Web Server Packed into RJ45 Connector

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Web Server Packed into RJ45 Connector

Posted by chrisd on Thursday March 13, 2003 @01:38AM from the promiscuous-mode-on dept.

VinceTronics writes "Electronic Design magazine has a review (.pdf) of the XPort by Lantronix, a product that packs an entire web server into the volume of an RJ45 connector! This includes an 80186 controller, an OS, the TCP/IP stack, a 10/100 Ethernet transceiver, and the LAN interface magnetics. Downside is that the serial interface to the controller tops out at 300 kbps, but for $33 (in 10K quantities) it's a cool, easy way to net-enable just about anything."

14 of 438 comments (clear)

These seem cool by Anonymous Coward · 2003-03-13 01:44 · Score: 5, Insightful

Sure, a lot of these devices seem cool (and I'll agree that they are), but to me and others in my line of work they're a security nightmare. Due to the small size, it's not hard build a device that could be hidden inside of a building on a network leaving it open to the person who left it there.

I'd still love to have one to play around with, though!
Re:I'm wondering by Hulver · 2003-03-13 01:48 · Score: 5, Funny

If you were a fridge manufacturer and wanted to web-enable your fridges, you would buy as many of these as you built fridges.
Imagine being able to check on the temparature of your fridge over the internet. Even install a web cam inside it. Check what groceries you need from work.
Pow. Cheep, web enabled fridge.
The only problem would be script kiddies. I 0wnzers your cuccumber man

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-- Hulver's site
Re:I'm wondering by e8johan · 2003-03-13 01:52 · Score: 5, Insightful

Anything embeddable sells in tens of thousands. Stationary computers are the least produced computer type. Just imagine all microcontrollers in VCRs for example. I'd say that there are far more than 10000 VCRs sold each year. Now embedd a webserver into each VCR, so that you can program the timer over your private LAN. Thats a possible 10000 units. Now put the same protocol in your digital TV reciever/decoder to change channels, update codes, subscribe to PPV shows etc. and let the VCR change the channel of the decoder and you've got another 10k units.
10k is a small number in the embedded world.
Now, for the real price:
"The list price of the XPort is $49.00. Discount pricing on the XPort is also available in volumes of ten thousand."
according to http://www.lantronix.com/news/pr/2003/02-24-xport. html
Re:I'm wondering by walt-sjc · 2003-03-13 02:03 · Score: 5, Insightful

At $33 each in quantity, I don't think we are going to see them in toasters anytime soon.

As far as embedded systems goes, this is an order of magnitude or so too expensive. Manufacturers pinch pennies on even larger items like TV's, as each dollar increase in cost translates into something like $5 to the consumer, and potentially millions to the bottom line.

Frankly, this technology isn't even appropriate anyway. For something more in line with the applications you are thinking about, look here where the technology is already imbedded in millions of consumer devices.
cool by JeanBaptiste · 2003-03-13 02:05 · Score: 5, Funny

but dead flies are smaller, cheaper, and in greater abundance :)
Re:Great! by ip_vjl · 2003-03-13 02:18 · Score: 5, Interesting

Why would you need IPv6?

Are you planning on making your fridge world visible? If not, your appliances could all sit behind NAT and you'd still only need a single IP address for your entire house.

I wouldn't want to get home and find out I've been H4X0R3D and have a freezer full of rotten food, so I don't think I'd ever give them world visible addresses.

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Not that IPv6 is a bad thing, but this probably wouldn't significantly grow the total number of world routable addresses much, as they'd be on private nets.
Proof at last! by docbrown42 · 2003-03-13 02:23 · Score: 5, Funny

Imagine being able to check on the temparature of your fridge over the internet. Even install a web cam inside it.

That would be SO cool! I'd finally be able to get the PROOF of the existance of the little guy who turns on and off the light in my fridge!

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Ed Wedig
Graphic design services
docbrown.net
That's not a 16 port hub by cyber_rigger · 2003-03-13 02:27 · Score: 5, Funny

It's my Beowulf Cluster. :^)
Re:Question by EnglishTim · 2003-03-13 02:33 · Score: 5, Interesting

I think the idea is that people who produce things like TVs, Refrigerators, water heaters etc... could easily intergrate these things into their products for a minimal cost. So, you can have your iRefrigerator and plug a network cable in it, and it can now email you when it runs out of ice, or someone leaves the door open, or it needs de-icing. You could point your webserver at it and get a reading of the current temperature, how much ice it has etc...

You could put these things in drink kiosks so that they can email you when they're almost out of Dr. Pepper.

I can't see why you'd want one in a toaster, though...
Yes it is a web server by IWannaBeAnAC · 2003-03-13 02:39 · Score: 5, Informative

From the product description link, helpfully included in the main story...
Although it is smaller than your thumb, the XPort contains all of the hardware and software required to Web-enable any device, including:
10Base-T/100Base-TX auto-sensing Ethernet connection
Mature, robust operating system
Embedded HTTP-compliant Web server
Programmable e-mail alerts
Extensive networking protocol suite including full TCP/IP stack
128-bit AES Rijndael encryption
In perspective.. by nolife · 2003-03-13 02:50 · Score: 5, Interesting

Downside is that the serial interface to the controller tops out at 300 kbps, but for $33 (in 10K quantities) it's a cool, easy way to net-enable just about anything."

The size is a big factor but there are already full blown devices that can do far more then this and are cheaper. Take a look at some DSL/Cable routers. Siemens sells one that is a 10/100 4 port switch, web interface and control, printer port, firewall, etc... for $19 and $28. Many SMC barricades and Linksys models are going for under $40. These devices might not fit into a toaster but I know they could be made smaller. I know comparing these to the articles product is not apples to apples but there are cheaper and more robust web and network enabled devices already out on the street.

--
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
Re:Great! by le_jfs · 2003-03-13 02:51 · Score: 5, Funny

I want one!
I can't wait to code a MUD (multi-user dungeon) for my fridge!

~$ telnet fridge.home user: le_jfs password: ********* Welcome inside your fridge! It's dark. It's cold. You can hear a little hum coming from everywhere. command> open door The door is now open. Magically, the light turned on. You can see a path to the kitchen south. command> look The fridge contains a ten-days-opened bottle of milk, some ham and some cheese. command> look cheese It's greenish. command> put cheese in bin. The Cheese screams in terror. He resides now in the bin. command> look ham It's bluefish. It has some activity on it. A fly probabily layed eggs on it. You are hungry. command> wield knife You are now armed with a knife. You are hungry. You are cold. command> kill ham with knife You attack the ham with a knife. The ham strafes and ignores you. You attack the ham with a knife. The ham takes a cut and cries. You attack the ham with a knife. The ham flees south command> go south You are now in the kitchen. There is some ham in bad condition lying on the floor. command> kill ham with knife You attack the ham with a knife. The ham begs you to stop. It really hurts. You attack the ham with a knife. The ham dies with a tremendous 'Aaaaarg'. You won. You are hungry. command> go shopping.

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main(char O){O++&&(((O-291)*O+27788)*O-868020?1:putchar(O++) )&&main(O);}
Re:Great! by Mr.+Bad+Example · 2003-03-13 03:36 · Score: 5, Funny

I wouldn't want to get home and find out I've been H4X0R3D and have a freezer full of rotten food

All your bouillabaisse are belong to us.
Re:Forget about stealth Dreamcasts! by DickBreath · 2003-03-13 03:57 · Score: 5, Interesting

It still needs to connect to your network which means a new light on your hub/switch/router.

You're right. This is a major drawback.

What we need is help from some hardware hackers. Surely someone skilled with electronics could build a, say, calculator sized board, duct taped to a square 6-volt lantern battery, that would have both the function of a hub and a packet sniffer using a small embedded microcontroller.

The way I propose building it, such a device would plug between an ethernet jack and a computer. It would install inline. (Although my proposed construction method is too bulky to be hidden inline, but the construction price is right. So it needs to go "inline" up in the suspended ceiling.

Since it is inline, it doesn't "take up" an ethernet port. It piggybacks on a legitimate device that is entitled to have a network connection.

A regular portscan of your network ip address range would find this, then you can just pull the connection at the other end.

Not true. Just because the thing listens on ethernet does not mean it needs to respond to portscans. Heck, it doesn't even have to have an IP address. It doesn't even need to have a MAC address!

Late at night, when the device the sniffer is piggybacked onto isn't doing anything, our sniffer could then use the same MAC address and IP address as the piggybacked device. Packets sent out from our sniffer could look to the LAN, switches, routers, etc. just like they had come from the piggybacked device. In fact, no reason we couldn't do this during the daytime. Our sniffer would watch for reply packets comming to our MAC and IP address to one of OUR port numbers, and just not relay those packets thru to the piggybacked device whose connection we're leaching from.

Okay, maybe this shouldn't have a "hub", but should really be an embedded computer with TWO ethernet ports. It's normal function is to "transparently" bridge all packets between the two so that it is invisible "inline".

I sure wish such an inline sniffer could be truly small so that it literally could go "inline" between two ethernet cables, connecting them together. But the price of such equipment isn't there yet for most of us.

Another problem that I touched on above is how to power such a device. I mentioned the possibility of battery power. This is fine if you don't want a permanent "bug" in someone's network.

Better is to somehow power it from utility power. A small AC adapter? A very tiny switching power supply on the sniffer's circuit board so that you just use aligator clips to hook into 110v power, such as in some light fixture in the suspended ceiling? (You still need battery backup for "lights off" hours.) Well, maybe just the insides of an AC adapter bolted to your board, with alligator clips for 110v power. Again, the price and ease of construction is right for those of us without NSA style budgets.

I wish I could buy some of the NSA's packet sniffers from ThinkGeek.

Another problem is how does the device communicate to its master? IRC is one possibility. Instant messaging? P2P? What about a P2P that is bandwidth friendly like OpenNap? The device connects to a server, offers several bizzarre files to upload. When one of those files is uploaded, that triggers it to search for and then "download" a file of new commands or firmware. When a different file is requested for upload, the sniffer yields up its booty. Besides IRC or OpenNap, the device could pretend to visit certian web sites. Various URL's of the web site would secretly communicate "bits" of steganographic information. For instance, it visits my "slash" site. It checks the last 64 comments. Which of the 64 comments it checks, communicates a 6-bit value to the web server. Of course, once such a device is discovered, the web server might be implicated. Another possibility is to e-mail various yahoo or hotmail accounts with encrypted infor

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I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.