2014-02-16, 03:11
If you have heard about concept of mobile server this is one of the possible application, while this netbook (with all mods) can serve both as client and server at the same time. Wikipedia provides only very vague info about this kind of server:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Server
I asked myself following questions when I have heard about "portable server":
a) What kind of service can such device offer?
Well - since its portable, with limited or no access to Internet, it can offer solutions on local network. Also even if it has big storage, it can hardly be acessible to the clients because acess to the service can be only temporary. So all i can do is to provide acess to existing files and/or services
b) WIFI or NIC?
Well.. why not both? Each has its own benefits and disadvantages. Wifi does not need connectors but signal or packets may get lost. NIC has (usually) higher speed, less packet loss but at least one switch is needed.
c) Which hardware to use?
Any laptop with Wifi, Nic, HDMI or VGA connector, with low power consumption, small. Replaceable battery, standard disk bay.
How Lenovo S10-3t differs from other netbooks... Most netbooks were not customisable - like SSD was directly on motherboard. This netbook has normal 2,5 inch disk bay, one halfsize mini-PCIe slot and one fullsize mini-PCIe/USB slot. So basically I started with this:
The model I have purchased has dualcore Atom N550, 2gb DDR3 RAM, Wifi, 100Mbit NIC, Bluetooth, 250gb HDD, WebCam and bigger 8 Cell battery. The battery can be replaced while the netbook is on AC adapter and most importantly the batteries are not hidden inside of the device.
Even at that time Jesse B. Andersen already had his blog where he mentioned this netbook, its all Pros and Cons, and he collected and developed some modifications to original configuration.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/03/le...posts.html
I was able to perform some of them and lets mention those which are interesting for XBMC:
a) SSD Drive
Increases performance a bit, and video is not pausing while moving the netbook. Currently I have OCZ Vertex 2 180gb, but new Samsung 840 with 1 terabyte is already ordered.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/le...drive.html
b) TV tuner (Avermedia A316/A317) + Antenna mod
First models of S10-3t were delivered with similar Tuner card, so Bios mod was not needed. Also i performed the antenna mod this week. Even when I dont have proper DVB-T antenna, small Wifi Rubber duck antenna is still better as internal.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/le...tuner.html
Antenna mod:
c) Crystal HD card
This requires Bios mod, and allow HD/BluRay playback. I was lucky to have newer model - halfsized BCM70015 - so in order to install it I just removed internal Wifi Card, replaced it with CrystalHD card, and purchased USB Wifi.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/le...d-for.html
I was able to play original Blu-Ray disc with XBMC and CrystalHD, with AnyDVD decryption.
Now I have internal TV tuner with connection for external antenna, card for HW video decoding, and in near future up to 1 terabyte of internal storage. The antenna mod can be also used also to enhance internal Wifi signal strenght if you dont plan to use TV tuner with Crystal HD card, but you will appreciate better Wifi signal.
d) Jabra BT3030
Simple Bluetooth headset with few buttons. When you use proper driver (at least in windows) you can use this device as audio output, and the buttons as remote control (play, pause, previous, next). XBMC works perfectly with this solution and turns this device into remote control and wireless headset at the same time.
Headset - http://www.jabra.com/support/jabra-stree...3030001-60
Driver - https://www.broadcom.com/support/bluetooth/update.php
OS support:
I personally use Windows 7 (sorry guys), but if you check blog Lenovo S10-3t was tested with various operating systems including Linux and it should be able to work with Meego or Android as well.
Intendet purposes:
Most uses I had for a netbook were "client" uses. Basically it can replace most of home electronics...
- Writing: This netbook has pretty decent keyboard.
- Portable TV/Radio: I dont travel too much, but when I do I like to have acess to the news even without internet connection
- Music/Movies library: The device is quite big for an MP4 player, but it does same job. However no MP4 player can hold all my movie collection. I have a LOT of original DVDs, and I was looking for possibility to carry some of them. Well DVDs can get damaged... Making an ISO is for me the safest way how to protect my original DVDs and still have possibility to watch them.
- Alarm Clock: XBMC has alarmclock plugin, however it does not seem to work correctly with this HW... So for now this purpose I use program called "Alarm clock of justice" and simple screensaver which displays current time and date.
- Gaming: few old games like HOMM 3 or you surely remember Plants VS Zombies
- Since I love movies I used to watch them on projector with friends. CrystalHD card with Blu-Ray USB drive allowed me to play up to 720p.
Note: For touchscreen usage i recommend Re-Touched XBMC skin.
And now we are getting to the application as a Server:
- UPNP server
As you noticed i have ordered 1TB harddrive. I expect that disk controller can handle up to 2 terabyte disks. SSD is better choice - simply because of battery life, and potential shock damage which can be done to standard drives. However its much more expensive choice. 1TB can contain more than 100 DVD ISOs in full quality. So carrying and sharing the library stored within the netbook anywhere is pretty nice possibility. I just planned to carry the netbook with me, watch some movies on the travel, but if somebody wanted to watch something else there was a problem. Now I can just share the data, stream them into private Wifi network, and anyone in that network can watch any movie in the library. Since XBMC is available for many platforms, its only a matter of installing it on the device.
- TV stream server
First I considered backend-frontend behavior of XBMC as an disadvantage, but when I saw image quality and realized possibilies of streaming I have changed my mind. I have tested most of available solutions of backend for XBMC. All of them work pretty decent. Just have to mention that Timeshift support is troublesome on SSD drives and video transcoding (on DVBLink Web Interface) can consume most of CPU resources.
XBMC perfectly transforms any laptop into portable UPNP media server. It can provide acess to stored library while you are "on the move" in train, car or bus for hours even without power plug around. However streaming of DVB-T can be troublesome (weak signal), usage of large media library (and thus large harddrive) is recommended solution. TV streaming is possible only if signal strenght is solid and stable - antenna has to be omnidirectional if you plan to move the netbook while streaming. However that limits the usage only in locations where TV signal is strong. With this solution you can deploy your portable media server anywhere within few minutes, let it run for few hours or days, and take it wherever you want.
What I currently have to develop is "client software distribution". I can establish "my own" wifi network quite easily, but distributing XBMC "from server to clients" in the local network while there is not internet acess still needs to be solved.
Of course - both client and server applications i mentioned can be used on any newer laptop, with higher display resolution, bigger harddrive and longer battery life. S10-3t was my choice because of available TV Tuner, existing CrystalHD and antenna mod - everything is packed in the body of the netbook, so I dont need to sacrifice the mobility (of quite heavy tablet) for the USB TV tuner. Another reason was fact that S10-3t was already used in car:
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/03/le...-mods.html
Note: I will make some photos tomorrow and upload them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Server
I asked myself following questions when I have heard about "portable server":
a) What kind of service can such device offer?
Well - since its portable, with limited or no access to Internet, it can offer solutions on local network. Also even if it has big storage, it can hardly be acessible to the clients because acess to the service can be only temporary. So all i can do is to provide acess to existing files and/or services
b) WIFI or NIC?
Well.. why not both? Each has its own benefits and disadvantages. Wifi does not need connectors but signal or packets may get lost. NIC has (usually) higher speed, less packet loss but at least one switch is needed.
c) Which hardware to use?
Any laptop with Wifi, Nic, HDMI or VGA connector, with low power consumption, small. Replaceable battery, standard disk bay.
How Lenovo S10-3t differs from other netbooks... Most netbooks were not customisable - like SSD was directly on motherboard. This netbook has normal 2,5 inch disk bay, one halfsize mini-PCIe slot and one fullsize mini-PCIe/USB slot. So basically I started with this:
The model I have purchased has dualcore Atom N550, 2gb DDR3 RAM, Wifi, 100Mbit NIC, Bluetooth, 250gb HDD, WebCam and bigger 8 Cell battery. The battery can be replaced while the netbook is on AC adapter and most importantly the batteries are not hidden inside of the device.
Even at that time Jesse B. Andersen already had his blog where he mentioned this netbook, its all Pros and Cons, and he collected and developed some modifications to original configuration.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/03/le...posts.html
I was able to perform some of them and lets mention those which are interesting for XBMC:
a) SSD Drive
Increases performance a bit, and video is not pausing while moving the netbook. Currently I have OCZ Vertex 2 180gb, but new Samsung 840 with 1 terabyte is already ordered.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/le...drive.html
b) TV tuner (Avermedia A316/A317) + Antenna mod
First models of S10-3t were delivered with similar Tuner card, so Bios mod was not needed. Also i performed the antenna mod this week. Even when I dont have proper DVB-T antenna, small Wifi Rubber duck antenna is still better as internal.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/le...tuner.html
Antenna mod:
c) Crystal HD card
This requires Bios mod, and allow HD/BluRay playback. I was lucky to have newer model - halfsized BCM70015 - so in order to install it I just removed internal Wifi Card, replaced it with CrystalHD card, and purchased USB Wifi.
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/02/le...d-for.html
I was able to play original Blu-Ray disc with XBMC and CrystalHD, with AnyDVD decryption.
Now I have internal TV tuner with connection for external antenna, card for HW video decoding, and in near future up to 1 terabyte of internal storage. The antenna mod can be also used also to enhance internal Wifi signal strenght if you dont plan to use TV tuner with Crystal HD card, but you will appreciate better Wifi signal.
d) Jabra BT3030
Simple Bluetooth headset with few buttons. When you use proper driver (at least in windows) you can use this device as audio output, and the buttons as remote control (play, pause, previous, next). XBMC works perfectly with this solution and turns this device into remote control and wireless headset at the same time.
Headset - http://www.jabra.com/support/jabra-stree...3030001-60
Driver - https://www.broadcom.com/support/bluetooth/update.php
OS support:
I personally use Windows 7 (sorry guys), but if you check blog Lenovo S10-3t was tested with various operating systems including Linux and it should be able to work with Meego or Android as well.
Intendet purposes:
Most uses I had for a netbook were "client" uses. Basically it can replace most of home electronics...
- Writing: This netbook has pretty decent keyboard.
- Portable TV/Radio: I dont travel too much, but when I do I like to have acess to the news even without internet connection
- Music/Movies library: The device is quite big for an MP4 player, but it does same job. However no MP4 player can hold all my movie collection. I have a LOT of original DVDs, and I was looking for possibility to carry some of them. Well DVDs can get damaged... Making an ISO is for me the safest way how to protect my original DVDs and still have possibility to watch them.
- Alarm Clock: XBMC has alarmclock plugin, however it does not seem to work correctly with this HW... So for now this purpose I use program called "Alarm clock of justice" and simple screensaver which displays current time and date.
- Gaming: few old games like HOMM 3 or you surely remember Plants VS Zombies
- Since I love movies I used to watch them on projector with friends. CrystalHD card with Blu-Ray USB drive allowed me to play up to 720p.
Note: For touchscreen usage i recommend Re-Touched XBMC skin.
And now we are getting to the application as a Server:
- UPNP server
As you noticed i have ordered 1TB harddrive. I expect that disk controller can handle up to 2 terabyte disks. SSD is better choice - simply because of battery life, and potential shock damage which can be done to standard drives. However its much more expensive choice. 1TB can contain more than 100 DVD ISOs in full quality. So carrying and sharing the library stored within the netbook anywhere is pretty nice possibility. I just planned to carry the netbook with me, watch some movies on the travel, but if somebody wanted to watch something else there was a problem. Now I can just share the data, stream them into private Wifi network, and anyone in that network can watch any movie in the library. Since XBMC is available for many platforms, its only a matter of installing it on the device.
- TV stream server
First I considered backend-frontend behavior of XBMC as an disadvantage, but when I saw image quality and realized possibilies of streaming I have changed my mind. I have tested most of available solutions of backend for XBMC. All of them work pretty decent. Just have to mention that Timeshift support is troublesome on SSD drives and video transcoding (on DVBLink Web Interface) can consume most of CPU resources.
XBMC perfectly transforms any laptop into portable UPNP media server. It can provide acess to stored library while you are "on the move" in train, car or bus for hours even without power plug around. However streaming of DVB-T can be troublesome (weak signal), usage of large media library (and thus large harddrive) is recommended solution. TV streaming is possible only if signal strenght is solid and stable - antenna has to be omnidirectional if you plan to move the netbook while streaming. However that limits the usage only in locations where TV signal is strong. With this solution you can deploy your portable media server anywhere within few minutes, let it run for few hours or days, and take it wherever you want.
What I currently have to develop is "client software distribution". I can establish "my own" wifi network quite easily, but distributing XBMC "from server to clients" in the local network while there is not internet acess still needs to be solved.
Of course - both client and server applications i mentioned can be used on any newer laptop, with higher display resolution, bigger harddrive and longer battery life. S10-3t was my choice because of available TV Tuner, existing CrystalHD and antenna mod - everything is packed in the body of the netbook, so I dont need to sacrifice the mobility (of quite heavy tablet) for the USB TV tuner. Another reason was fact that S10-3t was already used in car:
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/03/le...-mods.html
Note: I will make some photos tomorrow and upload them.