WebDT 166 as freenas server

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LeChuck
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WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by LeChuck »

Hi! I own a WebDT166 and I am using freenas 7 on a usb key. I overclocked my system (LX800) from 500 to 600 MHz and ordered 1 GB Ram. I am also planing to connect a SATA drive via esata external on the internal IDE Port. I bought this on ebay yesterday:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/170751824095?ssP ... 1497.l2649

Has anyone tried this already? I am not sure if the WebDT will recognize my 1,5 TB HDD.

I am also looking for a wlan card to upgrade it with. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance
Dave7341
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by Dave7341 »

The WLAN card is a mini-PCI type and later models usually come with the Atheros CM9 card. Later models are the DT168 motherboard in the DT166 case. Earlier models came with the Intel 2915 or 2200 card. All three can be found on EBAY for around $5us and all three preform well. The Atheros CM9 would be the most desirable as it also covers the 5ghz band as well as the 2.4ghz band. If you have a compatible router then you can get up to 108mbs instead of the standard 54mbs. Of course you need the matching router. I also think the Atheros card does better with weak signals.

I expanded my storage space with a 44pin to compact flash adapter and then a CF card. That kept it small and all solid state. I have another that I use the 44pin to 50pin PATA adapter or a 1.8" drive. 1.8" PATA drives are what is use in IPODs so there are plenty on EBAY cheap. I use a 60gb drive in mine.

You have a jumper on the board JP2 that selects 5v or 3.3v on the IDE channel. Be sure you have the correct voltage selected for your storage device. JP2 with 1-2 jumper is 5V and 2-3 jumper is 3.3v. Your SATA will want 5v. 3.3v devices are the standard DOM, CF cards, 1.8" PATA, CF micro drives like in the old ZUNE, etc. The drive will be labeled as to what voltage it wants.

If you have not figured it out, the memory is a SODIMM PC2700 standard for many laptops. 128, 256, 512 or 1024 and the system will automatically recognize the memory - no jumpers or BIOS changes needed. 1gb max as this is a GEODE limitation.

The weakest point with these devices is the video. With 1gb of memory, you can change the BIOS to allocate 256mb for video leaving 768mb for your OS. Then you can view YouTube videos and the like but it still buffers often. I find if the video allows selecting 240 then the lower resolution helps a lot.

Since there is little video IO, using it with FREENAS will work OK but it may be a little slow - although it will be fully functional. Leave the console in text mode and use the HTTP maintenance interface. That will make a nice little package.

Good luck! -DT_Dave
LeChuck
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by LeChuck »

Thanks veeeery much for the fast reply!

100 Mbit is okay for my docs and streaming video. At the moment I am using a USB Nas solution. But I am considering to build a new faster server anyway.

I will have a new purpose for the webdt 166 !! I wanted to install it in my car, if I am lucky I can install my 2.5 250GB sata drive in it. Since it boots very fast, I considered to use it as a mobile uPnP server based on freenas to stream itunes content to my iphone while driving ;) If everything is configured well it doesn't even need a screen. The only thing is, and I haven't read about this, is it possible to make the WLAN work as an access point within freenas?

If there is enough room in the housing I will buy the card you recommended to me. 54Mbit will be fine for streaming audio. I have still some USB Wlan sticks here lying around, maybe I am lucky and I can use it with freenas?

I bought PC3200 ram. By the way, the Geode Link Multiplier in the bios says it's 33 x 10 Mhz. Is it possible to overclock it to 33 x 13 Mhz = 400 MHz with the new ram ? I read that the LX800 also supports 400 Mhz Ram.

Thanks in advance!
LeChuck
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by LeChuck »

would be funny to copy new music or movies to my car while it's parked outside :) and watching movies from the car with my acer c20 pico beamer at night on a wall with my girlfriend.^^
Dave7341
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by Dave7341 »

Instead of FREENAS use Puppy Linux. Use v4.31 'small' edition - it's about 99k in size.. You can add TWONKY for your media server - it will work great. Since Puppy Linux will run entirely in RAM with 512mb or more, it will be fast too. You can also load VNC server on the 166 and control that from your iPhone. Add a GPS and use the 166 as a navigation unit too. Lots of stuff to do with an in-vehicle computer.

As for the wifi card, there is a mPCI socket for it inside the case. You plug it in and run the antenna out the hole provided in the back. Just take out the rubber plug.

Get puppy here - use '431-small' under the 'special' zone:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/dis ... -files.htm

Read about twonky here:
http://www.twonkyforum.com/

Use one of the older versions. The new version also has a video server that the 166 can't handle. I know you can disable that but the code is still in there taking up space. Find one of the older versions that are small.

You could also run Windows XP Embedded and serve up all your audio with Winamp, ICEcast or even Windows Media Player 11.

Lots of options. Enjoy! -DT_Dave
LeChuck
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by LeChuck »

Hey Dave. Thanks for you advice. I installed my 1 Gig of Memory today and it works fine. It can reach transfer rates up to 80 Mbits in freenas. But writing to an external disk is much slower (20 - 30 Mbit). If the Sata - Ide converter works, I will upgrade it with a sata drive. Maybe it's possible to make it even work with external sata devices, for ex. connect the webdt to an external 3.5 sata HDD.

I am wondering if it's possible to get a Mini PCI Wifi card that even supports n draft 300 Mbit. The bottleneck right now is the 100 Mbit ethernet card. The dt166 supports up to UDMA 100 (= 800 Mbit in LAN speed, of course only if the hardware supports it^^). If I get one of those n-cards, and a large 2.5 sata hard drive, it would be a perfect device for streaming content to idevices, wouldn't it?

I found this card:

http://www.ebay.de/itm/NEU-Tp-Link-TL-W ... 3a70a1baec

Greetings from Germany
Dave7341
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by Dave7341 »

That looks like a good card and it will fit in the mPCI slot. Be sure to report back on how it works out as that is the same setup as the later DT366LX, DT360, DT310 and maybe other models. They all use that mPCI slot paired with the GEODE LX processor.

I have a manual for the DT166 but it's in German. Bad for me - good for you. Send me your direct email and I can send it to you. I was able to use it for reference on the jumpers and a few other things - you may find it very useful.

Good luck with that 802.11n card.
Dave7341
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by Dave7341 »

This one is half the price;
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250992107913

I might try one. -Dave
LeChuck
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by LeChuck »

Hey Dave, i just wanted to keep you up to date. I bought an IDE 2 SATA adapter and installed a 250 Gig HDD in my webdt. Unfortunately freenas only recognizes the device as UDMA 33. I tried to set the device manually to UDMA 100 but had no success. I am not sure if it's because of the HDD which may not be compatible with the adapter. I also tried booting from the HDD which was not possible. It starts booting but hangs. This is what I get about my HDD when I boot freenas from an USB thumb:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2679816/interna ... 20info.jpg

My other problem is: I can't install any other OS than freenas on my device. I tried to install Windows 7 Standard Embedded from an USB thumb but couldn't. I tried to boot windows installer from serveral external DVD Rom devices, but couldn't. It always says: USB Device Incompatibility - Device ignored.
Dave7341
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by Dave7341 »

UDMA33 is about the best you can ever see. Windows 7 is not compatible with the Geode processor. If you want Windows, use XP or 2K and it will work fine.

I think you are expecting more than these 7-10 year old devices can deliver.

I use my DT166s for dedicated services. I use two for MagicJack VOIP devices, another one is an audio media sever, another is dedicated to a receiver controller that distributes the serial port control across my network, another is a print server for two network printers, another is a police scanner audio streamer for my local police department (I like to keep track on my friends). All of these services do not require a lot of demand so these little boxes work great. It also helps that they only cost about $5 each.

Good luck with it.
LeChuck
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Re: WebDT 166 as freenas server

Post by LeChuck »

Wow :)
After all I managed to get Windows XP Prof. SP3 on my device. Took me a lot of time, finally I had to make Win bootable from an USB thumb.
XP boots pretty fast, I upgraded the HDD with a newer faster one. I installed itunes, my webcam, and enabled file sharing. Unfortunately the webdt is too slow for youtube, dvd playback.. I installed the video driver, had 254 Mb memory enabled for my video but it's still to slow. Would have been great to use it for streaming TV via HTTP in my local lan, or playing old emu games on it.
I am now building an image with acronis which contains my clean install of winxp, with all updates and drivers installed. To be sure :D
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