Introduction and Background

This was originally posted in a private newsgroup for my primary Web host, pair Networks, but I decided to make a blog out of it because some of the information I share might be useful outside of that limited audience.

I received my DreamPlug from GlobalScale Technologies on Friday. You can see more info about that "plug computer" here: DreamPlug Development Kit Succinctly, it's a low-power-consumption ARM-based computer pre-installed with Debian and intended as a development tool, not as an end-user system.

I previously mentioned possibly running a Minecraft server on a SheevaPlug, but I've abandoned that idea due to the apparent requirements of such a server. I decided to go with the DreamPlug instead of the SheevaPlug due to the greatly-enhanced I/O features.

Anyway, since the few remaining readers here are a pretty technical bunch, I thought I'd start a thread blog to share my experiences, ask for help, etc. Your input is welcome, naturally. You may create an account here and log in to leave a comment, or just leave a comment as a "Nomad" (guest).

First, some background...

I plan to use the Dreamplug with an inexpensive Rosewill external drive enclosure & a drive salvaged from a "bricked" Buffalo LinkStation NAS as a more full-featured replacement for that bricked NAS. It will operate in a mixed-environment home LAN with machines running OS X, Windows (2000, XP, Vista, and 7!), and Linux.

At a bare minimum, I'll accept it working as a functional Samba server, attached directly to my Linksys wireless router. That will get me back to where I was before I bricked the NAS.

The "more full-featured" machine that I want, however, is a Samba PDC using LDAP with Kerberos 5 to provide SSO. I also want to migrate the family & development intranet/extranet functions from a sometimes-on desktop PC to the low-power, always-on DreamPlug. I'd also like it to be connected to the home entertainment system so that our combined library of digital music can be enjoyed that way.

It should be noted that I've never set up a PDC, nor set up LDAP, nor set up Kerberos, so clearly I'm setting myself up for cramming a lot of info into my head as quickly as I can, because I'd prefer to set it up right the first time, when nobody is using it, than to "eventually" go back and try to reconfigure it when family members are accustomed to it being available again. In fact, although I can get by in Linux, I don't consider myself an expert, so I have holes in my Linux knowledge that need to be addressed (and all the more so due to differences between Debian and openSUSE, the latter being my distribution of choice for several years).

That's the setting for the story... I'm currently struggling to get Kerberos working correctly, but I'll delve into that in a separate message! (Those of you who are connected to me on Google+ or Twitter may have seen my comments on that already.)