Linksys NSLU2
About the NSLU2
The Linksys NSLU2 is a lovely little NAS storage server with 2 USB ports and an Ethernet LAN port. You can attach two USB hard drives to it and connect it to your network, and use it as a file server.
Or you can download alternative firmware, run a customised version of Linux on it, and use it as a mail server, a torrent server, a print server, a web server, and more.
It supports NTFS, USB hubs, and flash drives. It’s silent, draws no more than 10W of power, runs at 266MHz, and is the size of two Weetabix.
And it’s known as a Slug.
Full details, including the data sheet, user guide and firmware, can be found over at the Linksys website, and some information is available at Wikipedia.
The NSLU2 is now discontinued, but don’t let that put you off – this will only really affect you if you need to return your Slug for replacement under warranty. Flashing your firmware voids the warranty (as does making hardware modifications, which a lot of users seem to do), so its discontinuation seems hardly relevant.
Opinion seems to be divided on this issue, with a few differing viewpoints given on Paul Hutchinson’s blog. Regardless, I predict the NSLU2 will maintain a cult following of users and developers for quite some time.
