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GameCube-Powered Webserver

Posted by timothy on from the but-does-it-play-dvds dept.

Daniel Kolph writes "The GameCube Linux Project has just released, what they call the GameCube Linux Alpha This is an 1 MB busybox-based Linux system that contains screen output, network code, a telnet server and a webserver. They also provide a kernel patch. (Screenshots/Download)"

10 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. Impressive. Very impressive. by James+A.+E.+Joyce · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It even uses a backported version of Amigo Imnolar's O(1) scheduler patch. I reckon this'll probably run almost as fast as the raw GameCube hardware/firmware.

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    FloodMT: crapflood Movab
  2. Re:A first for everything? by cant_get_a_good_nick · · Score: 2, Interesting

    First-ever Slashdotted game console period?
    Unlikely, since there have been Linux and Apache ports to the PS2 and DreamCast for some time. They probably slashdotted an XBOX as well.

    Now if they get an atari 2600.. I'd be impressed.

  3. How hackable is the hardware? by steveha · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So far, they are just playing with software. They convince the GameCube to load the software over the network port.

    I'm probably not very interested in this unless I can hack the hardware a bit: add a hard drive, add a second network port, etc.

    A GameCube would make a sweet firewall/router box if you could get two network ports on it and Linux. The price would be right too.

    Note that the optical drive is fairly useless: you cannot burn a disk that will work in a GameCube, not with a conventional CD burner. :-(

    steveha

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    lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
    1. Re:How hackable is the hardware? by silas_moeckel · · Score: 2, Interesting

      He said firewall while most people realy dont understand what a real modern firewall does anymore a virtual interface is nearly useless for any sort of firewalling. A tagged port would be fine.

      If you use a virtual interface you may not be able to run DHCP if the ISP does as well and have it work well. Running a PPPoE session might work ok if you trust your ISP.

      Again I should stress natting does not make a firewall. You need a lot of proxy applications that can filter at higher levels than IPs ports and who initiated a connection. A firewall is somethough that should be able to filter out just about anything you wont want getting into your network. Now some people just dont care like most home users.

      I would say the same thing about calling a linux box a router it can route yes it's ok at it yes but it's latency is horid. Again for home use it's ok but PC's cant even fill a gigabit nic without incuring massive latency forget a gamecube.

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      No sir I dont like it.
    2. Re:How hackable is the hardware? by steveha · · Score: 2, Interesting

      most people realy dont understand what a real modern firewall does

      I had in mind a computer with two network ports, which looks at each IP packet and decides whether to let that packet in to the home network. No packet would go on the network without being actively copied from the in port to the home network port.

      about calling a linux box a router it can route yes it's ok at it yes but it's latency is horid.

      I have a Netgear home firewall/router, and its latency seems fine for my home use. I would like to replace it with something running Linux, that I can tweak. I imagine that the GameCube latency would be pretty similar, unless the networking hardware is horrid somehow. I don't know what kind of CPU is in my Netgear box, nor how much RAM it has, but I have to figure a GameCube would exceed its specs.

      Not that it matters; if I can't get two network ports, that's a deal-breaker. I will probably just build something with a Mini-ITX motherboard in it.

      steveha

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      lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
  4. Re:Let me be the first to say. . . by ndogg · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why the heck do people climb Mt. Everest? It's not like I care.

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    // file: mice.h
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  5. Re:Sad... by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I work as a network engineer, and routers and VPN devices usually come out of the boxes in EULAed bags... much like prepackaged software. You know... "Do not open this plastic cover unless you agree to the EULA"

    I mean, this may be acceptable in a business environment, but the day when you get your next game console - it will probably come with all this legalese as well.

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    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
  6. I can't wait... by twoslice · · Score: 2, Interesting

    For KDE to be ported so I can call my box the GameKube!

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    From excellent karma to terible karma with a single +5 funny post...
  7. Re:Gamecube??? Big Deal... by grolschie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Is that for real? The server seemed pretty quick. One html file would take up more ram than the C-64 has free.

  8. Better than Xbox as a low power server by Rolman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The thing about having Linux on a Gamecube as opposed as installing it on an Xbox is the great power consumption savings.

    The Xbox is 4-5 times more power-hungry than a Gamecube, but you'd never get anywhere near 4x performance. For a personal server (even media player) the Gamecube's CPU, GPU and memory performance are great, good enough for most tasks and it has component video and digital audio output capabilities (though Nintendo has never released the digital audio adapter, so the only way to do it is using the Panasonic Q and the component cables are not very easy to get).

    The machine is also very cheap at $100 and small enough to fit anywhere, at least better than the Xbox. It may not have a Hard Drive but there's an SD Card adaptor that could be used for mass storage. I really prefer to have a smaller, low power alternative. You just can't get a 40W machine with such strong capabilities for that price anywhere else.

    The only thing missing is a way to automatically boot into Linux, as you still need the PSOLoad trick. It would be wonderful if some company like Codejunkies released a boot disk like the Freeloader. I'd hate to be forced into manually loading PSO every time there's a power outage.

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    - Otaku no naka no otaku, otaking da!!!