Greetings,
I’ve had an interesting adventure trying to implement Slimserver and Squeezesoft. This is a long post. I wanted to document my trials in case anybody else is pondering this kind of project.
I don’t know diddley about linux. That has been a problem, but I enjoy learning and thanks to kind souls in several open source forums, I’m making progress.
Here is what I want to do:
• Have an NAS-type device that will be accessible for read/write operations from Windows XP machines on my home network (digital photos and music, shared and backed-up document storage).
• Use that same device as a Slimserver, using Squeezesoft as the client at least initially. Again, I’ve got PC’s, Squeezeboxes cost money.
• Have that server machine operate headlessly.
• Implement a backup plan.
• Maybe be able to use it as a print server.
• Not spend the rest of my summer learning Linux from scratch. Have easy management on an ongoing basis.
• Bask in the glory of convergence.
• Have my wife understand and appreciate why I spend time on this stuff (deliver content and an intelligible network environment to her and other household end users).
Here’s what I had to work with:
• An old Dell 733Mhz PIII, 128MB RAM, with the original 30GB IDE Drive and a new WD 250GB IDE Drive (Primary Master and Primary Slave, respectively). IDE CD-ROM as Secondary Master. Machine has a network card connected via Cat5e to Linksys WRT54G (new, nonhackable version) which distributes the DSL connection to four other clients (2 wireless, 2 wired, all XP home SP2). The BIOS boots from CD but not from USB. The machine HAS USB ports, but I can’t seem to make it boot from them.
• I am not deeply concerned about security and privileges, since I do not plan to expose this machine outside my home network. The router is the firewall.
• I’m patient. I’m a good learner. I know when to relax and have a beer. I have more time than money at the moment.
Here’s what I’ve done (like you ask you kids “what did you do?!”). Insert “Read and Learned a LOT” in between each and every point.
• Installed the new drive.
• Installed FreeNAS
• Successfully mapped both the network drives to other client machines. Read, wrote, headlessly managed. Took a deep breath.
• Discovered and became obsessed with what Slimserver could mean to me relative to synchronized, whole-house audio.
• Realized how damn little I know about computer innards and Linux.
• Realized that Slimserver does not run on FreeNAS.
• Discovered SlimCD (which uses Damn Small Linux). Briefly rejoiced.
• Burned SlimCD. Successfully booted machine using SlimCD. DSL seems to see the network card.
• Realized that 128MB of RAM is insufficient to run even DSL.
• Grudgingly bought and installed 256MB of RAM in a ten year old computer.
• Realized that Damn Small Linux needs WAY too much geeking for what I want to do.
• Started to look at other linux distros, especially SME Server (Debian) and ClarkConnect (FC5).
• Decided – for reasons that are shrouded in 7 late-night open Firefox windows – to install ClarkConnect Home 3.2
• Discovered and installed Putty for signing in as console on server from another machine.
• Successfully installed and heedlessly managed server using CC web interface.
• Tried to install Slimserver via rpm. Apparently, CC does not come with Perl.
• Install ActivePerl
• Another unsuccessful Install of Slimserver. Advised to get the most recent NIGHTLY update of the code.
• Another unsuccessful install of Slimserver. Apparently, the basic Perl distribution doesn’t come with perl-archive-SHA1 or XML-parser
• apt-get install perl-XML-Parser, apt-get install perl-Digest-SHA1
• Successful install of Slimserver!
• Tried unsuccessfully to connect client to network share.
• Ascertained that problem is with version and implementation of Samba on the server.
• Reinstalled/updated Samba.
• Successful connection to a Client for the network share!
• Successful installation and use of Java and Softsqueeze on a client!
• Tried unsuccessfully to connect a second client to the server.
• Hacked endlessly on permissions, security, et al. on the server
• Hacked endlessly on permissions, security, et al. on the router
• Still unsuccessful on second client.
• Realized that Norton Internet Security is installed on second client
• Disable Norton
• Successfully connect second client to both network share and to slimserver.
• Resolve to replace Norton IS and to enthusiastically express my profound discontent to Symantec and others.
Here’s what I learned
• There are smart people doing amazing things with technology. Many of those people are gracious and helpful to strangers.
• I know even less than I thought before.
• It Can Be Done If You Keep Trying.
• Norton is evil.
Anyway, it’s been an interesting challenge. I’ve been mostly successful, eventually. I still have some things to do, but the vision is coming together. I need to decide on technology and strategy for ripping. I also need to integrate my daughter's new infatuation with iPod into the schema.
What to you uber-geeks do for system backup?
I hope this helps somebody.
