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- manufacturer #: NSLU2-UK
- quickfind code: 65399
- 85 in stock for next day delivery.
46 reviews
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Product Reviews
Great Value and also Defintely a buy for the GNU/Linux-phile
This unit is actually a Linux box with a ethernet port and two USB 2.0 ports. There is a highly active community who have taken it upon themselves to customise this item with additional functionality such as iTune servers, mail servers, CVS servers etc.
For mor information/compatability info see:
http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article85.php
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nslu2-linux/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nslu2-general/
A `must have` for SOHO networks & for Linux junkies
os:
Not ApplicableI`ve had mine for 2 weeks now - using it with a pair of Lacie USB2 80GBs & it is fantastic (& fun to play with :-). I havn`t encountered speed problems (mentioned in another review) & it performs well, relative to other methods of networking USB2 drives. It is at least as good as the PII 450MHz PC running Linux-Samba server that it has replaced. It is easy to configure over the network using any web browser from a network workstation (http to its IP address), which invokes a straightforward, password protected, menu driven configuration / management application held in its firmware. Be prepared to change its default IP address to match your network on ititial setup. This amazing unit is effectively a tiny PC, smaller than a paperback novel, running Linux - Samba Server & has gained a growing cult following of Linux enthusiasts. Sadly Linksys have only enabled a fraction of its full potential & it is only configured to work with EXT3 formatted HDDs (& to date, this cannot be changed using the configuration firmware), which might upset or worry some Windows users, as you are forced to let the unit re-format your HDDs to EXT3 as it does not (officially) recognise FAT, FAT32 or NTFS. You need to copy any data already on the disk elsewhere, before doing this & then restore afterwards. However, if you are familiar with Linux or are prepared to learn, then the unit is easy to `hack`. Follow the links provided in Matthew McNeill`s review, (particularly: http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article85.php ). Within an hour I had established a Telnet connection, had gained `root` priviledges by downloading, modifying & then uploading the `passwd` file & was able to edit `fstab` & `smb.conf` files. Linux users will already appreciate that minor amendment in `fstab` will enable FAT32 disks / partitions to be mounted if required. Modifications in `smb.conf` will, for example, enable the device as a DNS &/or Domain server. Doing this probably invalidates Linksys support for the product & you need a bit of familiarity with Linux & Samba Server - but what the heck - it`s such a relatively cheap product that one can afford to play - nothing ventured ... Once you`re able to drive it, there is little that it can`t do compared to a full blown, PC based network server - just Linksys have not (yet ??? - let`s live in hope) provided the tools within their configuration firmware.
Does exactly what it says on the tin - and more
os:
Windows XPI have 3 desktops and 2 laptops all wirelessly networked - and fairly well used by the family and needed a cheap NAS solution.
Had the NSLU2 for a couple of months now using a 40GB laptop drive and some flash memory - easy and no problem at all. Speed was fine until I upgraded to the current firmware - which for some reason made it slow to the point of being unusable - soon corrected by uploading the old firmware.
Now I know next to nothing about Linux, but by using various websites, have flashed the box to the unslung firmware, bought a netgear MP101 (which is discontinued and so cheap!) media server and loaded twonkyvision on the nslu2, so I now have all my music served to the MP101 by the NSLU2 - no PC needed - even my wife is almost impressed.
A very cost effective solution !
My feedback
os:
Windows XPI orriginally saw this unit but decided against it due to its limitations with the formatting of the drive. Then I descovered the Firmware mods (links in other reviews) and realised it can do what I want with a bit of work however by the time I obtained one Linksys have upgraded the stock firmware to support most of what I wanted to achieve!
Be warned the latest firmware details that it supports Fat 32 and NTFS on one port and EXT3 and Fat 32 on the other but it got the ports the wrong way round, port 1 is the only port which supports NTFS not port 2 as stated!, that asside it now supports USB hubs and multiple partition drives on the stock updated firmware which is exceptional! and the size limit on the drives it supports is easy to exceed with out problems, if you want to push it further the openslug firmware is excellent and constantly expanding!
I now have this unit running in my front room with 2 Nexstar (by vantec) external HDD's (seagate baracuda 300gb each) its super silent and gives fast streaming to xboxes and media pc's for movies and mp3's etc. I'm not even using port 2 yet but plan to put something on it later maybe for backup.
This is a great bit of kit now the firmware is about and compared to the buffalo linkstation (£240) with its 160GB its increadible in price. in reality this can create a home NAS unit running 1tb+ of storage for less than £350!
Its smaller than I pictured it standing about 5" high in its cradle and about 1.5" wide.
my only complaint would be about the firmware, once you use a ntfs drive the stock share administration features wont work for that drive, personally I'm behind a firewall on a personal network so its not an issue and the ability of plugging the hdd direct to pc for large transfers easily out weighs the negative for me but it may be an issue for people who want to use it in a business role.
I plan to keep expanding this unit with more drives and maybe additional NSLU2's (slugs, I'll never have to search through my disk piles again!
an no more old pc's making noise running as slow servers and taking an age to boot up!
No moving parts
Had mine for nearly a year. Its runs with just a usb pen drive attached as drive 1. Ive reflashed the unit using third party firmware and replaced the linksys web interface with my own, to run a small game related web site. Drawing very little power and without any moving parts, this runs 24 hours a day. Considering installing java, php etc (packages are available for download to the unit) to create a more dynamic site.
File and Print Server!
os:
Not ApplicableThis box is known affectionately by the user group as a Slug.
I have very little experience of UNIX, and none of Linux, but was able to follow the instructions at http://www.nslu2-linux.org to "unsling" (a firmware upgrade, with the Linux root filesystem on an external drive), install CUPS, a printing system, and integrate printing into Samba (the file sharing utility).
I was then able to connect my printer to the second USB port, and use this as both a file and print server. I have printed successfully from both Windows XP (Home) and Millennium. The only software required on the PCs is the standard Windows driver for your printer. There is no need to worry about Linux drivers, as the PC does all the formatting and sends raw data to the Slug.
If you're up for it, you can turn this into a web server, email server, etc. etc. There's an upgrade available to install Perl, and I think I saw Java there somewhere, too.
I opted for a flash drive, so there are no moving parts, and no noise. Granted, flash drives are not the most cost-efficient nor the most capacious media, but it works for me. 2.5" laptop drives should be fairly quiet and low-power, if you need more space for data.
The latest firmware from Linksys may offer better support for USB hubs, to allow additional drives and/or printers to be connected. Using the R.29 firmware, my Safecom hub didn't work properly with the printer, though it was fine with the flash drive. The Linux user group haven't applied the new code to their own firmware yet, and I don't know how to apply the patches they have posted on the web site, so for now I will have to make do with what I have.
NSLU2 - absolutely brilliant
os:
Not ApplicableAlthough it worked perfectly as intended out of the box, the NSLU2 (or Slug to its aficianados) forms the basis for just about any sort of small scale Linux based server, once you have re-flashed the firmware. I use OpenDebianSlug and run a local Samba file server, also a Postfix mail server for several domains plus Apache webserver for a few small websites. See http://slug.bobcox.com/ for more info.
Affordable storage solution
os:
Windows 2000Can link two 300gb (max) usb drives to this and then connect the whole lot directly to your lan making it an affordable network storage solution. It uses an arm processor and a cut down version of linux. Can map to it using windows shares, set to auto backup from one drive to the other and create user accounts using its web interface. Its firmware is continually being expanded by a sizable internet community who have adopted it and called it a 'slug'.
Storage or Mini Linux Server ?
os:
Not ApplicableUses an arm processor and a cut down version of linux.
Reflashed this box ( see other reviews ) to get telnet access and setup an ftp server, ntp client and apache/php web server - by downloading and configuring ipkg packages directly from the web to the box.
As a storage device using the stock firmware, this is good. As a mini linux server that can also host a variety of services on your lan or the net via a router, its incredible.
NSLU2 - The Slug
os:
Windows XPThis is a great solution to those who want a flexible storage solution.
I have one with a pair of Lacie 80gb USB2 drives, I have set them up such that the primary drive backs up to the second. The way it works is that the second drive is hidden as it is just mirrored once a day/week/etc and if the primary drive fails the second drive becomes available. The only down side (as far as I can see) is that the hard drive have to be formatted in a linux file system that is not recognised in Windows, however there are programs out there that allow you to see the contents and copy from it when the drive is attached to a machine running Windows...so be thankful for small mercies.
I have not delved into the other Linux based aspects and, to be honest, don't intend to as it does all I want as it is, however I am told that it is quite impressive.
Linksys continue to make excellent kit. Dependable and affordable, I have bought lord knows how much of their kit, from a printserver, bridge and a wireless all in one router and have been impressed throughout!
Top kit from Linksys, excellent service from Ebuyer! Great!
