NSLU2

NSLU2

An NSLU2
Manufacturer Linksys
Type NAS
Release date June 15, 2004 (2004-06-15)
Retail availability 2004–2008
Operating system Linux based
CPU 266 MHz ARM Intel XScale IXP420
Memory 32 MB SDRAM, 8 MB flash
Storage External hard drive/flash disk
Connectivity USB, Network
Power 5V DC Adapter
Dimensions 2.1 x 9.1 x 13 cm
Weight 0.2 kg

The NSLU2 (Network Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives) is a network-attached storage (NAS) device made by Linksys introduced in 2004 and discontinued in 2008. It makes USB flash memory and hard disks accessible over a network using the SMB protocol (also known as Windows file sharing or CIFS). It was superseded mainly by the NAS200 (enclosure type storage link) and in another sense by the WRT600N and WRT300N/350N which both combine a Wi-Fi router with a storage link.

The device runs a modified version of Linux and by default, formats hard disks with the ext3 filesystem, but a firmware upgrade from Linksys adds the ability to use NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives with the device for better Windows compatibility. The device has a web interface from which the various advanced features can be configured, including user and group permissions and networking options.

Hardware

The device has two USB 2.0 ports for connecting hard disks and uses an ARM-compatible Intel XScale IXP420 CPU. In models manufactured prior to around April 2006, Linksys had underclocked the processor to 133 MHz, though a simple hardware modification to remove this restriction is possible. Later models (circa. May 2006) are clocked at the rated speed of 266 MHz. The device includes 32 MB of SDRAM, and 8 MB of flash memory. It also has a 100 Mbit/s Ethernet network connection. The NSLU2 is fanless, making it completely silent.

User community

Stock, the device runs a customised version of Linux. Linksys was required to release their source code as per the terms of the GNU General Public License. Due to the availability of source code, the NSLU2's use of well-documented commodity components and its relatively low price, there are several community projects centered around it, including hardware modifications, alternative firmware images, and alternative operating systems with varying degrees of reconfiguration.

Hardware modifications

NSLU2 Side View

Unofficial hardware modifications include:

Alternative firmware

NSLU2 Mainboard/PCB

There are two main replacement firmware images available for the device: the first is Unslung which is based on the official Linksys firmware with some improvements and features added.[7] Optware packages are available to expand functionality. The other is SlugOS/BE (formerly OpenSlug), which is based on the OpenEmbedded framework.[8] SlugOS/BE allows users to re-flash the device with a minimal Linux system including an SSH server to allow remote access. Once installed, the operating system must be moved to an attached hard disk due to the lack of space available on the flash memory. Once this has been done, a wide range of additional packages are available to be installed from an Internet repository.

It is also possible to run OpenWrt,[9] Debian,[10] Gentoo,[11] FreeBSD,[12] NetBSD,[13] OpenBSD,[14] and Ubuntu[15][16] on the device.

The ability to run an unrestricted operating system on the device opens up a whole new range of uses. Some common uses are a web server, mail server, DAAP server (iTunes), XLink Kai, UPnP AV MediaServers, BitTorrent client, FreeSWITCH, asterisk PBX[17] and network router (with the attachment of a USB network interface/USB modem). German programmer Boris Pasternak developed the weather server program/server Meteohub as an inexpensive way to gather weather sensor data from personal weather stations ("PWS") and allow it to be posted on a number of online weather services including Weather Underground, Weatherbug, Citizens Weather Observation Program (CWOP), and many others.

An NSLU2 with Unslung firmware can be interfaced with a Topfield TF5800 personal video recorder (PVR) to allow an electronic programme guide (EPG) to be automatically downloaded from the Internet and transferred to the PVR.[18]

Problems

Awards

The NSLU2 won the "Most Innovative in Networking" Reader Award in the Tom's Hardware 2004 Awards.

Similar Devices

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NSLU2.
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