In the last week or so I’ve finished setting up my home network. It includes

• A Linksys WRT54GL
• A Linksys NSLU2
• A LaCie 500GB external disk
• A Motorola SurfBoard cable modem

The WRT54GL is running a custom Linux firmware (DD-WRT), which allows me to tweak all kinds of settings (including radio power), log in with SSH, and if I solder an SD card onto the motherboard, load all sorts of additional software. The management software is much nicer than what it comes with.

The NSLU2 is also running a custom linux firmware (OpenSlug). It’s somewhat Debian-like. I added a 1GB memory stick to one of its USB ports, and hooked up the LaCie 500GB external disk to the other. The operating system resides on the 1GB memory stick, while I serve files, run backups, and serve iTunes music (with mt-daapd) from the 500GB drive. The iTunes music shows up as a shared library on the macs, available for streaming. The custom firmware also allows the use of a usb hub. Once I get one, I’m probably going to hook the printer up to it, and use it for print serving as well.

The cable modem doesn’t do much. It just hooks us up to the ‘net. Here’s a picture of the set-up. Notice the penguin in a slug suit on the NSLU2 (because the devices are referred to as slugs).