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Everyone Needs a Personal Server 220
An anonymous reader writes "Intel Labs is prototyping a potentially revolutionary new 'personal server'. The tiny device -- smaller than a PDA -- comprises a hard disk, BlueTooth, a Web-DAV enabled HTTP daemon, and other technologies enabling the user to access and modify their files from any enabled PC within their "Personal Area Network." In theory, this would allow the worker to access their own data -- essentially to have their own PC -- at any suitable workstation as long as the personal server were nearby. This article at LinuxDevices.com provides background on the personal server concept, explains how the device will enable a truly mobile experience, discusses the basic technologies involved, and provides an architectural block diagram of the prototype, which is based on an XScale Processor running at 400MHz running an embedded Linux OS."
Security (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Security (Score:5, Funny)
In my life time I have lost 12 pairs of glasses.2 wallets and 5 remote controls, Losing a web server is going to 0wn
Re:Security (Score:2, Funny)
Re:BIgger than Jesus (Score:2, Insightful)
The iPod is an entertainment device. While it uses similar technology (small hard drive and connection) it doesn't perform a similar function... though it could, in theory.
The personal server idea could well be an ipod as well- just add audio controls. Plus, making it SIMILAR to an iPod with extremely extended capabilities would make it far more desirable than an iPod.
A portable USB hard drive is no news- I use a 64 meg memory stick+usb to share files with my laptops,
Re:BIgger than Jesus (Score:2)
Re:Security (Score:2, Informative)
But apart from that, this appears to be just a really small version of a regular computer, meaning the security would be just as good as any other Linux/Wireless system. It's just smaller.
Re:Security for Bluetooth (Score:3, Informative)
Me, I want a PAN server asap. Great idea.
Re:Security for Bluetooth (Score:3, Interesting)
What you fail to realize though is that 10 meters is a sizeable distance. Its not just the people in the cubicles nearby or your house. What if you live in an apartment building. I don't know how Bluetooth handles through floors and ceilings, but that could be a potential issue. Or what if you're on the bus?
Re:Security for Bluetooth (Score:2, Interesting)
I know I live in the dark ages, but at my university there are several rooms on the main campus with general access terminals and jacks to plug in your laptop. Using a Bluetooth personal server, what is to say I can't access the personal servers of the 25 other students within five meters of me?
But that becomes irrelevant, since even a simple secure login or encrypted connection should clean it up. God knows you wouldn't leave your stuff on a public sha
Re:Security for Bluetooth (Score:2)
Good idea -don't run personal server or count money or pick nose or uninate or walk naked or engage in loud political/religous monologues or other things you want to do in a secure, stable place, in a crowd of people on the steet.
Re:Security (Score:5, Interesting)
If I were using this to interface with public machines (like at a library) I'd want the ability to re-image it with a known clean copy of the OS after every use. Removable media to keep my data out of public eyes wouldn't hurt either.
Instead of laptop. (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Instead of laptop. (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.cappuccinopc.com/espressopc.asp
Re:Instead of laptop. (Score:2)
This would probably be standard enough, but you'd still need to plug the monitor in too.
USB2 or Removable Hard Disks or CD-RWs (Score:2)
If rewriteable DVD technology standardizes en
It's the wrong solution (Score:2)
Instant beowulf on the subway? (Score:5, Funny)
I misread the title (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I misread the title (Score:2)
One of these days you are going to be one of those people who has the idea and becomes very rich. It isn't today though, sorry. ;-)
Still? (Score:2, Informative)
And michael posted that story, as well.
Yet another dupe from Team Slashdot.
And these tits actually want the readers to pay...
Knunov
Re:Still? (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:Still? (Score:2)
Re:Still? (Score:3, Insightful)
Pretty sure it was a left-handed suggestion that the fine editors at
You know - check for dupes, check links, check spelling...
Since it has been rated up, it seems that a lot of readers agree - even though this is obvious flamebait, OT, etc.
Yet Another Intel Ref Design (Score:2, Informative)
boot failure (Score:3, Informative)
Re:boot failure (Score:5, Informative)
Not really... routers do quite well with aux ports and or web management, true *nix boxes do perfectly well with remote access / console ports. Dedicated devices often don't need displays. Though if you zap the roms on any device, it's going to be a paperwight unless you can get replacements.
You can not zap roms. (Score:2)
Re:boot failure (Score:2)
I've zapped two motherboard roms in my life, one due to virus, another I believe pentium 66 was zapped due to bad flash procedure. Both became expensive paper weights, in both cases having a monitor was pretty much worthless, unless the
Re:boot failure (Score:2)
where's the belt (Score:5, Funny)
Robin hand me my utility belt and a bandolier of batteries.
Re:where's the belt (Score:3, Insightful)
With this device your mp3 player and camera dont need more than a little ram anymore, so you can integrate the mp3 player into the earphones.
Your digital camera can now be included in you cell phone, which has bluetooth already, and sends it pictures to the server.
Considering the fact that the server has a processor, your pda can be a dumb client, so you could just integrate a hud in your glasses and a wireless keyboard for input.
I think it is quite useful to concentrage storage space and p
curious about Apple's move (Score:5, Interesting)
add wireless and http and presto!
Re:curious about Apple's move (Score:3, Insightful)
All-in-one solutions aren't exactly a great idea. For a portable music player, most people want it to be as inexpensive, small and lightweight as possible, but to still have the features they want in a music player. I'm afraid wireless file/web serving is not on that list for the majority of users.
Re:curious about Apple's move (Score:2)
Wireless seems like a natural progression from having to carry a wire around, except I wonder if wireless could ever be fast enough.
The next iPod (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The next iPod (Score:2)
Apple has a cordial relationship with the recording industry right now, enough for them to dell downloads of songs. Can you imagine what would happen if Apple started selling devices specifically optimized for distributing music to everyone in the same room, for storage on
Re:The next iPod (Score:2)
Re:curious about Apple's move (Score:5, Interesting)
If I put all of my personal files on a wireless hard drive I carried around with me, I would always be worried about people around me trying to hack in. Can you imagine going into the mall a few years from now, when everyone is carrying one of these? It would be a hacker's dream to wander the mall, seeing what info he can pick up!
Or, can you imagine a worm in that same mall, jumping from person to person as they pass each other?
No thanks, just give me the security of the wire. I might support wireless if there was a hard switch on the unit that physically disconnected the wireless hardware, making it impossible to be turned on via software.
Re:curious about Apple's move (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:curious about Apple's move (Score:2)
Re:curious about Apple's move (Score:2)
You know, while you make a point....I think it lacks the bigger picture. Of COURSE you're at risk from the people around you. But you're at a much bigger risk when you're on the net at home/office. There its not just the people immediately around you that can try to hack your server, its EVERYBODY ON THE NET!
I personally would much rather be at risk
Already have part of it / Need something different (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't really need a webserver with me, since that is better placed on a server that I don't unplug. This feature is pretty useless for me. Nor is bluetooth really practical to me, since USB is much wider supported than bluetooth on the machines I might sit at.
What I really need is are smaller portable harddrives with bigger capacities (200GB to start would be nice) that are network-aware. Just plug in an ethernet cable and mount it.
Network Harddrive (Score:5, Informative)
The Snap Appliance Server 1100 [dealtime.com] is pretty close. It's a little large, but not too bad. It's something that's much more useful to me than this "personal server". But the cost is outrageous. About 800USD for a 120GB networked drive? Considering I can get a 160GB USB drive in Japan for under 200USD now, the extra 600USD does not justify the cost of adding ethernet.
I guess I'll just have to wait, someone's bound to come out with something. For now I'm just thinking of picking up one of those brick-PCs and mounting my drives to that (especially as I need more) and just connecting that to the network wherever I am.
Re:Already have part of it / Need something differ (Score:2)
Re:Already have part of it / Need something differ (Score:2)
Re:Already have part of it / Need something differ (Score:2, Offtopic)
Wow, I didn't realise anyone placed such high importance on their porn collection. Adds new meaning to "personal server".
Re:Already have part of it / Need something differ (Score:2)
Sure, I can appreciate that. But why not just a networked harddrive with an encrypted filesystem? And the mimimal display could just be the IP address. (So many places where DNS/ReverseDNS doesn't work correctly), but DHCP almost always works.
Re:Already have part of it / Need something differ (Score:2)
I like the idea -- but 30GB is not nearly enough. If Apple releases a 200GB iPod at a reasonable price, hell yeah, I'd buy it.
Re:Already have part of it / Need something differ (Score:2)
I think you need to see someone about your addiction to pr0n
I know you were just trying to be funny. But lugging around data is a serious problem for me. I'm a game developer and I usually have different projects going on at different sites in different countries -- and some modern console games are
Different implementations (Score:5, Funny)
Linux/BSD: We had this for years, but it takes a rocket scientist to figure out how to secure a small server and maintain it; not consumer friendly but effective)
Microsoft: Introducing
Intel: Lets build a box for the regular Joe so he can access their files anytime, from anywhere, if he has an always-on connection.
Linux community: Lets hack together a working alternative that works out of the box and runs of dirt cheap hardware and even grandma can use it. Just like we did with MythTV and other lesser known PVRs
Apple: Introducing iPersonalServe
SCO: It was our idea all along!
Easier (Score:5, Funny)
if you want to be tech wiz, you could even buy a USB memory card. WOOO!
Re:Easier (Score:2)
personal server runs on 7.5w. A DVD+RW runs on 0.
I'd like a 3" blank, though.
Re:Easier (Score:2)
I hate myself for saying this (Score:4, Insightful)
Sure the idea has merits. If they ever can the installed base of the ground. Say that every PC in world is enabled in this way. Then yes I could take this light device with me and while waiting at the airport work at a supplied terminal. While in the aircraft use the PC in the seat to work. Then while at the client use their PC's to hold my presentation.
Slight snag. This is not likely to happen. Most companies don't even like their own employees to attach hardware to the network let alone complete strangers. Let alone a black box device. We all heard the horror storie about people installing modded consoles in the walls to comprimise security at big offices. This make it even easier.
It sounds to me like kermit. To those of you who do not know what kermit is it was a mobile phone that only worked in hotsports. So it worked for a few years while everyone used payphones or carphones until cellphones became cheap. Just as now everyone will use something like a USB pendrive/iPod style/external HD device or pda/laptop. The first are cheap and light and will usually work. The second are expensive heavy but at least can work on their own.
Perhaps this will work for big companies in highly specialized situations. I just can't think of any where existing tech like the ones I mentioned wouldn't do just as well.
Can anyone else perhaps point out what I missed?
Re:I hate myself for saying this (Score:3, Insightful)
See my comment [slashdot.org] above.
I don't know if I'm exactly the market they're looking toward, but I need things like this because I have networks I need to connect to (physically) around the world and have access to large amounts of data. So yeah, I think there is a use simply because no network is faster than sneakernet when you're talking about a couple hundred of gigs of data.
Perhaps this will work for big companies in highly specialized situations. I just can
Re:I hate myself for saying this (Score:3, Informative)
Just reiterating some of your points in a different manner
Re:I hate myself for saying this (Score:2)
Re:I hate myself for saying this (Score:2)
Cooling is becoming a problem for modern CPUs. I certainly am not buying a 100W+ monster for my desktop. And noise of hard drives is becoming a problem too (and you need at least two driver for safety).
X protocol could be more useful each day.
I hate to give up mod points for this but... (Score:3, Interesting)
If a personal file server (which fits in the whole bluetooth connectivity thing in theory) were available, my digital camera would only have to be the lens and a little bit of mem
Re:I hate myself for saying this (Score:2)
PCs which will support a given non-server device from your list are somewhat rarer, if only because there are a bunch of different types of tho
What is this good for? (Score:1, Insightful)
MIS are gonna love it (Score:1, Interesting)
M$ and ISP problems prevent this. (Score:3, Insightful)
sig hup Cox; sig hup Microsoft; wake up Intel. Cox and other ISPs need to stand up to Microsoft and media interests or die. Don't give me bull about dynDNS, I want to live upright. I don't need a windoze computer to pop up a silly icon and comprimise all my personal and company data. The good folks at Intel need to realize that people already do this and contribute to projects like Open Zaurus that make it easier, rather than to Microsoft because Microsoft will work to prevent, pervert and control the whole effort. If your data is not on a free platform, someone else owns it.
Re:M$ and ISP problems prevent this. (Score:2)
M$ (Score:2, Funny)
refering to Microsoft as "M$" is retarded.
10 LET M$ = "Microsoft"
It saves typing.
Dupe, but makes you think... (Score:1)
Someone asks where the cover sheets for your TPS reports are, you'll truely be able to point at your brain and say, "It's all right here." :)
Re:Dupe, but makes you think... (Score:1)
Re:Dupe, but makes you think... (Score:1)
What?! How do you know that?! WHO SENT YOU!??!
:-D
Datastor USB Portable Hard Drive (Score:1, Interesting)
Why not (Score:2)
No, This is not what everyone needs. (Score:2, Insightful)
I got all excited, until. . . (Score:2)
KFG
I don't think so (Score:3, Insightful)
I'll grant them that it _is_ innovative to create a device like this which abstracts the access method to the portable data behind open protocols such as tcpip, but I still get the feeling they're going about it in a lopsided manner.
You move, but this doesn't mean the data must move with you to be accessible. This is one of the ideas with X, your data is plonked on a machine somewhere far off, and you conect to it and presto, you and your data are one.
I feel effort and time invested in ubiquitous connectivity will do far more to address the need to access one's data than working on solutions like this.
Kudos still, the idea is interesting.
SCO's new target (Score:2, Insightful)
I like that idea, but what about this... (Score:4, Funny)
Looks like a pen. Writes like a pen.
But it's not a real pen. It contains 512 MB (or so) of flash, which is shared via bluetooth. A 10cm high retractable gain antenna is hidden within the length of the pen itself, and powered by a single AAA battery. Walk by an enabled PC, optionally type in a password, and all your documents, your keyring, etc. are available. Think of the security holes. Finally, as an added bonus, when you write on paper (or anything for that matter, toilet paper springs to mind), you can choose to record your scribbles on the flash drive. Tiny gyroscopic sensors determine the motion of the pen across the page, and a pressure sensor determines whether the pen is against a writing surface. Each time you expose the ball point head it creates a new file, and when you retract it, it closes it. You can tell which file is which by the timestamps.
THAT would kick butt. And as embedded logic gets more powerful, you could have a personal web/email/aim server running in there too. A wireless iPod sounds nifty, but where's the innovation people? Where is Microsoft?
Re:I like that idea, but what about this... (Score:3, Funny)
Keychain USB Drive (Score:2, Insightful)
A USB keychain drive seems to fill this role better. If all I want is portability of my files I dont really need the CPU, the web server, etc..
What's wrong with this picture? (Score:5, Insightful)
Let me get this straight. I'm supposed to carry around this little box with all my data on it so that when I get somewhere that has a keyboard and screen and knows how to talk to this box, I can log in and access my data. What's wrong with this picture? Why do I need to carry around this box? Why do I want to carry around data? That's what the Internet is for.
Remember Java-enabled jewelry with onboard crypto? The RSA "fob" ID device? Dallas Semiconductor buttons? Same functional capabilities, less to carry. All you really need is an ID device.
Ubiquitous computing looks more like "hurry up and find something that wastes compute power before we have to have another layoff". They need some better ideas over there.
Re:What's wrong with this picture? (Score:4, Insightful)
Photographers with digital cameras out on photo shoots can have a 20, 40, whatever gb drive on their belt and a camera that uploads their images.
Your MP3 player is the headphones and accesses 20gb of mp3s.
All of a sudden your PDA has 40gb of storage instead of a tiny compactflash card.
You could store a hell of a lot of contacts for your cell phone.
Integrate the server with a cell phone and now your camera can upload images to your ftp site, your PDA can surf the net via bluetooth, your MP3 player gets Shoutcast streams...
It's like a NAS for your body.
Re:What's wrong with this picture? (Score:2, Interesting)
Think of the big picture, its not practicle to use the internet for such a thing yet, for one upstream bandwidth is expensive and most broadband users have very little of it.
Im not arguing the usefullness of this device, i for one would throw stuff i need to take with me on a cd and be on my way, but it does have its uses and claiming the internet is a much better solution is just crazy (for now). When everyone can upload over 1mbit i would agre
Re:What's wrong with this picture? (Score:3, Interesting)
In theory, but not in practice yet. My home machine is on dialup, and data on it is not available when I am not there. Servers at work are for work, not personal use, and anyway I wouldn't put personal stuff on a machine where some BOFH has the root password unless I absolutely had to.
And this would still only work if whatever machine I was trying to use also had a broadband connection. "Hey w
Sounds great; but won't go over well at work! (Score:2)
No monitor/screen or keyboard.... (no user I/O) (Score:2)
You know what, there is this project to clone the Amiga3.1 OS into Open Source and Freely Available OS. It's a very small and efficient OS that doesn't have all the multi-user over head (AROS on sourceforge) and here is an Idea better than this Personal Server battery powered password..
Put the OS on a ram drive strip or other such memeory device that is small and portable, your choice (USB) that p
Microsoft beat Intel to the punch (Score:2)
That's it? (Score:4, Informative)
Gotta admit being a little disappointed by this.
For those of you who didn't RTFA: This is essentially a little hard drive which rides around in your backpack (note: I don't carry a backpack all the time; do you?) and can connect, wirelessly, to any machine you access which recognizes wireless devices. Basically, as far as I can tell, this has the same net effect as having a home directory on an NFS server someplace and using it to save your settings as you move from machine to machine.
Again: Bo-ring.
When I saw "personal server, no IO", I was hoping this would be a manifestation of the keystone portion of my idea for a personal wireless network Your devices would all notice one another, and the width of functionality of any given device would be dependant on what you were carrying. If you we out taking pictures with your digicam and were carrying a server, the images would be transfered to the (presumably very expansive) drive in the server. If you had your cell phone, the images would be sent off to your home computer, as well.
Repeat en masse. PDAs display and do I/O, headphones play music and the real work is taken care of automagically behind the scenes in some secure fashion. You'd effectively allow the elimination of multi-use devices which don't do any job very well by allowing your devices to play their strong points, and you could customize your loadout just in what you grab in the morning when you're loading your pockets.
Anyhow, this ain't it, and that's disappointing -- somebody must have hit my verbosity flag today, and I'm sincerely sorry for the pain that I've caused you all...
I pretty much already have this... (Score:2)
plug it in the usb port, and I have yet to find a computer + os that cannot access/read it except for filesystem issues.. (I use FAT32)
Why would I want something that I need to recharge nightly and could be accessed in the subway without my knowlege?
Smart Underwear (Score:3, Funny)
More on the personal server... (Score:2)
I thought the Personal Server was so neat, I wrote my own article based on the baard.com info, Science Fiction becomes science-fact [gtf.org].
A personal server? why? (Score:2)
*and don'tmention Linux, please. The distinction used to ignorable, but SCO seems intent on reimposing that ancient pricing model.
Not quite... (Score:3, Informative)
http://oceanstore.cs.berkeley.edu/
Check out OceanStore software for building a fully reliable network where users can access their files from any connected machine. It's also fully redundant too.
The biggest flaw of the personal server is that your data is subject to physical desctruction at anytime. The server can give you portability, but it can't give you reliability.
As high speed connections become ubiquitous across the globe, OceanStore will be the real way of storing your information, encrypted, and replicated across many nodes in the global network - it would be possible to have access to your "personal files" from anywhere in the world. Not only that - you will never have to worry about backing up again.
No! You want a personal virtual machine! (Score:2)
Like a suped-up iPod (Score:2)
Old News, I'm Afraid (Score:3, Insightful)
Not revolutionary, see Sony's Portable File Server (Score:3, Informative)
Sony's had a wireless file server PGX1 out in Japan for several months now. It's not really pocket size but doesn't take much space or add much weight in a bag at only 390g. It stores 20GB and supports CIFS, NFS and FTP connections over 802.11b. It's also dockable with a wired ethernet connection when direct access is desired. Configuration is via LCD display or web browser.
See the FSV-PGX1 at Sony's Portable File Server [www.sony.jp] page for details (in Japanese of course).
Re:OT: Don't any of us sleep? (Score:2)
Re:OT: Don't any of us sleep? (Score:2)
Maybe you were tired when you wrote it. Go to sleep.
Re:Ack! Beat me to it... (Score:2)
"Crazy. But just in case anyone tries to DO this... consider this post to be my prior art evidence, and prepare to pay royalties. Because this could be a powerful and profitable concept."
Can't make up your mind as to whether or not you did it first?
Prior art is very very plentiful... I suspect even the application of the concept of a "Smart Terminal" might as well qualify as prior art...
Search for and read my other post in this thread, for more.
Re:Backup? Security? (Score:2)
Security is another problem though, if one of these gets lost with sensitive data on it (and it will happen), it could be very nasty.
Re:It's all about XScale (Score:2)
Re:Doh! (Score:2)
unzip nameofself.exe
will work.
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