Kaliko Systems Limited
Make a Low-Power Media Server
Optionally Tailor System
For most of the tailoring below, select the NSLU2 Home page and enable telnet. Bring up a Command Prompt Window, telnet to the NSLU2's IP Address, and login as root. If you have a problem with tailoring the list of useful Linux commands should help.
Manually Starting and Stopping Transmission
After re-configuration of your NSLU2 into a bit-torrent downloader is complete it can still function as a file/media server. However, don't try and use it as a file/media server when transmission is running, as you will find that the server streaming performance is very poor. So unless you are prepared to login to the NSLU2 to start and stop transmission as required, then get another NSLU2 (or other NAS) and use that as the file/media server. To simplify manually starting and stopping transmission, a menu script can be added to the root home directory and automatically run when you login as root.Create the menu file by typing into a telnet session:
cat > /root/menu
Now copy and paste the following text into your telnet session:
#!/bin/sh
echo " Menu Options
1. Status of transmission-daemon
2. Start transmission-daemon
3. Stop transmission-daemon
q. Exit menu
"
while :
do
echo -n "Menu option: "
read line
case "$line" in
1) if [ -n "`pidof transmission-daemon`" ]; then
echo transmission-daemon IS running
else
echo transmission-daemon is NOT running
fi;;
2) if [ -n "`pidof transmission-daemon`" ]; then
killall transmission-daemon
fi
/opt/bin/transmission-daemon -g /public/Config
echo transmission-daemon started;;
3) killall transmission-daemon
echo transmission-daemon stopped;;
q) exit;;
Q) exit;;
*) echo Sorry menu option \"$line\" not recognised.
esac
done
If after pasting you are not on a new line, then press the enter key. To finish, press CTRL-D (i.e. hold the Ctrl key down and press the D key).
To have this menu automatically start at next login type: echo sh /root/menu > /root/.profile
Start the menu now by typing: sh /root/menu
After exiting the menu it can be restarted by typing: sh /root/menu
Checking and Modifying NSLU2 Processor Speed
For an older NSLU2 you may wish to check if your NSLU2 is running at 133MHz rather than 266MHz. The check is simply to type "cat /proc/cpuinfo" in the telnet session and look at the BogoMIPS reading. If the reading is around 260 it is running at 266MHz, but if the reading is around 130 then it is running at 133MHz. If you have a 133MHz NSLU2 and think that your NSLU2 is too slow, then the site http://www.nslu2-linux.org has a HowTo Recipe called "OverClockTheSlug" that explains a simple hardware modification (removing a small resistor) to enable 266MHz.Tailoring Transmission
Most tailoring is tailoring of transmission. Some transmission options can be configured either by using the transmission web interface or by starting transmission with command line options. However, for the remaining transmission options you need to change the file settings.json.Within the Transmission web Interface, below the list of torrents, is a small button showing a gear wheel icon. This is the button for the configuration menu. Only the most frequently used configuration options are in this menu, for all other transmission configuration options the settings.json file has to be edited. The settings.json file is described at http://www.transmissionbt.com/ under Developement and Support, Support, Editing Configuration Files.
To allow Windows users to change the file settings.json you must add write permission for others to the settings.json file by typing:
chmod o+w /public/config/transmission-daemon/settings.json
Later, to stop Windows users from changing the file settings.json you must
remove write permission for others from the settings.json file by typing:
chmod o-w /public/config/transmission-daemon/settings.json
Also remember to change your settings.json file you must have killed the tranmission-daemon.
- Limiting download/upload rate - can be set in the web interface.
- Sorting your downloads by queue order, date, activity etc, - can be set in the web interface.
- Changing your port number - can be set in the web interface, but also needs you to change your router. This can be useful to improve security a little.
- Only using encrypted peers - can be set in the web interface. This is useful if your ISP tries to restricts torrent downloads. More flexibility to prefer encrypted peers etc is available by changing the settings.json file.
- Two time or day based settings for download and upload rates. Change your alt-speed values in the settings.json file. Setting weekends different from weekdays is possible, but be prepared for some trial and error to get your settings correct.