Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
It's then a simple matter of adding Samba shares for each directory:
[media_tv]
comment = Media (TV)
path = /net/media/tv
browseable = yes
public = yes
writable = no
read only = yes
guest ok = yes
As in Chapter 1, I create basic Samba shares that are read-only for the family and create separate ones for me that
are password-protected and read-write.
Note also that I have used my home's subdomain (
homenet
) as a delimiter from the rest of the directory, instead
of placing everything in
/net
. It allows me, as a software developer, to create my own subnet that isn't part of the
general home automation network in case I need to do something risky or experimental!
Media Extenders
Once you have a file server providing access to your media, you then need some way of rendering the media, aurally
or visually, to the world. This can involve stand-alone hardware, a Linux-based machine, or a combination of
the two.
Stand-Alone Hardware
To fit into this category, the hardware must connect the network, use DHCP to determine its IP address, and then
stream the data from a file server to a physically connected TV or speakers. These devices invariably use Samba as a
file server, because the installation of specific drivers (such as ZFS) is not a real-world possibility.
Hauppauge MediaMVP
This device, despite dating from 2002, can stream music, standard-definition video, and pictures across the network
and display them on a TV. The retail unit is fairly cheap, small, and silent, making it an ideal head unit. It comes with
just three sockets: power, RJ-45 Ethernet, and SCART. (The U.S. version expands this last socket to S-Video, composite
video, and stereo audio.)
To work, the MediaMVP needs three separate services:
7
DHCP, TFTP for the bootup procedure, and Samba
for data as it has no storage facilities of its own. Out of the box, these services are provided by a piece of Windows
software, which has a number of limitations such as a slow menu system. The machine also prevents you from
viewing any video that isn't MPEG1 or MPEG2 encoded. This is because the video signal is decoded by a custom chip
inside the MediaMVP that only supports these earlier codecs. Fortunately, the protocols used by the MediaMVP to
boot up are standard, enabling you to use Linux as a server. You can then take this a stage further by replacing the
firmware that runs on the actual device, allowing it to connect to VLC to transcode your files to MPEG2 in real time.
4HEWORD
server
ISUSEDINTHISCONTEXTTODENOTEAPHYSICALPIECEOFHARDWAREWHEREASA
service
ISFORELEMENTSOFSOFTWARETHAT
PROVIDEACCESSTODATAORRESOURCESONASERVER#ONFUSINGLYTHEMOSTCOMMONNAMEFORTHESESERVICESARETHINGSSUCHAS
e-mail
server
web server
ANDSOON
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