As i promised you guys to give my full story about my little project that im the most proud of.
First of all like everybody else i did get annoyed by the firmware thecus gives. I mean got to make your own module if you want some software to be running on it, the kernel is way to old and the most important reason "they stopped supporting it" =_=!.
So after finding out that some other guys had a little project going on putting a other version of linux (centOS) on there NB5200x x. I also got really curious about this matter so i began questioning what i needed to do this. This is what i got for answers.
- Where do i get this "DOM"-disk?
A: You can buy it online the one was advised was from transcend (i bought a 8 GB DOM-DISK)
- Can i also put other linux distro on it or does it have to be CentOS?
A: yes, you could probably put any of the latest linux version ( i waited until Ubuntu 10.04 server came out. Why? well because this is a LTS version and ubuntu is VERY well supported and i also have the desktop verson on my laptop and computer.
Those two question where the most important to me and after i got those answered i began my little project.
Step 1: Download Ubuntu 10.04 server LTS 32bit (You can download it
releases.ubuntu.com/lucid/ubuntu-10.04-server-i386.iso here or you just can go to ubuntu website and download it using torrent-file or just from an other server. http://www.ubuntu.com)
Step 2: obtain a USB-stick with a minimal of 1 GB of space on it, a USB-Keyboard and a monitor with VGA connector)
www.jestineyong.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/vga2.jpgStep 3: Purchase a DOM-Disk ( i got a 8 GB but i only use like 1.6 gb of space so you could also buy a 4 gb one)
REMEMBER IT HAS TO BE A 44 PINStep 4: Upgrade your RAM (in your NAS there is only 512 MB of RAM but if you want to install linux version on it so why not upgrading it to 1 GB of RAM)
Step 5: Purchase a VGA connector ( i had those plugs so i didn't solder it on the motherboard)
Step 6: Put the VGA connector on to your motherboard, replace your RAM making it 1 GB, replace your DOM-DISK, plug the USB on one of those USB-ports and monitor on the VGA-connector you just putted on the motherboard.
Step 7: after you downloaded the ubuntu 10.04 server LTS iso make a LIVE-USB (In ubuntu you have USB-Creator software. In windows some developers made a similair software
www.softpedia.com/get/System/Boot-Manager-Disk/uSbuntu-Live-Creator.shtml But im not sure how it goes on a mac)
Step 8: Connect the USB-stick on one of those empty USB-Ports and turn your NAS on.
Step 9: As soon as it turns on you see the POST press i think DEL button to get in the BIOS if not you could see it on the screen which one it should be. And change the boot sequence so that the USB-stick is on the first place.
Step 10: As the NAS turns on this time it boots the ubuntu of the usb-stick so you got to install it now on the DOM-disk. LOOK VERY CLOSELY ON WHAT YOU CHOSE TO BE INSTALLED ON.. So you don't install it on one of your hard disks.
Step 11: After you installed ubuntu server on your DOM-Disk login using the username and password you gave when you where installing ubuntu.
Step 12: type this first
sudo apt-get install perl5 libnet-ssleay-perl
this is needed to install webmin.
Step 13: Type this after you installed the first one
wget <URL of webmin *.deb package>
you can find it right here
www.webmin.com/download.html look for text "Debian package suitable for Debian, Ubuntu or other derived Linux"
Step 14: Type this after you downloaded the webmin *.deb package
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
Step 15: If you havent installed the ssh-server while you were installing ubuntu installed it by executing the next command.
sudo apt-get install openssh-server openssh-client
Step 16: You can now access your NAS using web (webmin or SSH but i would advise webmin because its much easier). Go to the updates and install all the updates available.
Step 17: After you installed the updates and rebooted connect to the NAS using SSH or just direct approach using your keyboard and monitor connected to it. And execute this command first:
sudo apt-get install python-software-properties
and second command:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:a.bono/samba3.5
This is really necessary because samba got a bug that wont allow you using NFS it is really annoying.
Step 18: After you accomplish step 17 go to webmin and install the remaining updates (they are for samba)
Step 19: This step is rather big
< so scroll down to see this step> (Mounting your Harddisks)
MOUNTING YOUR HARDDISKS:
Well im not sure it goes the same way with your NAS like it was with mine but ill just explain how i got mine mounted using webmin ofcourse.
Step 1: make a SSH connection (you can use putty or you could use terminal if you use a linux version in my case i use linux so i used the (kiss) terminal (Kiss)
Step 2: This step is really for everybody different if you look at my case.
I have harddisk 1 in BJOD and harddisks 2, 3, 4, 5 in RAID5
so what i needed to do is i had to mount the first harddisk and the rest of the harddisks because they are in RAID so they count as 1.
I made 2 new directory's in /media/
sudo mkdir /media/RAID1
(i called it raid1 its not raid 1 but i just called it like that)
And second directory for my RAID5
sudo mkdir /media/RAID5
These 2 directorys i just made are only MOUNT points so it doesn't matter if you call them balls or what ever your dirty mind comes up with XD. But i used it so i would remember it in case i make a SSH connection and im browsing through everything.
Step 3: Go to webmin using your webbrowser ( i would recommend everything except Internet Explorer)
Step 4: Go to "Logical Volume Management"-->Logical volumes(third tab)--> click on one of those things you see. ( Mines were like 2.72 GB lv0 and 838 kb lv0 one because i have raid5 and second one is seperate)
Step 5: If you have clicked on one of those go to the "Mount on LV" and type there your mounting point mines were RAID1 and RAID5 so i had to put the right one there and after you typed that in click on the button "Mount on LV" and then click on "Create" this should mount your harddisks or raid. If you got more then one then you got to do this more then once. with different lv0's offcourse.
Guys all of this knowledge has a GPL-license so do what every you want to do with it
. And if you have any questions about it.. you know where to find me.
ps. I haven't fixed the display yet im not sure how to do it they say you have to compile the drivers and blablabl.. but i dont know how to obtain those.
Now you can install what every you want to install i have proftpd installed as ftp-server and Deluge and the web plugin of it and you gotta love this its 10 times better then vuze (no offense towards drewy)
ubuntu-utah.ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=8993549&postcount=1 (here you can find the tutorial )
- You can also install LAMP-server (Linux Apache Mysql PHP as a webserver)
webmin got 20 times more plugins then the N5200 got im planning to put Openradius and a good webbased media-server but im not sure which one.