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$100 Linux Wall-Wart Now Available
nerdyH sends us to LinuxDevices for a description of a tiny Linux device called the Marvell SheevaPlug. "A $100 Linux wall wart could do to servers what netbooks did to notebooks. With the Marvell SheevaPlug, you get a completely open (hardware and software) Linux server resembling a typical wall-wart power adapter, but running Linux on a 1.2GHz CPU, with 512MB of RAM, and 512MB of Flash. I/O includes USB 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, while expansion is provided via an SDIO slot. The power draw is a nightlight-like 5 Watts. Marvell says it plans to give Linux developers everything they need to deliver 'disruptive' services on the device." The article links four products built on the SheevaPlug, none of them shipping quite yet. The development kit is available from Marvell.
$100 Linux Wall-Mart now available? That would be cool.
Rhymes that keep their secrets will unfold behind the clouds.There upon the rainbow is the answer to a neverending story
Is it possible to also have the ethernet for this device go over the power lines like so many home networking devices? Then you could literally plug it and and have it running.
This would be cool for a pocket-sized router, firewall, packet sniffer, etc.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
From the linked page: "This device connects to the network using GbE"
Does it strike anybody else as strange that this device wouldn't have power line networking built in?
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
All you need to do is wrangle yourself an "interview" with a company, plug one of these unobtrusive babies into a wall outlet, attach a short patch cord to the nearest RJ45 data jack and you're off to the highest (competitor) bidder!
Sounds like a nice box to use as a NAS, just hook up a fast USB 2.0 drive and you're set. With a 1.2ghz CPU and all that RAM it should fly. Meh, my 2TB professional Raid 5 NAS only has a 400mhz CPU and IIRC 32mb of RAM.
...you could deploy these things as camera servers anywhere you had power. Locker rooms, hotel rooms, etc!... awesome!
Actually I do think these things have a place, though I am not sure exactly how I would use one, except maybe as described above.
Sometimes the best solution is to stop wasting time looking for an easy solution.
... because wall warts with a tail plugged into the nearest network port wouldn't attract any kind of attention.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Perhaps one more slot to insert an 2.5" hard drive would make that a perfect home server.
I don't need fast processor, but I need large hard disk space to share media files between my computers.
It looks pretty awesome.
Maybe I can use one with an USB cam to implement some cheap security cameras.
I can put a daemon on there to only start emailing images on movement. :)
Bseacue, evoneyre kwons taht you olny need to hvae the fisrt and lsat leettr rghit to be readlbae. I secsupt you see Wal-Mrat in prnit mroe oeftn tahn Wlal-Wrat.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
I'll start shopping at Wall-Mart if they start selling stores for $100.
Can anyone imagine a beowulf cluster of these? I could take over the world! Or at least a small chunk of Nantucket, RI.
Disclaimer: The opinions and actions of the US Gov't are in no way representative of those held by this author or its ci
Actually, he's got a point. If you can infiltrate the janitorial staff and can plug a two-ethernet-port version of this in between an important computer and a switch, you can sniff/analyze/record all unencrypted traffic until you run out of RAM.
Just be sure to remove it the next day before anyone notices.
Then again, an audio-recording device that recorded keystrokes or a keystroke-interceptor on the USB or PS2 ports is probably smaller.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Why do I keep reading that as Wall-Mart?
Because they got to you.
Is anyone else having trouble ordering one? It allows me to set up an account, but then it thinks my shopping cart is empty.
Sounds like an awesome little appliance, but what can you do with it? You know, besides a beowulf cluster.
I'm sure my fellow Slashdotters will have some suggestions. Let's hear 'em.
Mod my comments down. It'll be fun.
Oh yeah, that would probably be totally illegal...
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
That's funny; I see Wall-fnordWart.
"The power draw is a nightlight-like 5 Watts."
as six GIGAwatts...
That could be approaching a home-based (no relation to HomeBase, and, yeh, I was also seeing "Wal-Mart") personal teleportation device...
But, we're gettin' there.... Say, what would you trust:
A Linux-based matter-conversion teleportation device, or a windows-based one? I would wager the windows one might reduce me to Sonak's condition in ST:TMP. But, what would the Linux-based XR do?
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
$100 Linux wall wart could do to servers what netbooks did to notebooks.
And what, exactly, is it that "netbooks did to notebooks"? I don't see many netbooks out in the wild, while notebooks are pretty much everywhere at our university (and really, I'd expect any trend to show up at school faster than in the world at large).
I bet you thought tablets were going to take over the world too, right?
#DeleteChrome
... will it run Linux?
My blog
Network ports are often right beside power outlets.
Sure, it'd eventually be discovered but it'd likely be there a while.
Then again, an audio-recording device that recorded keystrokes or...
indeed, and you get the audio by shining one of those nifty 'laser-mics' on the 20th floor executive office window from across town.
It is just the right size and would be disruptive.
ROTFL
It might be heresy, but I'm seriously considering using this instead of my Linux box at home... IF it can run rtorrent and hellanzb and handle the load of streaming to my Windows PC in the living room.
Software and CPU power are the only problems I foresee. (And CPU power is probably enough.)
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
I'm more interested in a version that supports PoE.
... because wall warts with a tail plugged into the nearest network port wouldn't attract any kind of attention.
Was that intended to be sarcastic?
How much time do YOU spend analyzing at the rat's nest of cabling located under your desk, where the Linksys wireless router and the three daisy-chained power strips live? Less than an hour per year, if you're anything like me.
I would dare say that an espionage device that disguised itself as a wall wart would be more likely to be discovered based on network analysis ("hold up, what's this device with the unfamiliar MAC off of network port 73?") than based on a visual inspection of the site.
Did anyone else noticed that summaries matching regex /\$100/ are more often slashdotted?
The question is though, does it support power over ethernet?
http://linuxdevices.com.nyud.net/news/NS9634061300.html
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/02/100_linux_wallwart_launches.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
http://dailydiy.com/2009/02/24/100-linux-wall-wart-launches/
See also SlashGear's writeup or Legit Reviews coverage at least until the /. effect allows Linux Devices some breathing room.
you can sniff/analyze/record all unencrypted traffic until you run out of RAM.
And if you can get away with opening an encrypted network connection to some drop box, you don't have to worry about RAM.
Just be sure to remove it the next day before anyone notices.
I suspect that in most places it could be there for months -- maybe years -- before anyone noticed. Make sure the drop isn't traceable to you and just collect the take as long as it goes unnoticed.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
What IS a netbook?
That's just weird.
It clearly reads "fnord-fnord-wall-fnord-mart-fnord."
Requiem for the American Dream
It'd also be nice if this had a built in X.10 controller for signaling over the power lines.
I wonder if it could be used as a NAS drive with mirroring?
Nice, but I don't think this is as big a deal as all that. More along the lines of price pressure than anything else. I may buy one, because it is so cheap. Even if I don't, I'm glad everyone else will have to lower their prices now. I've always felt they put on too big a price premium for the small size, considering the generally low performance of the class as a whole.
There are many similar devices already out there. There's the much beloved Linksys WRT54GL. I have a Soekris. Not the most friendly plug and play device ever. I find it easier to update the CF drive by removing it and mounting it on a desktop system and editing files that way, rather than connecting via a serial port terminal. Gumstix is another. Lots of super micro mini ATX form bricks (mini-itx) out there too. Expensive though.
Intellectual Property is a monopolistic, selfish, and defective concept. It is "tyranny over the mind of man"
Hope some creates really disruptive product to displace TiVO.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Hey, I already have a beowulf cluster of wall-warts! No, wait, make that two clusters. I don't even need to run the furnace this winter!
marvell and linuxdevices both /.'d
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't sound like you are a network admin (disclaimer: IANANA). Do you know the "familiar" MACs on your network(s)? And what does it mean for a device to be on a network port 73? Unless you mean a physical port on a router or switch somewhere, that doesn't make sense.
Not that I disagree with your point, which is that the device would not likely be discovered visually, given it was placed well to begin with.
http://www.networkmirror.com/MuDp_g5XY_ZJoCQZ/linuxdevices.com/news/NS9634061300.html
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
oldspewey writes:
"... because wall warts with a tail..."
Wall warts? Pear pimples for hairy fishnuts?
My
Limekiller
If you've got physical access to the guts of the network, you can do all kinds of nefarious/black-hat-like things. Admittedly gadgets like this might make it easier.
Furry cows moo and decompress.
I'll start shopping at Wall-Mart if they start selling stores for $100.
Yeah, but right after you buy one, they'll try to get you to upgrade to a Super Store.
To get it, you'll have to agree to make all future purchases there and sign over the deed to your neighborhood.
(They have a viral end-user license.)
Maybe he's using UDP port 73 as a custom connection.
Cheap storage VM.
If they are judged by the OpenWRT's project efforts with the Linksys WRT-350N, Netgear WNR854T, and D-Link DIR-615 are any indication. Two Marvell associates are providing support in their personal time to develop a fully functional open-source driver for Marvell's gigabit switch chip.
Does anyone know what happened to the server? It just quit responding, and when I went to check it, all I found was a cell-phone charger.
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
You are definitely overestimating the attentiveness of the average person.
"I use a Mac because I'm just better than you are."
This would be cool for a pocket-sized router, firewall, packet sniffer, etc.
Is that a QFE firewall in your pocket, or are you just happy...
Sorry, I just couldn't...resist.
I do agree with you though, especially while traveling. Gives a whole new meaning to plug and play...
Network management tools have had this built in for years. Cisco calls it port security. But it's a bit of a pain in the ass, so not many people use it.
If it includes a way to read the power voltage waveform at high resolution (at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz with 16-bit would be great), I have an idea for it. And no, it's not communications over wireless (that would be great for other applications, too).
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Not torrents per se, but a dinky 100 computer sitting somewhere. Doing something...naughty.
If you get caught you're out 100 bucks. So what? Cheaper than an RIAA settlement letter, for instance.
Not that I'd ever advocate such behavior. Oh heavens no.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
I agree with your main point. And even among people who spot it, how many are going to think twice about it?
As to your second point, couldn't you avoid detection by configuring it as a transparent bridge between points on the network?
How would you detect it with network analysis, if (say) it were configured to clone the MAC address, remain silent except for forwarding, matched the speed of the existing network, and caused no significant latency?
You used to be able to get Linux at Wal-Mart for far less than $100.
But will this run Wordpress? I don't think so. And a USB drive hanging off it would draw a ton of power, and you wouldn't get things like SMART monitoring.
I'd like to get something to replace my antique Dual Pentium II 450 FreeBSD 4 server.....something around $100 that draws less power, but could do RAID mirroring and could run MYSQL, PHP5 and Apache 2
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
I'll believe it when I see it and since I don't see it I don't believe it.
It really depends on Murphy's law. If you were planting the device, you would be caught red handed and receive fines and a jail term.
If the device was planted by someone you were interviewing in your office, it would escape detection for 5 years. Your company's trade secrets (in a convenient folder labeled "top_secret_company_docs") would be stolen by a larger competitor and used to drive your company out of business. Additionally, you would be fired 5 years later as a port audit discovered the device in your office.
If I have seen further it is by stealing the Intellectual Property of giants.
I once worked in a large office where they scanned their network for such rogue devices. >1 MAC address reported on a single switch port in the closet? Sure sign of someone hiding a little hub under their desk and plugging in their own laptop. They discovered dozens of these setups (in the IT dept, of course) the first time they swept up. Of course, it helps that it was a new building, and they actually knew which switch port corresponded to which cubicle.
As for *extra* ethernet jacks, how many offices have some kind of cabinet in a conference room, in which resides both power outlets and an ethernet jack? I'd bet a lot!
A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
I don't. My DHCP server does, as it has a whitelist. And elsewhere there is a whitelist to real-world identity table.
Your ad here. Ask me how!
Have you got any stores without quite so much fnord in it?
Nope, Port 73 on a switch assigned to mac 01:23:45:67:89:10:11
if its an unrecognized mac the goto port 73 and walk to the jack and see whats connected (you do have a cabling map right)
Marvell (sic) at the wally-wart as you say WTF ?
too punny
Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire.
That would be great if real
Obligatory EE Times link with a slightly different emphasis..
http://eetimes.com/news/design/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=214502566
which has a link to another implementation (for remote USB access) available for pre-order at $ 79
http://pogoplug.com/
A network admin would probably have said "drop 73" (or just had a flunky do it, while pretending to be real busy doing Something Important because going out and getting your hands dirty sucks) but that is actually quite plausible.
Just to keep things organized, if nothing else(particulary important when you have POE and non-POE switch ports, or ports on different VLANs), any decent size network setup will have labels or diagrams or a giant huge visio file or something documenting which drops connect to which spots on the patch panel, connect to which ports on the switch. Further, reporting MACs is a standard function for big expensive switches, and obtaining client MACs in an automated fashion is pretty basic client management.
Not everybody does it; because it is a pain and isn't really justified in many environments; but sniffing out unauthorized MACs on a wired network is totally doable. Any real hardass admin would just be using 802.1x, and your covert ethernet device wouldn't even get in the door.
I love how easy everything sounds when you precede it with "just".
You and I both know there is no such thing as a fast USB 2.0 drive, DESPITE THE SPECS.
music lover since 1969
No wireless. Less space than an SSD. Lame.
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
LinuxDevices constantly showcases new and fascinating Linux-based hardware like this. Everything from phones to tablets to embedded systems. The problem is that few of these ever seem to make it to market and the ones that do are usually only available to companies who can buy them by the thousands. The remainder that are within the reach of the average hobbyist don't stack up price-wise to more pedestrian solutions that can do the job for cheaper (e.g., a netbook, WRT54GL, or NSLU2).
Will it be as fast as a dedicated NAS, with 4 SATA drives, and a "real" RAID controller? No, but it will be much better many other products out there today. But for other applications, this box should be pretty good. Many people will be limited by 100meg network infrastructure more than USB 2.0 bandwidth. I'm no Kernel Hacker, but I'll pick up one to play around with.
I could almost picture one of these Wall-Warts hooked up via USB2 to a DisplayLink adapter and a TV/Monitor, using a nice BlueTooth keyboard (Apple Wireless Keyboard) for a sweet little noiseless media center front-end.
Too bad the CPU is not quite capable of HD content decoding, and DisplayLink does not have Linux support yet.
That's just me dreaming and wishing...
There's a lot I could do with one of these if it was weatherproof and maybe run off 12V...
Janitorial staff don't go in the server rooms here. They use Roombas.
I actually have something in my network management suite that pops up in big, red letters "Intruder Detected". Hired (and armed) goons are automatically sent to the physical location of the network port.
It's funny how the author knew so many would mis-read that (I know I did at first) and hence he even had to name himself "not-to-be-confused-with-wal-mart". A linux powered Wal-Mart would certainly be great though :p
the device would not likely be discovered visually, given it was placed well to begin with.
But if you're going to go to the trouble of carefully hiding an electronic device somewhere in an office, would you really choose this wall wart or something else?
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
damn..i'll just quietly mod myself down for not seeing the Pogoplug link in the linuxdevices article
I recently had a look at the inside of cheap line-powered Chinese speakers. My advice is don't buy stuff if it is not UL listed. Ever.
A guy I worked with use to be like that. He's like "My guild is going on a raid, can you go check on this for me.."
Yeah.. really..
Anyhow, yeah it switch port security in Cisco, and you can allow a port a various amount of mac's before it will stop responding to new ones. I know one company in Redmond does this and it's a HUGE pain.
Bringing liberty to the masses. - http://freetalklive.com/
the unobtrusive device approaches the computing power found in the servers of only a decade ago.
Yep.. The three byte MAC address prefix may be an otherwise unused vendor in the network, plus there may be MAC-based ACLs on the switch ports. (Although a 73+ port switch is kinda big... I guess they could be two stacked 48-port switches...)
I once went to a university that did this.
The 'macchanger' program came in useful. ifconfig eth0 on the lab PC, run macchanger on the laptop, swap the cables over :-).
You can do it in Windows too, but it's a little more involved.
We will give you information, only if you sign and NDA, join our "ExtraNet" and suck one of our sales guy's dick. If we are feeling good after that, we might let you see a datasheet. Good luck buying anything from us though, unless you sign an agreement to buy 500,000 units a year.
EAT SHIT MARVELL. Who taught you guys how to do business anyway?
It's interesting to compare this to the Linksys NSLU2, which I'm using as a home music server.
So I guess with the Marvell box you get somewhat higher specs, but I'm not sure you really need the higher specs. For most applications, you're going to attach a keychain usb drive to these things, and then the internal flash becomes irrelevant. 32 MB of memory may not sound like much these days, but it's actually plenty for a file server, music server, home automation system, etc. The main advantage I could see to the Marvell is that it sounds a little more open. Linksys ships the NSLU2 in a configuration where it's not really a general-purpose linux box, and you have to go through some hassles to get a real linux on it where you can install packages, etc. Linksys does, however, officially bless the use of third-party linix distros on the NSLU2.
Find free books.
Strange. It clearly reads Wall-Mart. The previous headline on the other hand reads "Supreme Court of India Comes Down On fnordBloggersfnord"
I see the glass as full with a FoS of 2.
The thing had an OS-controlled AC passthrough, so you could plug random electrical devices in and switch them on or off via ethernet.
I don't have enough outlets in one room to house a cluster of these so I'd have to use a powerstrip which should be safe considering each wart consumes 5W each. But I'd probably have to have another strip as well for the USB drives I'd be attaching to each wart. :)
I'd use it for a NAS, print server, itunes server. I could envision hooking it up to a HDHomeRun and using it as my MythTV backend. Lots of uses for this kind of thing.
I don't have a use for a webserver. But in your case why can't you prerender your images in the scales you need, and just have this device serve whichever image needed? You could save some considerable $ in power.
I have electricity within 3 feet of all my ethernet jacks. But the thought of using it as basically a network enabled X11 outlet switch if it only could switch power, or with external USB gear, seems like using a hammer to swat a fly.
The 4 example products are all some form of NAS, or making your NAS function better by providing protocol translations.
You could run a nice little webserver off of this, it looks like linuxdevices.com might be trying this right now.
I'd like to buy one if they had one for use in the UK. I know I could get an adapter but I don't really fancy paying more and making it stick out even further.
If he's running ArpWatch he'll get an email each time an "unfamiliar" (i.e. new) MAC address is seen.
Or plug an HSDPA modem stick into it and you can dial into the other side of their firewall.
When is one of these itty-bitty things going to have hdmi out and be able to run vlc in full hi-def resolution? I want a match for the $99 Roku netflix box that will run whatever programs I want.
Four or so years ago there was a packet sniffer that fit INSIDE a CAT5 cable drop and relayed it's data wirelessly. One-time access to a years of intel.
Then again, an audio-recording device that recorded keystrokes or...
"click click click click click click click-click-click click..."
We're gonna need to build a GUI interface in Visual Basic to demodulate those keystrokes.
Authority questions you. Return the favor.
It's not all that uncommon in smaller networks to whitelist MACs to an ethernet port or a subnet. It's an easy way to discourage the salesweasles from trying to access the network with an unauthorized notebook. Won't stop MAC spoofing, of course, and something like this little device could work inline with a PC, spoofing it's MAC address, and be accessible via a separate 802.11 link to a hostile network. But, you would need to do more than that to remain undetected on a reasonably secured, wired network.
Leave it to kdawson to fucking spell Wal*Mart wrong.
an open source solar generation and home consumption logging project: http://www.solarnetwork.net/architecture.php this device might be helpful!
I think people are missing the point of this.
If you set this up as a power-over-ethernet device, you could have it powered from a PoE capable switch with only one wire going into it, no need to plug it into the wall.
Why not just use something that's already available, like a RouterStation or Microtik RB433? The RouterStation's cheaper than Marvell's wart, too.
Actually, I do-- and I get emails whenever an unknown MAC shows up.
This is getting close the ideal kit for what I want to try to do. I want to plug in a bunch of these things everywhere with wifi in them as a background network. Extend the internet into areas that can't be filtered easily. Go around backbones (may be a bit slower but unstoppable) and other blockages that could be put up in our way. in most metro areas we could easily get a few thousand of these things plugged in behind a fridge or other inconspicuous places. Might be cool. Could be free (well sort of, people would need to share I guess) wifi city wide at the very least.
Why bother
If the target office has a networked telephone system connected between the computer and the network, you might be able to monitor that at the same time. Many desks sit undisturbed for years, and even if someone sees the device they might not remove it.
Label it "LAN Surge Protector" or similar.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
Just unplugged my xbox (was my "home theater" since well, the xbox and xbmp, then xbmc)
Got it replaced with (ahem) vlc-server on the linux file server and the ADSL2+ set-top box from my ISP (named "Free") as a (dumb) player. Video codecs just evolved too much for the xbox, and I cannot find a cheap, modded 1.4GHz xbox anywhere (if it ever existed)
(N.B. yeah, I know, totally unconnected to the wall-wart, but where else can I brag of having a vlc-server serving video at a high rate to a DSL set-top box and have people actually understanding the thrill ?)
No display, but with a USB2 port and a IOGear USB 2.0 External Video Card (if there are linux drivers for it), you could stream video from your server (with vlc) almost anywhere you have ethernet+ power.
A poe version for the wall-wart ? (5W is within parameters, only poe is not a consumer grade solution yet) - or bpl to anywhere in your house could make a nifty package...
It takes 40+ muscles to frown, but only four to extend your arm and bitchslap the motherfucker
I suspect that in most places it could be there for months -- maybe years -- before anyone noticed. Make sure the drop isn't traceable to you and just collect the take as long as it goes unnoticed.
You forgot some steps...
1. Place device
2. Collect the take 'as long as it goes unnoticed'
3. ???
4. Do not pass 'go'.
5. Do not collect $200.
I am doing exactly this with an AMD Geode LX 800-based DT Research DT168. I paid $139 for it with a Keytronic USB keyboard and a Microsoft USB mouse with the glowy red thing at the head end. I still feel like I got robbed; for about the same power consumption I get half the processor power or less. I guess I have to come up with a use for the crypto engine now. But anyway, how fast does it have to be? I have a 1 TB WD MyBook hooked up via USB2 to my cute little 500MHz AMD chip. The server draws less power than the disk. It's more than fast enough to (for example) stream a DVD to the Xbox and let me work with files via my Windows XP system at the same time. I wouldn't try to edit video on it or anything.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Sure might be cool for techies and they might sell a few, but selling it at *walmart*??
---- Booth was a patriot ----
you get a completely open (hardware and software) Linux server
You get what you pay for, I would rather spend a bit more for the secured Linux server. :p
Carbon based humanoid in training.
This is close to the way I'm expecting the cell processor to become popular. I'd prefer two nics instead of usb but with a usb nic you could put together a cheap linux firewall with it.
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
interesting idea but I wonder how many loops you would end up creating. ie. blocking traffic instead of "freeing" it.
Having to work for a living is the root of all evil.
I'm pretty sure it's actually been done; I'd have to pore through Crypto-Gram back issues to find the reference though. The key here is that there are characteristic delays between clicks that depend on the distance between keys, there are subtle differences in pitch, things like that. The spacebar sounds very different, and so does Backspace. Gather a large enough record of clicks from the same typist and it just becomes a matter of statistics, and you can often extract quite a bit of the text.
Of course if you have such a cunningly placed listening device you're probably better off just monitoring conversations between the typist and his co-workers, but I think this one was done as a Cool Hack rather than as a practical feat of espionage.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
...an ARM port of IPCop?
Assuming the vast majority of its little bulk is the step down & rectifying stuff, does that mean there could be a smaller (or more powerful in the same sixze) machine running off 12V DC. A dashboard computer that fits in the ashtray would be cool!
"Well, we've got fnord fnord wal-mart and fnord. That's not got much fnord in it."
"But I don't like fnord!"
According to this page it seems that essentials like the "Linux support package" are not yet available ("Coming Soon"). So would that be like REAL SOON NOW?
<bart
This would be a much better device with 4x USB and/or WiFi. Then, it could be used as a camera server and for similar purposes. If you have to add another powered external box for that, the small form factor quickly loses its appeal.
How much time do YOU spend analyzing at the rat's nest of cabling located under your desk
I have a webcam there with motion detection! You can never be too secure!
Posting as AC because I'm probably not supposed to talk about it, but at the government facility I won't name where I used to work as a network admin, a government agency that got to test our security had a Linux box disguised as a UPS. They got access to a server closet in some outlying building with poor security, after getting in with visitor credentials, and then left and did all of their probing over a tunnel (connected outbound over some allowed port) using that device.
So yeah, that sort of thing most definitely does get used, and it works.
You were close, but not quite there... The really awesome feature that's missing is EoP. That way you just get a power strip, or hell just put one in every room of your house and you have an instant networked "decade-old" server farm. Anyways, you could then have the servers communicate through the powerlines and use the gigabit port to access the server network. Or something, I don't know.
The cool things is to have windows that bounce up and down like a good tits.
otherwise the disavantage of this form factor are a biger problem: -If you want to use more than one, each has to have it's own power supply -no easy car (12v) power adaption -diferent models for 110/230v countries (with diferent plugs types)
There's more to it than "1.2GHz". We don't know much about the Shiva architecture. According to the article it's "ARM9-like" because it's based on Feroceon and XScale. How many ARM9 encoders or transcoders have you heard of?
Also consider that although the Xbox can decode most everything, it's a closed system, which I'm sure added a little to the performance of XBMC code. I doubt a similar 733MHz Celeron desktop would be as capable even if it had more than 64MB of RAM.
Aside from serving video, the system may not be able to saturate its gigabit ethernet either. I read that spec as Marvell saying the CPU and SoC can push more than 100mbits, so they used gbit ethernet. Maybe its throughput is limited to, say, 20MBytes/s.
This is a sweet little toy, especially for its price, but it's not going to compare to most x86 mini-computers.
This is almost exactly what I need for a little project I have in mind, except that it also needs to have a VGA video output port.
- James
Hide one of these behind a desk somewhere in a computer lab, sneak a cable to the switch or through one of the workstations, and have it connect via rootkit to a remote server somewhere. Then connect to the server and do whatever naughty things you desire. If you were clever you could even disguise it as an AC adapter.
Wired Ethernet is still the preferred mechanism for connecting computing devices. If you're lucky enough to have your house wired with Ethernet you'd understand that it's faster than even 802.11n (which isn't even a standard yet).
You'll have to put it where Chandra won't find it without a deliberate search.
Crap! I had mod points, literally, less than 5 minutes ago.
Then I see this comment, which of all comments ever posted on /., probably ranks in the top 5 for hilarity, and I notice my mod points are gone.
Somebody do the deed for me, please!
"City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
Why do I keep reading that as Wall-Mart?
Because they got to you.
Just be glad you can't see the fnord between "Wall" and "Wart."
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it doesn't sound like you are a network admin (disclaimer: IANANA). Do you know the "familiar" MACs on your network(s)? And what does it mean for a device to be on a network port 73? Unless you mean a physical port on a router or switch somewhere, that doesn't make sense.
Not that I disagree with your point, which is that the device would not likely be discovered visually, given it was placed well to begin with.
The physical port 73 on the network, (i.e. port 12 on switch 3).
If they buy their hardware bulk, they're most likely to have the same brand NIC's with similar MAC's, after looking over a network and at a glance seeing at the bottom of a routing table there's a out of place MAC isn'tsuch a stretch.
Barring that, they may be alerted automatically to new MAC's springing up on the network.
WHat would be better is a simple wall wart, would be something with a 3.5" SATA drive interface and two slots or so for everyday memory. Something you can use generic parts in. Yeah, I think that would be useful also if it could have a USB 2.0 interface for a printserver. Hell, I'd pay for than $100.
I can't believe a server designed to simply plug into the wall doesn't support powerline ethernet. Or wifi for that matter!
Perhaps it would be possible to: Attach a usb hub. Attach a usb audio device to hub. Attach a usb tv out device to hub. Attach a usb harddisc to device. Install Apache. It can then be the low-power, always-on, web-site hosting, media Linux machine I've always wanted. :-)
Uh, what?
An unfamiliar MAC would be one which isn't in your reporting/asset records, and is of a host type/name/etc. that is unrecognized or not set by you. And "port 73" could very well be any of the things you mention - switch, router, room, etc. numbers apply.
As for placing such a device... I suspect the best place to put a device like that is actually in the server room, or near the switches. Just plug it right into the switch and find an extra UPS port to plug it into. The messiest cables are always in the server room, because users will bitch and moan about cables being visible - and they will notice a change, if only for a reason to bitch. Even an attentive admin is going to likely overlook such an environmental intrusion, simply on the basis of having too much shit to do - it'll come up when equipment needs replacement, and that's it.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Your daemon has arrived. The current not-so-workingness with V4L2 is a bit annoying but you can always use the V4L2 to V4L1 compatibility wrapper program to ameliorate the incompatibility situation with varying levels of annoyance/pain depending on your linux distribution.
http://www.zoneminder.com/
Well, he's...he's, ah...probably pining for the fnords.
Requiem for the American Dream
How 'bout eSATA? How long until powered eSATA jacks are standard?
First thing you know, someone will hack this thing and install vista on it.
I'm no Kernel Hacker, but I'll pick up one to play around with.
Careful there! Some of those Kernel Hackers really dislike being played around with...
np: Lali Puna - Alienation (Faking The Books)
"I'm not anti-anything, I'm anti-everything, it fits better." - Sole
Walmart customers buying $100 computers... I think they'll have a nightmare with returns, no?
http://www.AmherstburgVisionCentre.com
You mean Power over Ethernet, as I wrote! No power supply required, works worldwide because PoE is a standard, one cable for data and power, etc.
I think I could mount several thousand wall receptacles on a reasonable-sized wall. (Better yet, POE...)
"Not an actor, but he plays one on TV."
So add a $40 SDIO WiFi card, and you have a $140 device that only needs to detect a usable WiFi connection in order to provide some net service. Network print server for USB printer?
Annoy-a-trons blend, you know.
Did this one attract attention: http://www.elektronika.lt/_sys/storage/2004/11/29/etherkiller.jpg ? If not, neither will the wall wart :).
Whoops a llama's ass!!
Seriously... Fire what?
USB what point what ?
eSATA . Tell your llama to touch its toes.
music lover since 1969
Now all three of you have agreed that it says 'wall-mart' can we stop this thread please?
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
fnord-lol-fnord
Requiem for the American Dream
Depends on your environment. When I worked for a university department, I had a chronic problem with grad students hooking up all sorts of things to the ethernet ports. And with cheap ethernet devices this is a security concern.
We finally got switches that could be told, "This port belongs to this MAC" and outlets that weren't in use were not connected between the patch panel and the switch.
All this meant was that the grads had to learn how to clone the MAC address of the device they were replacing. Then nmap would tell me that the Linux box had turned into a Windows box.
Nowadays I expect that they would put in their own $40 wireless AP. Once a dozen of them did this, no one would be able to do anything on the air.matchedmatchedmatchedmatchedmatchedmatchedmatchedmatched
Third Career: Tree Farmer Second Career: Computer Geek First Career: Teacher, Outdoor Instructor, Photographer.
I'd like to see something cheap and simple like this that I can plug one side of into the internet and the otherside into the "outbound" port of my home network. The goal would be to provide easy "net nanny" functionality that couldn't be defeated by a savy 14-year old. Since I would have physical control of the network (it's in the locked utility closet), I could have reasonable assurance that he's not visiting questionable sites (like that wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Slashdot).
I think you mean X10. It's quite capable of being an X11 outlet.
Small technical problem. Completely solvable in software. This is now an engineering exercise, the concept is out there.
Why bother
On the other hand, Marvel expects to get the wall wart down to US$49,- and it only uses 5 watts. I'm interested in integer MIPS/watt and integer MIPS/$, and I think the wart is attractive there.
And there is the geek factor, of course!
Stephan
1) iscsid
2) upgrade wall wart to USB2/eSATA combo port
3) ????
4) PROFIT
The one I had already could hold up my desktop with a 21" CRT for 27 minutes.
My UPS only lasts 3 minutes, and that's with a 21W flat panel!