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What to Do With a $99 Wall Wart Linux Server
Guanine writes in with a follow-up to our discussion a few months back on the SheevaPlug: 1.2-GHz ARM-compliant processor, 512 MB DDR2, 512 MB flash, USB 2.0, gigabit ethernet, in a package the size of a wall wart, for $99. Saul Hansell's Bits Blog in the NY Times talks about a few applications for such a device, whose price point Hansell claims will drop to $40 before too long. "The first plausible use for the plug computer is to attach one of these gizmos to a USB hard drive. Voila, you've got a network server. Cloud Engines, a startup, has in fact built a $99 plug computer called Pogoplug, that will let you share the files on your hard drive, not only in your home but also anywhere on the Internet. ... [Marvell's CEO said] 'Eventually you won't see the plug. We want this device to be in your TV, your stereo system, your DVD player.'"
that thought Wal Mart was selling linux servers?
I don't really see the revolution here - it's a small headless server. A bit like an NSLU2 only a lot faster. They're pretty cool.
They also seem to suffer from dodgy NAND memory, which is a shame, and booting from SDHC is not yet very well supported. That said, they come with Ubuntu server pre-installed and it was trivial to turn it into a media server.
What to Do With a $99 Wall Wart
Wall warts are usually nothing to be concerned about unless they grow or spread rapidly. Usually you can just freeze 'em off--just be sure to get all the abnormal growth cells. It's a common wall growth caused by HPV (Hewlett Packard Virus).
Linux Server
Your warts are functioning as Linux servers? You may need to see a specialist ... and until you get that checked I would refrain from any prolonged exposure to GPL software.
... not something you want on your resume.
... the name is a bit of an obstacle. "Wall Hugger" or "Plug Pal" or even "Linux Lump" might have been more prudent for coining.
Count yourself lucky, it could be worse. My friend once had a case of $10,000 Server Room Herpes Microsoft Servers that kept him up all night
I applaud anyone who successfully markets this product
My work here is dung.
I had to read this several times to realize that the OP wasn't talking about something being sold at WalMart. Maybe Michael Robertson should add this to the Linspire line.
Have it run either skype or magicjack. I have heard that the second is planning to support Linux "soon". I would definitely be more interested in cheap phone service at home if it didn't require me to have a desktop computer on whenever I wanted to make a call.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
The difference with this thing is that it's got an easy to use dev kit based on a popular Linux distro, not some goofy one-off that doesn't have the packages you want (i.e. LAMP, media server, SAMBA, CUPS, etc.).
Can they do a wireless version though? I have relatively few cables in my house and I'd like it to stay that way. I assume there are more people like me in the world considering how many WAPs there are in my area. It's a fantastic idea and I'm sure it's a fantastic device. I just wouldn't have one without wireless access.
I was thinking of using it for monitoring and control in a smart house type environment. I there are several company making USB sensor packages and relay controls. I found some with Linux support at phidgets.com. You could have a full set of sensor in key room and relays to control lighting or fans.
Let some one use your computer and they will use it for the day. Give or sell some one a computer and you will be tech s
If it had more RAM it'd make a great web-development server. With only 512MB Ram, I think some SQL databases might be a bit much.
I'm thinking throw a USB external HDD, or maybe just a 8GB Flash-drive on it, and "let'er-Rip"
maybe also add a second USB port, so you can add a USB WIFI adaptor, though the GigaBit ethernet sounds nice.
I can also see using one as a low-end monitoring server (Nagios), or network print server.
I will not give in to the terrorists. I will not become fearful.
... are using one to host their website.
Registering accounts later than some other chrisb since 1997
"The first plausible use" for the thing is better served by a OpenWRT/dd-wrt router. As a web server, you might as well be using the computer you're on, or, if you're servering outsite your LAN, you should pay for real webhosting. I DO think it might be a good starting point for my networked home thermostat or even a full home automation system. But it's probably overkill.
Whale
Hook up an external hard-drive or NAS and one of those USB displays http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS9676037801.html to create something like this: http://technewsline.net/displaylink-for-linux-turns-a-humble-wireless-router-into-a-beautiful-pc/. I'd build myself a nice BitTorrent client for which I don't have to leave my computer on all the time. Other than that I'd use those as fileservers and for routing/processing duties. Any bets on when the first Beowulf wall cluster will emerge?
Our current home network setup has my wife and I primarily using laptops. Our printer, however, is shared out by a desktop computer upstairs. The desktop computer also acts as a file server. (For example, keeping years' worth of photos that we wouldn't keep on the individual laptops.) While the monitor is shut off unless the desktop computer is actively being used (rarely), we would definitely save power by turning the desktop computer off. This would mean, however, that we would need to go upstairs and turn it on whenever we wanted to print or retrieve a file.
I wonder how much energy these wall wart servers draw. If it's less than a standard desktop PC (which I build back in 2002), then it might be worth it to buy one, hook up a large USB HDD and the printer and share those out. Anyone know if this is possible (laptop & desktop computers currently run Windows XP)? If it is possible, any ideas how much power (if any) I would save?
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
The actual link where to buy the wallwart was pretty deep linked from Marvells website. This is apparently the official place to buy these things: http://www.globalscaletechnologies.com/p-22-sheevaplug-dev-kit.aspx
you can get USB touch screens for (not cheap), but If you could tie a 7" USB touch screen to this device, you'd be able to create something that you can plug into almost any room and use for browsing, chat (rudimentary due to touch screen), and other very basic tasks.
Is it sad that I am more likely to recognize you and your posts by your sig than your name or UID?
I've been trying to come up with a way to install a webcam somewhere in the department lounge so I can be the first to know when free food shows up...
are you serious? you're going to complain about the fact that its only got 1 USB port? Is this 1996 and we're still learning how USB works?
My Sig Sucks
I'm planning to try making one of these into a scanner server. It could potentially turn any plain old USB scanner into a network-attached scanner, using the vast array of SANE drivers available.
Initially it should be very easy just to run an instance of saned, which lets SANE frontends talk to the backend over a TCP socket. A more ambitious project would be to combine the SheevaPlug with a web-based SANE frontend... the only one I could find was phpSANE but it seems to be a dead project...
Do you want to hack my TV, my stereo system and my DVD player?
You're close. "They" want to preinstall spyware and otherwise bend the product to their own purposes.
The smarter these devices get, the easier they can be used to subvert the interests of the consumer. And for some reason, we usually put up with it...
The makers of such time bombs should bear the full responsibility of intrusions through vulnerabilities found in their products.
They are counting on that. They know you'll just buy another one when your TV mysteriously slows down. You did with your computer, and those companies made a KILLING off of you. Why not the TV companies, too?
Install NFS/Samba or whatever, mount a network drive from a NAS to it and then install Logitech's SqueezeCentre software so that the Logitech Duet can play tracks from your NAS rather than a PC.
I've wanted an ultra-low power solution for these two reasons (but mostly the first):
1. Overnight downloads ( usually bittorrent ). There's no reason to leave my entire PC turned on, when all I really need is an internet connection and storage. Combine this with a high capacity SD card and power savings should be huge.
2. VPN / remote desktop. While at work, I often find it useful to connect to my home machine for various reasons. It could be for a secure IM connection, or it could be just to have access to a different IP address for testing.
VPN'd to all your friends and family.
Cruciall feature being trivial vpn config support.
Deleted
then people would race for "Second post"
I reject your reality
I agree that this device, at present, is a trifle too limited. USB expansion works; but it gets rather clunky if you want more than a few devices. On the plus side, the platform on which it is based offers a variety of more serious expansion options(2x SATA, 2xGbE, 1xUSB, 1xPCIe, and a bunch of serial and similar). It would be quite easy and, I suspect, quite likely for either Marvell or third parties to build slightly more expensive and substantially more functional versions of the device.
Problem is that most of these functions would be happy without their own local CPU, but if the CPUs do drop below the $50 price point, it could be feasible to just have local CPUs anyway for data integrity, local signal processing, autonomous operation in the event of network failure, etc.
Did it strike anyone else as lame that the MIT dude said he'd have it run a spam filter?
When will these devices become available in Europe?
So far, i've only seen units designed for use in the US, which means they have a physically incompatible plug (and thus require a bulky adapter) and require 110V whereas european sockets provide 240V...
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
I'm doing just that with a Buffalo Linkstation Live. It's sold as a network drive, but it is a complete ARM server running Linux, at least after you install a proper distro. At 400 MHz and 128 MB, it's not as powerful as this wall wart, but on the other hand it has a proper SATA drive.
http://www.nas-central.org/index.php/Main_Page
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
Why bother when you have a legion of idiots willing to do it for free?
ZuluPad, the wiki notepad on crack
quite likely for either Marvell or third parties to build slightly more expensive and substantially more functional versions of the device.
Bingo. This product is simply their entry into the market. It IS quite likely that it will eventually be $40, but there will still be a $99 ******Plug, uncoincidentally containing a couple of the upgraded features dev's will want to utilize.
It's slightly more significant than that. It's a 1GHz ARM board with 512Mb of RAM for $100. That's maybe a 5th what you'd find in a SBC format.
Now, if only it had enough of the right kind of i/o ports to make hobbiest projects more appealing. 2x Ethernet and/or wifi would have been a good start.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
=profit!!
Sometimes the best solution is to stop wasting time looking for an easy solution.