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Anatomy Of A uClinux-Powered VPN Gadget

Posted by timothy on from the workhorse-tech dept.

An anonymous reader writes "LinuxDevices.com technical editor Jerry Epplin takes a look at SnapGear's award-winning uClinux-based VPN appliances from the perspective of a developer's ability to customize them -- and in the process, becomes a uClinux convert. 'uClinux is probably the most exciting development in embedded Linux today, and perhaps in the larger Linux world as well. If, like me, you were skeptical of uClinux because the idea of redesigning a desktop operating system to work in the most deeply embedded devices just seems wrong, you really need to take a look at the project now,' says Epplin."

9 comments

  1. Since when by Y+Ddraig+Goch · · Score: 1

    If, like me, you were skeptical of uClinux because the idea of redesigning a desktop operating system...

    I always thought that *nix was a server OS...

    --
    Meddle thou not in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and with most anything.
    1. Re:Since when by Single+GNU+Theory · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's a pretty small pigeonhole to say that *nix is just a server OS. To say that Linux, for example, is a server OS or desktop OS is to impose artificial limits on what it can do.

      In a server, you probably want a highly reliable, stable operating system to run services on. On a desktop, why wouldn't I also want something that stable and reliable to run apps on?

      Linux is capable of running network services *and* playing games, browsing the web, and reading e-mail. So is Windows, actually, but it's more due to marketing and default tuning and included software that makes the difference between Windows ' Pro and Advanced Server editions.

      Have you ever installed Windows 2000 Advanced Server? If you watch the install, one of the drivers it loads is for the Toshiba Libretto floppy drive. It's either a sign that MS considers the Libretto to be server hardware or that there's not as much difference between the various Windows 2000 editions as MS would like you to think.

      At any rate, I think what the original comment was meant to mean was that he was pleasantly surprised to see Linux scale down to work well on embedded devices (which would normally mean using an OS designed from the ground up to be embeddable), rather than to pigeonhole it as merely a "desktop" OS.

      --
      Little Debian: America's #1 Snack Distro!
  2. what this is by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    VPN means Virtual Private Network. A VPN is when
    you use encryption to send your private network
    data over the public Internet, typically from one
    business location to another. For example, a VPN
    lets your French development office use ClearCase
    servers located in your Mexican headquarters.

    A VPN gadget handles the above. It would likely
    also act as a router, firewall, or NAT box.

    uClinux is a chopped-down Linux that can run on
    a processor without a MMU. The original 68000
    is an example of such a processor. These
    processors are often cheap, small, and with
    low power consumption.

  3. Where are the cheap boxes? by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm looking for a $200 embedded linux platform that has a couple NIC's, some bootable ROM, and a firewire connector on it. I expect it to have the low-horsepower, low-memory features this thing has - all I need to be able to do is blowfish at 10Mbps. But this one costs $499!

    At the moment I'm actively developing a linux-based network appliance. I'm currently buying a mini-PC with USB, 1394, audio, video, NIC, PCI slot, a Celeron, 256MB of RAM, a CD-ROM drive for secure boot media, and a hard drive for data cacheing (important for my application). All for less than this box sells for - paying retail prices.

    It seems to me a tightly-integrated solution ought to be much cheaper than the box of parts approach. Am I dreaming?

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  4. Re:On behalf of the slashdot community... by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks. By nightfall on the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out. The first monk said, "Oh, no! The candle is out." The second monk said, "Aren't we not suppose to talk?" The third monk said, "Why must you two break the silence?" The fourth monk laughed and said, "Ha! I'm the only one who didn't speak."

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  5. Re:On behalf of the slashdot community... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    actually, i'd say that at least 50% of slashdot's readership know what a VPN is. perhaps way higher than 50%.

  6. Re:On behalf of the slashdot community... by pyrrho · · Score: 1

    TLA - Three Letter Acronymn.

    --

    -pyrrho