NSLU2 as a media server

The NSLU2 is a very usefull tool, out of the box it functions as a NAS (Networked Attached Storage) device, simply add a hard drive and connect it to your network. Much of it's popularity has come from the ease at which you can replace the devices firmware.

Why would you want to replace the firmware? The standard firmware runs a version of Linux that is squeezed into the devices ROM. The new firmware allows Linux to be moved over to the harddrive, removing the size contraint. You can then install your own programs, attach new USB devices etc. The device still has limitations, limited processor speed and memory being the two main ones, although for those people who are not frightened of hardware mods and invalidating their warrenty you can overclock and add more memory.

Several different firmwares have been developed, I would recommend dropping over to http://www.nslu2-linux.org/, for more information.

I have two NSLU2s, one I'm using for experimentation, it's running Ruby at the moment. The other is used as a media server, I run a program called TwonkyMedia this is a media server and all my music is on it's attached hard drive. My XBOX 360 recognises it and TwonkyMedia will stream my tunes over the network. It also works with many other devices, I've had some success with Netgear's mp101 although I hear people have found the Pinnacle Soundbridge more reliable. The main attraction for me is it's a lot cheaper to run as a server than a dedicated PC, I believe it only consumes about 10W.