small, portable server-like computer w/o keyboard or monitor?

[kentborg at borg.org (Kent Borg)]

On Thu, Sep 13, 2001 at 12:38:55PM -0400, Robert Brown wrote:
> Anyway, I'm looking for something like this.  Not a desktop and not a laptop:
> somewhere in between.  I would like it to have disk space, perhaps a
> parallel port or SCSI port, an ethernet jack, but no video or keyboard
> needed to run it.  Obviously, it has to be able to run Linux, preferably
> Debian GNU/Linux.
> 
> Does anything like this exist?

Something that doesn't quite match your feature request, but I use as
my basement server, is a Think NIC box <http://www.thinknic.com>, to
which I have added a hard disk.

The advantages are that it is fairly small (like a smallish cable box
that sits on edge) and cheap (only $200--no Micro$oft tax!).

The disadvantage is that it takes some hacking to cram a notebook disk
inside and the current shipping BIOS is not happy with memory
expansion.  (But the shipped 64 MB *is* quite reasonable for Linux,
especially when not running X.)  Think NIC is quite friendly to
hackers, including posting alternate BIOS images that do allow added
RAM, unlock some useful options, etc.

x86 processor, CD-ROM, ethernet, USB, mouse port, keyboard port, video
port, modem, sound in and out.  It is intended to be booted off of a
special Linux CD and be a network appliance, but it was quite happy to
run Red Hat once I stuffed a commodity notebook disk inside.

As it ships it does has a 4 MB IDE flash module used for storage of
configuration information and bookmarks.  If one has a task that
requires only a little writable storage one could make a custom
bootable Linux CD that does your bidding.

It occurs to me I don't know if it be willing to boot without a
keyboard.


-kb, the Kent who should maybe volunteer to show it off for a BLU
meeting.
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