[Voyage-linux] A Cheaper Motherboard

Ramon Navarro Bosch (spam-protected)
Fri Feb 23 15:17:51 HKT 2007


Hi guys !

I've been folowing the project and using it on some wireless comunities
( we created adesign merging OSPF trunk wifi networks with a OLSR/BATMAN
mesh network over it using openvpn ). I've been looking at the future of
wraps on pcengines and I saw that they are going to create a cheap
product using ARM9. As it's the same hardware on nokia N800 I can help
on porting voyage to this architecture ( we have a ARMEL 512Mbyte
600Gbyte server to compile with debian-armel and maemo-armel ).

Ramon


En/na Solomon Asare ha escrit:
> Hi All,
> it looks like there are some good news after all.
> According to: http://www.pcengines.ch/wrapeol.htm
> cheaper alternatives are on the way. Grapevine
> suggests $60.
>
> I hope it will not be too long.
>
> Regards,
> solo.
>
> --- Kim-man 'Punky' TSE <punkytse at punknix.com> wrote:
>
>   
>> Hi Matt,
>>
>> Yes, I have the same thought.  Over the weekend, I
>> have tried out OE and 
>> here is my initial findings:
>>
>> - Multi-arch build is easy, as it builds from
>> scratch, even the 
>> cross-compile toolchain.
>> - It has to build *everything* and requires a lot of
>> CPU and diskspace 
>> in my build machine (remember I used uml for all
>> voyage development?).  
>> I am now thinking of buying a new build machine -
>> may be a older version 
>> Mac Mini.
>> - The wireless part (hostapd, madwifi-modules) seems
>> to be un-maintained 
>> - needs few more hacks to get it build as there are
>> inter-dependency at 
>> build time (same problem in debian as well, but
>> someone had solved it).
>> - customized kernel-build needs more investigation -
>> seems not straight 
>> forward.
>>
>> My investigation does not necessary mean Voyage will
>> switch to OE 
>> platform.  It will only be a new thing.  Voyage will
>> still be offered as 
>> free software as it is today and ties to Debian.  It
>> is not going to change.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Punky
>>
>> Matthias Lemke wrote:
>>     
>>> then should "open embedded" be the first choice...
>>>
>>> regards
>>>
>>>
>>> Kim-man 'Punky' TSE schrieb:
>>>   
>>>       
>>>> Hi Solomon,
>>>>
>>>> I seems impossible to get a lower price x86-based
>>>>         
>> embedded board.
>>     
>>>> Other non-x86 embedded boards in MIP, ARM or
>>>>         
>> XScale architecture does
>>     
>>>> not have enough flash size for storing the
>>>>         
>> disk-space hungry Debian. 
>>     
>>>> With squashfs+unionfs we've seen in Live CD, we
>>>>         
>> can't have a distro
>>     
>>>> lower than ~30MB.  Even with squashfs with lzma
>>>>         
>> support, it also can't
>>     
>>>> lower than 25MB.
>>>>
>>>> If Voyage is going to support non-x86 borads, it
>>>>         
>> will not be Debian
>>     
>>>> anymore, and it can't be called Voyage either, as
>>>>         
>> Voyage Linux implies
>>     
>>>> Debian-based distro.
>>>> Regards,
>>>> Punky
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Solomon Asare wrote:
>>>>     
>>>>         
>>>>> Hi,
>>>>> I use lots of mikrotik products myself and they
>>>>>           
>> are
>>     
>>>>> excellent if all you need is a wireless/router
>>>>>           
>> without
>>     
>>>>> any special/unique customisation that you may
>>>>>           
>> want to
>>     
>>>>> roll out yourself. And the 112 is competitively
>>>>> priced.
>>>>>
>>>>> A licence upgrade, if required, after expiration
>>>>>           
>> of
>>     
>>>>> the one your 112 board came with, will set you
>>>>>           
>> back by
>>     
>>>>> about $40 at a latter date.
>>>>>
>>>>> Moreover, my competitors are also using Mikrotik
>>>>>           
>> or
>>     
>>>>> cheaper alternatives and I was wondering if,
>>>>>           
>> with a
>>     
>>>>> cheaper mboard + flash + memory and voyage, I
>>>>>           
>> can put
>>     
>>>>> together a radio more competitively. I am almost
>>>>>           
>> at
>>     
>>>>> the point where I may have to give the radio out
>>>>>           
>> and
>>     
>>>>> make money on monthly bandwidth charges which
>>>>>           
>> are not
>>     
>>>>> much.
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards,
>>>>> solomon.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --- Andrew Niemantsverdriet
>>>>>           
>> <andrew at pure-wireless.net>
>>     
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  
>>>>>       
>>>>>           
>>>>>> Check out the routerboard 112. It has board
>>>>>>             
>> memory
>>     
>>>>>> and flash for $99. My
>>>>>> research and development budget ran out for
>>>>>>             
>> this
>>     
>>>>>> quater otherwise I would
>>>>>> get one and see what can be done with it.
>>>>>>             
>> Anyway
>>     
>>>>>> here is a link:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.routerboard.com/prices.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Has anybody used these? Do they work? The
>>>>>>             
>> cheapest I
>>     
>>>>>> can build a wrap is
>>>>>> $127 not including a radio or enclosure. And
>>>>>>             
>> that is
>>     
>>>>>> in quantiy 10.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I will be interested to hear of others if there
>>>>>>             
>> are
>>     
>>>>>> any.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> Hi All,
>>>>>>> to make voyage more attractive as a
>>>>>>>       
>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>> Wireless/Router OS
>>>>>>    
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> I guess we need a cheaper embedded
>>>>>>>               
>> motherboard.
>>     
>>>>>>> Please, does anyone have any suggestions apart
>>>>>>>       
>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>> from
>>>>>>    
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> WRAP?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Is it possible to get say a ($60 - $80) board
>>>>>>>               
>> +
>>     
>>>>>>>       
>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>> memory
>>>>>>    
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> + flash that can support a client? Pentium 200
>>>>>>>       
>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>> should
>>>>>>    
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> be more than adequate. Any links?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Best Regards,
>>>>>>> solomon.
>>>>>>>       
>>>>>>>           
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>>     
>>>>>>         
>>>>>>             
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Voyage-linux mailing list
>>>>> Voyage-linux at list.voyage.hk
>>>>>
>>>>>           
>> http://list.voyage.hk/mailman/listinfo/voyage-linux
>>     
>>>>>   
>>>>>       
>>>>>           
>>>>     
>>>>         
>> -- 
>> Regards,
>> Punky
>>
>> P U N K N ! X  . c o m
>> Technology + Lifestyle
>> (http://www.punknix.com)
>>
>> V O Y A G E . H K - http://www.voyage.hk
>> Linux - voyage-0.2 is released!
>> Store - New Senao NMP-8601 and NMP-8602 (100mW) in
>> stock!
>>       - New low price for Senao NMP-8602 Plus
>> (400mW)! 
>>
>>
>>     
>
>
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