Everyone Needs a Personal Server

An anonymous reader writes "Intel Labs is prototyping a potentially revolutionary new 'personal server'. The tiny device -- smaller than a PDA -- comprises a hard disk, BlueTooth, a Web-DAV enabled HTTP daemon, and other technologies enabling the user to access and modify their files from any enabled PC within their "Personal Area Network." In theory, this would allow the worker to access their own data -- essentially to have their own PC -- at any suitable workstation as long as the personal server were nearby. This article at LinuxDevices.com provides background on the personal server concept, explains how the device will enable a truly mobile experience, discusses the basic technologies involved, and provides an architectural block diagram of the prototype, which is based on an XScale Processor running at 400MHz running an embedded Linux OS."

Comments

Security

[staili]

Sounds interesting, but how secure that kind of device can be?

Re:Security

[slittle]

I'd be more concerned with the security of the host I'm using, rather than the fact that the unit is wireless. If the host terminal isn't mine, it can easily be trojaned/sniffed by h4x0rz, employers, The Man, etc.

If I were using this to interface with public machines (like at a library) I'd want the ability to re-image it with a known clean copy of the OS after every use. Removable media to keep my data out of public eyes wouldn't hurt either.

curious about Apple's move

[dJOEK]

an iPod is already 2/3s of that
add wireless and http and presto!

Re:curious about Apple's move

[artemis67]

Actually, I think that not having wireless on the iPod is an advantage over this Intel server.

If I put all of my personal files on a wireless hard drive I carried around with me, I would always be worried about people around me trying to hack in. Can you imagine going into the mall a few years from now, when everyone is carrying one of these? It would be a hacker's dream to wander the mall, seeing what info he can pick up!

Or, can you imagine a worm in that same mall, jumping from person to person as they pass each other?

No thanks, just give me the security of the wire. I might support wireless if there was a hard switch on the unit that physically disconnected the wireless hardware, making it impossible to be turned on via software.

Instead of laptop.

[spectrokid]

I carry a laptop from home to work. I have a port replicator in both places and kbd, lcd,.. is basically dead weight. If you could make a PC the size of a laptop with a desktop processor (cheaper) but no screen, kbd, mouse then I would definitely be in for this. You would have to guarantee backward compatibility on the docking station so don't need to buy new ones every time I upgrade. You would have to do carefull weight/price/lifetime calculations for deciding what goes in the brick and what in the docking station (power supply, cdrom?). This would also work in these "floating" offices where every employee does not have a fixed desk assigned (very popular in Brussels right now, how about your place?). What they describe here just seems like another expensive add-on. I would look for sth which replaces my current hardware store.