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running linux inside a small usb device?

C

CoffeeGood

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello,

I believe I read on Slashdot(.org) some time ago that
some company is making a USB device that contains
a CPU in addition to flash, and that it is possible
to run Linux on that. My question is, can anyone
name the company and/or product? Supposedly
the device is as small as a thumb drive.

Thanks.
 
D

Duke Robillard

Jan 1, 1970
0
CoffeeGood said:
I believe I read on Slashdot(.org) some time ago that
some company is making a USB device that contains
a CPU in addition to flash, and that it is possible
to run Linux on that. My question is, can anyone
name the company and/or product? Supposedly
the device is as small as a thumb drive.

Maybe this:

<http://www.gumstix.com/>

Duke
 
DLink makes a Network Controller which includes 2 USB-2 ports an
ethernet port, and runs Linux with a Web interface. It usually sells
for around $99.

Netgear makes a "WiFi Storage Router" which includes 1 USB-2 port, 1
WAN port, 4 LAN ports, and the WiFi radio. I saw this on sale at
CompUSA for $49.

Both offer source code for their Linux kernel in case you want to cook
up a kernel that is a bit more "juicy".

There was another "smallest computer" candidate, which looked like an
oversized RJ45 connector, which had ethernet on one side and serial
port out the other side.

In each of these cases, the flash RAM can be flashed to start a
boot-loader which can then boot from a USB or LAN drive. After that,
the only limitation is the RAM and how it's flashed. Flash RAM can be
run in "cached" mode which makes it more like static ram. It would be
slow, but could function as an X-client instead of a web server
interface (which is the default interface provided).
 
S

Smack'n Rat

Jan 1, 1970
0
CoffeeGood said:
Hello,

I believe I read on Slashdot(.org) some time ago that
some company is making a USB device that contains
a CPU in addition to flash, and that it is possible
to run Linux on that. My question is, can anyone
name the company and/or product? Supposedly
the device is as small as a thumb drive.

Thanks.

There's something called a BlackDog:

http://www.projectblackdog.com/

It does run Linux, and from what I looked at, it was a Virtex-II Pro
(PowerPC FPGA chip.. no Floating Point CPU of course). It was running a
slightly modified debian it looked like.

It was a little larger than a thumb drive. More like an extended CF
card, but it (unscientific impression) felt as light as one.

--SR
 
Gumstix is 80mm x 20mm x 6mm and has a USB-thumb option which sticks
out a bit beyond the 80mm. We're sold out of the "thumbstix" right now
though, but should have some back in stock in a few weeks.
 
T

Thomas Wootten

Jan 1, 1970
0
Smack'n Rat said:
There's something called a BlackDog:

http://www.projectblackdog.com/

It does run Linux, and from what I looked at, it was a Virtex-II Pro
(PowerPC FPGA chip.. no Floating Point CPU of course). It was running a
slightly modified debian it looked like.

It was a little larger than a thumb drive. More like an extended CF
card, but it (unscientific impression) felt as light as one.

--SR

Cool...
slightly pointless, since it doesn't have it's own NIC - i'd say _needing_ a
host computer is a drawback.
 
J

Jeffrey F. Bloss

Jan 1, 1970
0
CoffeeGood said:
I believe I read on Slashdot(.org) some time ago that some company is
making a USB device that contains a CPU in addition to flash, and that it
is possible to run Linux on that. My question is, can anyone name the
company and/or product? Supposedly the device is as small as a thumb
drive.

Here's one that's not USB, it apparently has both Ethernet and serial
connections, but it's touted as "the smallest Linux Computer in the World".

http://www.picotux.com/indexe.html
 
A

Anthony Fremont

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jeffrey F. Bloss said:
Here's one that's not USB, it apparently has both Ethernet and serial
connections, but it's touted as "the smallest Linux Computer in the World".

http://www.picotux.com/indexe.html

Pretty neat, but the shipping is ridiculous. I don't like how the
vendors site only contains e-mail submittal forms for "support" and
"contact us". No FTP area or downloads at all, I don't like that. :-(
 
R

Roger Hamlett

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anthony Fremont said:
Pretty neat, but the shipping is ridiculous. I don't like how the
vendors site only contains e-mail submittal forms for "support" and
"contact us". No FTP area or downloads at all, I don't like that. :-(
Not as small, but 'interesting' for some applications, is the Netgear
NSLU2 file server box. It has a small Linux implementation (SnapGear), a
100base-T network connection, and two USB-2 master ports. About the size
of a cigarette packet, and cheap. 8MB of flash memory, and 32MB of RAM.
Even an RTC!. Source for the Linux, is included on the CD.
For certain USB master applications, it has to be a really economical way
of going!... :)

Best Wishes
 
B

batfree

Jan 1, 1970
0
Roger said:
Not as small, but 'interesting' for some applications, is the Netgear
NSLU2 file server box. It has a small Linux implementation (SnapGear), a
100base-T network connection, and two USB-2 master ports. About the size
of a cigarette packet, and cheap. 8MB of flash memory, and 32MB of RAM.
Even an RTC!. Source for the Linux, is included on the CD.
For certain USB master applications, it has to be a really economical way
of going!... :)

Best Wishes
I saw a article about how to create a liveUSB at newsforge.net.You can
check it there.
 
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