Unboxing the GuruPlug Server Plus

[Blüto]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-4v0oZfThc

[AndyOfLinux]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-4v0oZfThc

Thanks for the unpacking video.  After you unpacked and fired-up, did it function well?  How did you "talk" to the Plug?  Are you able to use ethernet and WiFi at the same time?

[djrm]

I love the way he holds the parts up to have a look in a way the camera can't see them ;-)

[Blüto]

The USB Virtual COM Port driver from ftdichip.com won't install, I suspect that GlobalScale modified the hardware/vendor ID in the firmware of the JTAG console first and then didn't or couldn't obtain Windows certification for modified drivers later.

This whole JTAG daughterboard thing smells to me like an attempt to "proprietize" the plug in order to extort an extra 30% profit margin, because the GuruPlug is a brick without it. You don't dare modify the installed environment without a working serial connection, because you'll be hosed if the plug fails to boot due to a typo or something in a configuration file.

And speaking of boot failure, it appears that they intended to implement a cascading boot sequence [WiFi first, Ethernet second] but botched it. Inserting an ethernet cable causes the plug to reboot, but it doesn't recognize the mode change and just goes into an endless reboot cycle until you pull the cable and let it boot as an AP. (I commented out # /root/init_setup.sh in /etc/rc.local to get it to boot Ethernet successfully, after editing /etc/network/interfaces to add:

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
 address 192.168.1.5
 gateway 192.168.1.1
 netmask 255.255.255.0
 network 192.168.1.0
 broadcast 192.168.1.255

 or if I wanted dhcp, I'd have added
 
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
 
 (these instructions per An introduction to Debian networking setup)
 
 I then had to restart networking with /etc/init.d/networking restart, but it did (eventually) come up.
 
Serial console:
 
I didn't have a Fedora box laying around (and didn't want to build one) so I used a MythTV box (Ubuntu) instead. The system auto-detected the guruplug serial cable, loaded the (standard) Ftdi_sio.ko module and left a link in /dev/ttyUSB0 to access it. I used PuTTY to SSH into the MythTV box, apt-get installed minicom, configured it per the Globalscale "documentation", and it worked. (PuTTY and WinSCP are indipensible for this).

That's all I've figured out so far, except -- oh, yeah -- there's evidently no eSATA support in uBoot, so we'll be building one of those too, it seems.

U-Boot 2009.11-rc1-00602-g28a9c08-dirty, indeed.

[Ira]

Mine reboots constantly when plugged into one router, but boots fine plugged into my HP switch.  And the ESATA port on my GuruPlug works just fine with a 1Gb WD drive in a Rosewill housing.

Ira

[Blüto]

the ESATA port on my GuruPlug works just fine with a 1Gb WD drive in a Rosewill housing.

Can you boot the plug from it? Not with the U-Boot provided with the GuruBrick, you can't.

My drive already has an OS installed, I just want to move it from the Sheeva to the Guru without having to migrate to Debian. 

[djmanning]

As a follow on to the post above about Windows drivers for FTDI, has anyone identified an FTDI distribution that works with the JTAG board that comes with the GuruPlug Plus?   The Quick Start guide seems like Windows isn't even an option by only describing connecting serial via Linux based OSes.

Thanks,

dj

[maionaise]

As a follow on to the post above about Windows drivers for FTDI, has anyone identified an FTDI distribution that works with the JTAG board that comes with the GuruPlug Plus?   The Quick Start guide seems like Windows isn't even an option by only describing connecting serial via Linux based OSes.

Thanks,

dj

GuruPlug JTAG board (SheevaPlug JTAGKey FT2232D B) works with PuTTY and/or  TerraTerm under Windows 7 64Bit :

http://plugcomputer.org/plugwiki/index.php/Serial_terminal_program#Getting_the_USB_serial_device_working
& http://mirrors.vbi.vt.edu/mirrors/linux/armedslack/armedslack-devtools/sheevaplug/Windows/WindowsTeraTermUSBDriver.zip

 

[gaji750]

Unboxing the GuruPlug Server Plus Silex Technology has just launched SX-3000GB USB-to-Gigabit, the first gigabit USB device server that allows user to share up to 15 other USB device – such as scanners, storage device, printer, and many other compatible device – over a TCP/IP network through an ordinary Gigabit Ethernet interface.

Isuzu Oasis Parts

[c-side]

> As a follow on to the post above about Windows drivers for FTDI, has anyone identified an FTDI
> distribution that works with the JTAG board that comes with the GuruPlug Plus?   The Quick Start guide
> seems like Windows isn't even an option by only describing connecting serial via Linux based OSes.
>
> Thanks,
>
> dj

I managed to get this sorted using the FT_INF tool supplied by FTDI and the 20602 drivers. It's a pretty simple job to change the vendor and product IDs to match GlobalScale's settings.

VID = 9e88
PID = 9e8f

All worked well then!

A

[s4mb4]

did you order the jtag thing or did it just come with it?

[DubYa]

did you order the jtag thing or did it just come with it?

I don't know about anyone else but I specifically ordered one as an option.

I probably am too cheap to have done that if it came with it.

Just my experience. Forget the cost but it sure is nice to know I can use it to "get in" via minicom or other serial program if [when] I borked the network config trying to disable that silly AP on reboot mode it defaults to.

I got way more questions than answers but that is how new toys are!

I finally just started to approach "issues" from a Linux standpoint rather than seeking info on doing X with the Server Plus! Not much info specific to the Server Plus that I can find yet.

I would like to run mine off straight DC but not sure if opening it voids the warranty or if the methods posted for the original plug will even apply to the Server Plus?

Again the joy of new toys.

Good luck, folks.

To the original poster:

Did you miss the $50 bill in the packaging? I almost tossed it into the recycle bin. 

Tom

PS. My first post [I think] so forgive if I violated any sanctions on topic drift or silliness.