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Turning The SEGA Dreamcast Into A Linux Router

Posted by timothy on from the plastic-and-silicon dept.

An anonymous reader writes "This highly detailed 101-page how-to article provides the necessary background and procedures to turn a SEGA Dreamcast gaming console into a Linux-based router with firewalling and virtual private networking capabilities. The article explains how to create the necessary toolchain for compiling both programs and the Linux kernel, and shows how, starting from scratch, you can build a Linux operating system that runs entirely in memory."

35 comments

  1. Broadband Adapter by Samus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have an old dreamcast laying around that I would love to do some of these things with but I lack the broadband adapter. I suspect many people out there are in the same boat. Is there some other hack out there that slaps a network card onto this thing or am I just out of luck?

    --
    In Republican America phones tap you.
    1. Re:Broadband Adapter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I am in the same boat. Interested in an inexpensive Broadband Adapter to go with the inexpensive Dreamcast I picked up when I read about Linux on the Dreamcast...

    2. Re:Broadband Adapter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Broadband adapter? As in converting cable or dsl signals to ethernet? I doubt it, the dreamcast probably lacks the needed modulation/demodulation circuitry.

    3. Re:Broadband Adapter by Alizarin+Erythrosin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think that was the adapter's given name. It was just essentially one of those plug in thingies to replace the modem to allow the Dreamcast to hook into ethernet.

      Too bad they're so freaking expensive.

      --
      There are only 10 kinds of people in this world... those who understand binary and those who don't
    4. Re:Broadband Adapter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      I've never heard of one, but you can still find dreamcast broadband adapters for ~50-100 bucks on ebay.

      Sometimes you can find a LAN adaptor (model number HIT-300) that doesn't work with released games and needs a slightly different driver. That'll work for ya too.

      http://www.lik-sang.com/ seems to occasionally get both varieties in stock, if you don't like ebay.

      If course, if you just want to program the thing you can put together a PCdreamcast serial cable for 15 bucks or so.

    5. Re:Broadband Adapter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "you can still find dreamcast broadband adapters for ~50-100 bucks on ebay"

      Or you can just buy a cheapass router on ebay for $25.

    6. Re:Broadband Adapter by goldcd · · Score: 1

      http://www.lan-kwei.com/dcE/

    7. Re:Broadband Adapter by pair-a-noyd · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but that's no fun. You HAVE to do the geek thing. What's more cool? A $25 ebay/worstbuy router or one you made from a POS game console??

      Geek factor man, geek factor....

  2. Nintendo 64 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is quite handy actually, a nice and thorough explanation of how to build a ramdisk, etc. I've spent the last couple of days trying to get Linux to build for the N64 (I've nothing better to do right now!) so I can put this to use on another platform.

  3. That's not an article... by heldlikesound · · Score: 2, Funny

    its' a short book....

    --


    Cloud City Digital: DVD Production at its cheapest/finest
    1. Re:That's not an article... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ob Han Solo: ...it's too big to be a short book.

  4. you got it backwards! by mpweasel · · Score: 5, Funny

    What I'd like to see is instructions on how to turn an old linux router into a top-o-the-line gaming console.

    1. Re:you got it backwards! by pair-a-noyd · · Score: 1

      Uh, that would be the emachine to Xbox upgrade.
      I hear it's slated for release on freshmeat next week..

  5. Dang, a few days too late. by ErnieD · · Score: 1

    If only I had read about this a few days ago, but I just set up my old P2/400 Dell as my linux router this weekend. Would probably have been cheaper to sell the Dell and buy a used DC for this purpose, and it'd take up a lot less room. Ah well, live and learn...

    1. Re:Dang, a few days too late. by Jellybob · · Score: 1

      Possibly... but then you have to pay for broadband adapter as well.

  6. Router? by foxtrot · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have a Dreamcast.

    I have a Broadband adapter.

    The Broadband adapter's plugged into the Dreamcast-- and there's no place to plug in another one.

    Seems to me that a router with only one ethernet port is kinda limited in functionality...

    -JDF

    1. Re:Router? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      A router with one ethernet port is common in small installations. It is called a "router on a stick."

    2. Re:Router? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      True, but for security reasons the single interface usually (should) be running as a trunk, tagging frames to sit in different VLANs. otherwise you have your public lan and private lan(s) on the same layer 2 domain (bad).

    3. Re:Router? by merlin_jim · · Score: 3, Informative

      Seems to me that a router with only one ethernet port is kinda limited in functionality...

      That is why this router has a VPN built-in.

      The idea being that you connect all your computers in a flat LAN configuration, with your router sitting on the LAN like everything else. Then you configure all your network connected devices besides the router to talk to the router via VPN on private network addresses. You basically then have two different networks running over the same cable; your private VPN that the broadband adapter won't route, because you used private network addresses, and the public IP network that basically only includes your broadband modem and your dreamcast router. The router takes VPN packets and turns them into public IP packets, and the reverse.

      --
      I am disrespectful to dirt! Can you see that I am serious?!
    4. Re:Router? by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 1

      I've also heard it called a "one armed router".

  7. Nice. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have an old dreamcast just screaming for this. I hope I can figure out how to get a VPN running on it.

  8. Ehh... by cubyrop · · Score: 1, Troll

    Do hackers even care any more about creating something useful or ingenious?

    Because more and more, it seems like this has all become a race to see who can do the most useless thing with the most obsolete item, and spend the most amount of time and money doing so.

    And then brag to the internet about how their wives left them because of the project.

    --
    If I could make this sig kill you, I would.
  9. Easier instructions by moosesocks · · Score: 2, Funny

    1) Sell dreamcast on ebay
    2) Buy linksys/netgear router for ~$35
    3) ????
    4) Profit!

    --
    -- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
    1. Re:Easier instructions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where are the under-pants? :-)

    2. Re:Easier instructions by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 0, Troll

      Under your pants, or occasionaly on your head for variety.

      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
    3. Re:Easier instructions by pla · · Score: 1

      No fair! Step 3 actually exists here...

      "Subtract step 2, $35, from step 1, $50".

      Net, $15.

    4. Re:Easier instructions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have you actually used one of the ~$35 routers?

      They suck! I tried an SMC wireless Barricade, which didn't work. It required rebooting on a daily basis. I tried one of the Linksys touters and returned it when I discovered IPCop.

      I have IPCop running on an old 233M/64M/4G machine that was sitting in my basement. The difference in speed was just amazing! Without doing any caching in the router, Web pages seemed to load twice as fast (sorry, no hard data). So far it has been running since January with just one reboot (it seemed to lose it when my son opened a pinhole in the DMZ for his game; he'd done this many times before without problems so I'm not sure what the problem was).

    5. Re:Easier instructions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've been using a linksys router that cost me $65 and it works like a charm I dunno what you did but my linksys has only crashed on me once since november when I bought it

  10. Better idea... by insecuritiez · · Score: 1

    This sounds great but also a lot of work and as one reader wrote, one adapter is not the most usefull router in the world. How about go out and buy one of those Walmart Lindows OS PCs for like $199-$250, it's running Linux. Put another ethernet adapter or two in it, configure it and set it up. Now you have a firewall/router/NAT/spare computer for less that $300. Not exactly a Dreamcast but more versitile faster and more usefull.

    1. Re:Better idea... by FatalTourist · · Score: 2

      if you have the money.
      The Dreamcast will run you $30 and the broadband adapter around $100. That's less than half of the Wal-mart special.
      As an added bonus, the Dreamcast is small and just plain adorable.

      --


      Escape Pod Films: Sketch Comedy and Web Series
  11. Re:My Dreamcast mod by Zork+the+Almighty · · Score: 1

    I once modded a dreamcast. It didn't run Linux though. It used these weird 1.8gb discs, and mostly ran standalone 3D games.

    --

    In Soviet America the banks rob you!
  12. Well... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ya Gotta do something with those, close to extinct, consoles.

    1. Re:Well... by thegameiam · · Score: 1

      well, If you're going for old/extinct, how about modding a colecovision? or perhaps a TI99/4A?

      -David Barak

      --
      Need Geek Rock? Try The Franchise!