Dead Ink Vinyl » linksys

LinkSys Power Adapters

dlkinney — Sun, 19 Feb 2006 04:22:00 +0000

Linksys no longer bothers to print the voltage-amperage settings for its products on the products themselves. The Linksys Web site doesn’t help. The product guides online don’t cover all the versions of each product. For example, I own version 2 and a version 3 of the EZXS88W 8-port switch. The User Guide only states that the 88W takes 3.3V at 3.0A, but one of the two 88W’s I have takes 9V at 800mA.

For people like me who own a lot of Linksys products, this is a huge problem. I have five Linksys products and four different power adapters. So that other people don’t have to suffer the mix-and-match games I’ve endured, I’m sharing the configurations I know:

EZXS55W v.3: 7.5V 700mA
EZXS88W v.2: 3.3V 3.0A (3000mA, 3A)
EZXS88W v.3: 9V 800mA
WRT54G v.3: 12V 1000mA (1A, 1.0A)

I’ve taken to labeling all of my power adapters with the products to which they belong as I pull them out of the box (for new products) or determine the proper matching (for existing products).

More about Jetty with JamVM on NSLU2

dlkinney — Sat, 16 Apr 2005 17:55:00 +0000

Robert Lougher, maintainer of the JamVM virtual machine, posted a comment to an earlier entry of mine. Rob requested more information about the problem I experienced, so I poked around a little more and responded to him. I am posting the heart of that information here for the benefits of others.

The relevant details are:
– Jetty v5.1.2
– JamVM v1.2.4
– GNU Classpath 0.13

Running the command “java -jar start.jar” produces:

java.lang.NullPointerException
  at java.text.DecimalFormatSymbols.setCurrency (DecimalFormatSymbols.java:397)
  at java.text.DecimalFormatSymbols. (DecimalFormatSymbols.java:151)
  at java.text.NumberFormat.computeInstance (NumberFormat.java:327)
  at java.text.NumberFormat.getNumberInstance (NumberFormat.java:456)
  at java.text.NumberFormat.getInstance (NumberFormat.java:381)
  at java.text.SimpleDateFormat. (SimpleDateFormat.java:218)
  at java.text.SimpleDateFormat. (SimpleDateFormat.java:202)
  at org.mortbay.util.DateCache.setTimeZone (DateCache.java:126)
  at org.mortbay.util.DateCache. (DateCache.java:87)
  at org.mortbay.log.OutputStreamLogSink. (OutputStreamLogSink.java:59)
  at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.constructNative (Native Method)
  at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance (Constructor.java:265)
  at java.lang.Class.newInstance (Class.java:1146)
  at org.mortbay.log.LogImpl.defaultInit (LogImpl.java:190)
  at org.mortbay.log.LogImpl.message (LogImpl.java:415)
  at org.mortbay.log.LogImpl.message (LogImpl.java:399)
  at org.mortbay.log.LogImpl.info (LogImpl.java:332)
  at org.mortbay.util.FileResource. (FileResource.java:60)
  at org.mortbay.util.Resource.newResource (Resource.java:113)
  at org.mortbay.jetty.Server. (Server.java:78)
  at org.mortbay.jetty.Server.main (Server.java:432)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative (Native Method)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke (Method.java:355)
  at org.mortbay.start.Main.invokeMain (Main.java:151)
  at org.mortbay.start.Main.start (Main.java:480)
  at org.mortbay.start.Main.main (Main.java:94)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative (Native Method)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke (Method.java:355)
  at jamvm.java.lang.JarLauncher.main (JarLauncher.java:50)
1113542079746: INFO :Checking Resource aliases @ [main] org.mortbay.util.FileResource.(FileResource.java:60)
java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative (Native Method)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke (Method.java:355)
  at org.mortbay.start.Main.invokeMain (Main.java:151)
  at org.mortbay.start.Main.start (Main.java:480)
  at org.mortbay.start.Main.main (Main.java:94)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative (Native Method)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke (Method.java:355)
  at jamvm.java.lang.JarLauncher.main (JarLauncher.java:50)
Caused by: java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.xs.SchemaDVFactoryImpl. (Unknown Source)
  at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.constructNative (Native Method)
  at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance (Constructor.java:265)
  at java.lang.Class.newInstance (Class.java:1146)
  at org.apache.xerces.util.ObjectFactory.newInstance (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.SchemaDVFactory.getInstance (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.SchemaDVFactory.getInstance (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.xs.SchemaGrammar$BuiltinSchemaGrammar. (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.xs.SchemaGrammar. (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.xs.XMLSchemaValidator. (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.parsers.IntegratedParserConfiguration.configurePipeline (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.parsers.DTDConfiguration.reset (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.parsers.XML11Configuration.parse (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.parsers.DTDConfiguration.parse (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.parsers.XMLParser.parse (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.parsers.AbstractSAXParser.parse (Unknown Source)
  at javax.xml.parsers.SAXParser.parse (SAXParser.java:273)
  at org.mortbay.xml.XmlParser.parse (XmlParser.java:165)
  at org.mortbay.xml.XmlParser.parse (XmlParser.java:181)
  at org.mortbay.xml.XmlConfiguration. (XmlConfiguration.java:122)
  at org.mortbay.jetty.Server. (Server.java:103)
  at org.mortbay.jetty.Server. (Server.java:78)
  at org.mortbay.jetty.Server.main (Server.java:432)
  at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative (Native Method)
…7 more
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: internal error
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.xs.XSSimpleTypeDecl.applyFacets1 (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.xs.SchemaDVFactoryImpl.createBuiltInTypes (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.xs.SchemaDVFactoryImpl. (Unknown Source)
  at org.apache.xerces.impl.dv.xs.SchemaDVFactoryImpl. (Unknown Source)
…30 more

However, launching the application “manually” using the following command got me further (the server listens on 8080 and provides a listing of the known webapps):

java -cp /opt/jetty-5.1.2/lib/org.mortbay.jetty.jar:/opt/jetty-5.1.2/lib/javax.servlet.jar:/opt/jetty-5.1.2/ext/jasper-runtime.jar:/opt/jetty-5.1.2/ext/jasper-compiler.jar:/opt/jetty-5.1.2/ext/xercesImpl.jar:/opt/jetty-5.1.2/ext/commons-logging.jar org.mortbay.jetty.Server

So the problem might be Jetty’s, not JamVM’s.

VLANs to the Rescue

dlkinney — Sun, 03 Apr 2005 17:05:00 +0000

In an earlier post I mentioned investigating the use of Sveasoft‘s firmware for the Linksys WRT54G to place all of my computers on a local private network and use IP mapping (“DMZ”) to allow full Internet access to some of them. I found this post (login required?) on the Sveasoft forums that describes how to configure the WRT54G in this manner. Now I just need a WRT54G…

NSLU2 has been unslung

dlkinney — Sun, 27 Mar 2005 05:30:00 +0000

I’ve purchased a new NSLU2 and installed Unslung 3.x. A couple of notes:

The instuctions are excellent. Follow them exactly and the operation is a cake walk.
Unslinging an NSLU2 (“slug”) requires a real hard drive — a flash drive does not work. Or, it does not work with the amount of tinkering I was willing to perform.
Install OpenSSH as described before the final reboot, while you are still logged in to telnet. Otherwise you have to unplug the drives reboot (again) to regain telnet access.
Mac OSX does not have arping installed by default (and it’s not a package on fink), so accessing RedBoot is a really frustrating matter of exact timing. (It does appear to be available through OpenDarwin’s Darwin Ports project.)

Installing a Java JVM was simple too, thanks to these instructions, but JamVM does not run Jetty out of the box, so I’ll investigate running Tomcat and Resin next. If necesary, I will then compile Kaffe on the slug and try all of the containers again.

NSLU2 as Linux Servlet Server

dlkinney — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 06:00:00 +0000

With my new, static IP addresses, I’ve started kicking around the possibility of running a public server. I don’t know for what exactly I’d run the server. Possibilties include running Subversion, an OpenLaszlo project gallery, an Echo2 project gallery, or a Confluence knowledgebase for the Echo community. Since I don’t need to run a server — I just want a server — I don’t want to spend a lot of money. In fact, I want to spend as little money as possible.

I donated all of my old computer equipment to a local school system last year, so a new server means new kit. Thinking of a Linux server, I looked up Dell‘s offerings, since I get an employee discount with them. It would be $420 + shipping for the lowest-end box they offer. That’s close enough to the price of a Mac mini (with my employee discount) that I seriously contemplated that angle. Still, the $400+ price range is more than I want to invest in this project at this time.

Then I recalled that the Linksys NSLU2 can be hacked to upgrade its Linux kernel and services. I want to keep my current NSLU2 as a file server for my home network, so I would need a new NSLU2 ($80) and a small, external USB2 hard drive ($80). That’s more in line with my price range. Looking over the NSLU2-Linux sites, it certainly runs Web servers serving static content just fine. But does it run Java?

The NSLU2 runs on an Intel IXP425 Xscale CPU. I was unaware of any Java runtimes for the processor until I came across Kaffe. This is not the first time I’ve heard of Kaffe, but it is the first time I’ve seriously considered it. This thread indicates that the newest versions (1.1.4) should build on NSLU2-Linux. Kaffe’s compatability reports indicate that it should be suitable for server-side applications. Intrigued, I dug further and found some hope that Tomcat will run on Kaffe with minimal tweaking.

So I’ll sleep on it a while and revisit the idea of setting up a Servlet server on an NSLU2 “soon”.

My New DSL Provider

dlkinney — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 04:15:00 +0000

I have switched to SpeakEasy’s 6Mb/768Kb OneLink DSL service through Slashdot. The service provides 8 static IPs — all usable — and lets me drop my home phone line. I’ve been using the new connection for a couple of weeks now and it is fast. So far, SpeakEasy’s service and communication has been top notch.

Possibly of interest to some is that Covad seems to be responsible for running the line from the SBC central office to my home. SpeakEasy does everything except “the last mile”, I guess. I haven’t read the forums enough to look behind the curtain on this matter.

The only caveat I have is that the connection is bridged, not routed. The up side is that all of the static IPs I get are usable, and I can add more for a fee later. There are two downsides to this, though.

The first downside of the bridged configuration is that I’m stuck using their equipment instead of my nice Cisco SOHO 97. At least until I determine how to configure it. I have picked up a CCNA study guide and started working through it, so maybe I’ll get the Cisco setup at some point. There are also threads on DSLreports.com about configuring IOS for SpeakEasy/Covad.

The second point, which is more serious in many ways, is that all of my network devices actually have public IP addresses and are on the same routed subnet as 200+ other people. I would rather have all of my home network on a private IP subnet (e.g., 10.x.y.z) and have an appliance (*cough* Cisco SOHO 97 *cough*) configured to allow transparent public-to-private IP NAT for specific hosts. This allows me to place hosts that I trust and want publicly accessible (Mac laptop, PS2) on the Internet while still allowing them to easily communicate with hosts that I don’t trust (WinXP desktop) or don’t want publicly accessible (file server, Tivo).

While I’m learning enough IOS to determine the feasibility and implementation of using my SOHO 97 to perform the NAT, I would like a simple appliance that I may configure for the same purpose. Perhaps a Linksys WRT54G (or GS) with the firmware from Sveasoft or others posted on LinksysInfo.org.

No Luck With ext2fsx

dlkinney — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 03:15:00 +0000

I should share that I did not have luck using ext2fsx (ext2 support for MacOSX) to read my drive formatted (as ext3) by my Linksys NSLU2. However, other people report success using this utility for this purpose (see batbox.org on 10-Jul-2004), so I may have been hasty. In the “I just want it to work” mentality into which I’m growing, I gave up and plugged the old drive and new drive into the NSLU2 and let it do the synchronization. The old drive lasted long enough to get its contents copied off, but the noise was teeth grating.

I have left the extension installed on my laptop and have not suffered any instability or problems as a result. And I like the idea of being able to read Linux partitions from my laptop in a crunch.

KNOPPIX, MacOSX, NSLU2

dlkinney — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 23:05:00 +0000

Let me get right to it: do not purchase ACOM Data hard drives! I picked up two USB2/Firewire 80GB 7200RPM drives very inexpensively at CompUSA about a year ago and I can say that the fans used are incredibly shoddy.

I had the drives hooked up to my LinkSys NSLU2 NAS controller. I love the NSLU2. It’s a sub-$100 NAS device that provides permission-based SMB (Windows file sharing) access to two USB2.0 hard drives. It is very small, runs Linux, and is very easy to control.

Anyway, I had the two ACOM Data drives attached to the NSLU2. I didn’t trust the drives, so I setup the NSLU2 to use one as a backup drive for the other. I dumped all kinds of content onto the NAS to be shared between my Dell (WinXP) and PowerBook (MacOSX) computers. Since both computers are locked-down and running their own firewalls, it’s next to impossible to get them to share files directly. Thus, the NAS filer is a very nice solution.

The fan died on the first ACOM Data drive several months ago. Cracking the hard drive’s case is next to impossible without breaking everything (it’s all plastic without screws), so left the drive for dead. A month ago the other drive’s fan gave out. I picked up a nice LaCie drive to replace the two ACOM duds. Now I attempting to get the data off the old drive and onto the new one.

Here is where the Linux under-pinnings of the NSLU2 became a liability. The NSLU2 uses the EXT3 filesystem common to Linux. It’s a great filesystem, but I happen to no longer have a Linux workstation or server in my residence. I could plug both drives into the NSLU2 and use its interface to copy over the contents, but I would like more fine-grain control over the process to copy the most important content first. That’s the degree to which I distrust the ACOM Data drive lasting through the operation.

I thought I was in good shape because I have a KNOPPIX 3.7 CD. I’d never used it, but I’d read such good things about it… Well, it doesn’t boot on my Dell box. It gets past the LILO prompt and starts recognizing hardware, but it quickly kernel panics that it cannot read init. Hmph. I’m grabbing build 02 of 3.7, which may work better. In the mean time, I am fanning the flame of hope that I’ll find a way to read EXT3 under MacOSX. I’m giving Mac OS X Ext2 Filesystem a shot.