Ok, I have one situation every week where an easy to use remote control will be handy. But I can't easially run another Cat5 cable to where the empeg sits. It does however sit within serial range of my home Linux server. And the planned remote control is an iPaq handheld with an 802.11b wireless card. It will be connecting to a web page containing links to commonly used playlists. Now, I have three ideas on implementing this, and was just wondering what others would thing would be easier.

1. Connect the empeg via PPP to the Linux server. There is currently no PPP software on either machine. Once connected, just use normal HTTP calls to Hijack.

2. Write scripts to send serial commands to the empeg from PHP code running on the server. This is also assuming that I can select what playlists to play via serial (I am pretty sure it can somehow, can't remember for sure).

3. Use emptool somehow instead of sending the raw commands in idea #2.

Keep in mind the iPaq is just being used to say "Play playlist Blah 1" or "Change the volume". So something like VNC is not needed, since seeing the screen is not a requirement.

Thanks

I think you should just redo your complete room. Or, find a way to run that extra cat5. It's like wanting to build a factory to make a blue mousetrap when you already have a perfectly working green one.

Hey, just my 2 cents. Besides, I know you have loads more cool stuff you could do with your time.

Bruno

Well, the room in question is the basement, and to get Cat 5 there again, I'd have to buy another 50ft cable, hook it into the main hub, run it around my room and into a heater vent to then go down and out, across the basement and to the empeg. Hardly seems like a decent use of that cable for a few hours a week when the hardware is all right there now. Though I guess it does reveal my tendancy towards software

Ummm, 2nd NIC/subnet in/on Linux server and crossover cable to Empeg? Routing of some sort required on server.

[edit: by this suggestion I mean an easier (IMO) variation on your Option #1 --- PPP. Call it "1a"]

Hmm, if only my spare NIC wasn't in use in my desktop. Maybe I should dremel the case to get access to the embedded port again...

Though the IP routing on that machine is going to be insane with 2 NICs already...

Unless you've got more than one remote (not directly connected) network or you're trying to attach multiple NICs to one network, having more than two NICs is not really any more complicated (routing-wise) than having two, or one for that matter. I've administered machines that have had up to nine (don't ask).

I know, I just had nightmares after spending about 4 hours troubleshooting my internet sharing on it until I realised I had eth0 and 1 swapped. Of course that was 2am, so I think that had to do with it...

I've administered machines that have had up to nine (don't ask).

I think you misspelled "I want to tell more about this" >;-)

cu,
sven

One of my previous jobs (back when I was actually employed ) was as an administrator for a firewall service that a major US backbone's internet group provided. We installed Sparc machines running Checkpoint Firewall-1 (and a router) at the customer's site that had multiple NICs, one for the Internet connection and others for the customer's networks. One of our customers was a large company that also had frame relay connections to their other offices, but, for some dumb reason well beyond my control, they didn't have one large frame cloud, but had a separate link for each possible connection. As they had a total of five offices and they wanted a separate connection for each of those links (for, again, no good reason), we needed seven total NICs (1 for the Internet, 1 for the office, 1 for their DMZ, and 4 for the other offices). The engineering group had only approved Sun's QuadFastEthernet adapters, plus the built-in NIC, so we had the one built-in, plus 2 QFEs, for a total of 9 NICs. (Actually, they might have been QEs instead of QFEs.) Now, two of the NICs were unused, but I did have to administer five instances of that setup.

As they had a total of five offices and they wanted a separate connection for each of those links (for, again, no good reason), we needed seven total NICs...

Ouch! I think back in the early 90s a lot of companies built frame networks that looked *just* like their existing point-to-point networks -- some combination of being unclear on the concept and maybe lack of trust in new-fangled frame. 'Course, all those interfaces were probably going through the same carrier frame switch, but everybody felt better!

On the clueful side of the equation, having all those interfaces could possibly make sense if you had multiple carriers/networks and multi-homed local loop/s, but somehow that doesn't sound like it was the case.

Y'know, back to the original query...I suggested another NIC without knowing that server already had 2 and was serving Internet sharing. I'd say the additional (3rd) NIC is still a decent idea, but admit that it could be marginally more complex if that server already has masq/ipchains-type services configured that would need to be tweaked.

Well I did go ahead and put in the third network card in, and then had to reboot a few times. The one I added uses the same module as one of the other cards I use. And there is no monitor on the machine, so it was a fun time finding out where each cable had to go. My existing network is 192.168.0.x, I am going to set that card as 192.168.1.1. Now to figure out how to get my DHCP server to talk to that address as well, but not the internet one. (I've preferred to bind services to only one card instead of having massive firewall rules.)

If it's the ISC dhcpd, you just list the interface names on the command line.

Won't your existing cat 5 cable have two unused pairs?

Maybe separate the pairs at each end and run the empeg and server on the same cable (into two hub ports).

I think you can buy splitters for this if you don't want to re-terminate the cable.

Rod.

Yes, you can buy splitters for this, I have used them, and they work just fine. Provided the cabling is crimped properly to begin with.

Now you tell me this, after I installed the extra NIC...

Ok, I found how to do this, but what will happen if I have a specific statement in the dhcpd.conf for the empeg under the 192.168.0.x ip range? I'd like to keep that for when it's elsewhere in the house so that it has it's static DHCP IP. And have a second entry when it is hanging off that 3rd NIC. I can't find anything in the man page to say that it's either smart enough to figure out the interfaces based on the IP ranges and what card has what subnet, or if there is a parameter to define a subnet setting to one interface.

Under my OpenBSD machine, it's smart enough without further configuration. That is, I have two networks beyond my Internet connection, I bind dhcpd to the two internal interfaces by setting them on the command line, and I have network-specific configurations in my dhcpd.conf without any mention of the interfaces. I assume that it figures it out based on the IP address and netmask of the interfaces, but, honestly, it never occurred to me that it wouldn't work. I set it up in the most obvious manner possible the first time out, and it worked like a champ. (Except for my Windows 2K box's client, which somehow notices that the DHCP server has gone down when I reboot it for upgrades, and releases the lease, despite having ten hours remaining. What a PoS. )

Sorry, I can't keep up with the BBS these days .

Rod.