SEO

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.

CoffeeGood wrote:

> 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?

I think this is what you are thinking of:

http://linuxdevices.com/news/NS8562564746.html

(10 seconds! Woo. My Google skills are awsome.)

--
David Dorward <http://blog.dorward.me.uk/> <http://dorward.me.uk/>
Home is where the ~/.bashrc is

CoffeeGood wrote:

> 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).

CoffeeGood wrote:
> 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.

Smack'n Rat wrote:

> CoffeeGood wrote:
>> 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

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

--
Tom Wootten, Fresher NatSci, Trinity Hall.
oof.trinhall.cam.ac.uk
There was only ever one valid use for the notorious <blink> tag:
Schrodinger's cat is <blink>not</blink> dead.

CoffeeGood wrote:

> 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

--
_?_ Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
(@ @) Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-oOO-(_)--OOo-------------------------------[ Groucho Marx ]--
grok! Registered Linux user #402208

"Jeffrey F. Bloss" <jbloss@tampabay.mapson.rr.com> wrote

> 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. :-(

"Anthony Fremont" <spam@anywhere.com> wrote in message
news:Fg%ef.21520$3K6.6043@tornado.texas.rr.com...
>
> "Jeffrey F. Bloss" <jbloss@tampabay.mapson.rr.com> wrote
>
>> 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. :-(
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