[clug] SheevaPlug alternatives?

[Angus Gratton]

On Fri, 2010-12-10 at 12:54 +1000, Carlo Hamalainen wrote:
> What alternatives are there today for a low power usage, silent home
> server? Mainly I would use it as a file server for media and backups
> so anything at least as powerful as a 1Ghz ARM cpu would be enough.

It's not as powerful, but I use a MIPS wireless router with OpenWRT for
this purpose. 

The model I use is a Asus WL500gP (with 2 USB 2.0 ports.) However, that
model is 4 years old or so now. Mine works well as a file server, with
the one proviso that file transfer rates are limited to around 500KiB/s
- the CPU gets pegged transferring data over the USB. 

The newer models have somewhat higher specs, although still not as high
as the SheevaPlug. OpenWRT's supported hardware table[1] is the place to
look. Something like the D-Link DIR-825 could be a good choice, I don't
really know though.

One nice thing about using your wireless router is you combine two
gadgets into one box.


Another option might be the Seagate Dockstar, which is basically a
SheevaPlug in a funny case. They're a clearance item in the US now,
looks like you can get them internationally on ebay for under $100
delivered.

Hth.

- Angus

[1] http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/start#supported.hardware