Fat32 or NTFS(if you were "Gasp" running nt/2k), you would be repeatledy using the same flash sectors, quickly burning them out.


    This means the only really useful filesystem is LFS (see the SPRITE project -- http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/projects/sprite/sprite. html ) and even at that, you need to be able to have some mechanism to rotate your two checkpoints or else THEY get burnt out.
    So no, you can't have a box that has no hard drive, as of yet, unless you have very specialized uses for which lfs work well. (sequential writes/reads, etc)
    Wee! Final exam questions with applications in the real world!
    --
    When in doubt, parenthesize. At the very least it will let some poor schmuck bounce on the % key in vi. (Larry Wall)
    1. Re:Filesystems... by Roadmaster · · Score: 5, Informative

      "but i dont think most /.'ers realize how many temp files Linux (and Operating Systems in general) create. "

      So, just mount /tmp/ on a ram drive...

      Actually, there are many projects, a lot of them aimed at diskless workstations, that do just that, and even symlink all other commonly changing files so that they actually reside on /tmp.

  11. Link to specs and pics. by 10+Speed · · Score: 4, Informative

    specs and pics

  12. Future Conversation... by Cyno01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Boss: Why is the server down? Sysadmin Guy: Well sir, I think I lost it. Boss: Lost it?? Sysadmin Guy: Well, i had it in my pocket, it must've fallen out when...

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  13. Bah! This is what you need for a diskless firewall by ^MB^ · · Score: 4, Informative
    Lex LIGHT barebones system
    Lex Systems
    Its tiny, powerfull, and has tripple ethernet... what more could you ask for?

    well maybe a fanless cpu.
    -Nick

    now if i can only find somewhere that sells it....