Linux Some PogoPlug Archlinux help please

I

indialogue

Disciple
Just received my PogoPlug E02 and have made a basic setup for my local network (Beetal 410TC1 for WAN and Linksys WRT54G for Wireless LAN), to serve a WDTV Live (hooked upto a Samsung HDTV) and a couple of laptops with VLC (for UPnP access), with the following modules
  • Webmin
  • Minidlna
  • Transmission
  • Samba
  • Pyload

There are couple of things that I'd like to implement next but am having trouble figuring out how to go about it - too much information on the Net so some expert advice from people like @varkey and @dinjo would be much appreciated here:
  • I've installed the CUPS module. Would it make sense to have the PogoPlug setup as a print server (for to my HP OfficeJet 6500a Plus). The printer does have a Wifi module already but am having periodic issues with it becoming inaccessible due to some weird IP conflict error (that I cant figure out). Any experience on CUPS? Is it worth the pain - especially if I want to setup remote printing and printing access for guests on the network?
  • I'd like to open up remote access for transmission/webmin
    • I've already registered for a DynDNS provider and have setup a Arch module for the same
    • However the fact that there are two routers is complicating things
    • Should I disable Linksys as a LAN and just have the Beetel provide DHCP? Is that the best option?
  • I'm having issues with automounting my External HDD where my media is stored. The first time I tried setting up through /etc/fstab and using the UUID of the HDD, the PogoPlug didn't start after reboot. I dont know if that was the cause (because I had installed a lot of modules) and having no netconsole setup, could not see the debug status. I just reinstalled everything
    • Currently the boot drive is taken up as /dev/sdb and the external HDD as /dev/sdaX. This happens automatically everytime I reboot. Have not seen any issue because of this so far
    • Any simple suggestions on how to setup automount for the external HDD given the current configuration
  • I upgraded the rootfs partition from Ext2 to Ext3 due to boot issues after a powercut. Fsck-ing the Ext2 partition didn't help with the boot as well. However, I've heard that the Ext3 will be a problem for a flash-drive due to many read/write cycles? Should I get a small external HDD for the boot partition?
  • Finally, any experience of setting up SAbNZBD/Sick Beard/Couch Potato? Is it worth it or is a .torrent based strategy better? Have never used newsgroups for binary downloads thats why the question

Any other ideas on what I can do with this neat machine, also much appreciated!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
1. The specs of your printer says it has an ethernet port, can't you just connect it to your switch (wired) and use the network printing functionality if the wireless printing is giving problems?

2. Have you configured the Beetel router in Bridge or Router mode? If not bridge mode, then to which port on the Linksys is it connected to? If its in bridge, you have to setup the necessary port forwards on the Linksys.

3. Setup the Auto mount through Webmin, works fine for me.

4. An external HDD would be preferable. A flash drive even with an ext3 FS, get corrupted after a power failure and you need to FSCK.

5. No idea, never used it myself.
 
varkey said:
1. The specs of your printer says it has an ethernet port, can't you just connect it to your switch (wired) and use the network printing functionality if the wireless printing is giving problems?
True. Will need to get another Ethernet cable but that might solve the issues. However, one question remains. Is it possible to access CUPS remotely - through something like Google Cloud Print?

2. Have you configured the Beetel router in Bridge or Router mode? If not bridge mode, then to which port on the Linksys is it connected to? If its in bridge, you have to setup the necessary port forwards on the Linksys.
Neither. The Beetel router is ADSL router and its the Linksys that provides wireless access. I think I'll have the port forwarding and DHCP setup on the Beetel and just have the Linksys as a switch?

3. Setup the Auto mount through Webmin, works fine for me.
Thanks! Just did that and works peachy. No udev messiness

4. An external HDD would be preferable. A flash drive even with an ext3 FS, get corrupted after a power failure and you need to FSCK.
I hear you. Will take an old portable HDD and clone the flash drive on to it

5. No idea, never used it myself.
Click to expand...
Thanks @varkey!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
1. Not really sure of CUPS, as I have never tried it.

2. Ok, but what I am asking is, to which port on the Linksys have you connected the Beetel ADSL router? If its on a WAN port, just connect it to the LAN port, let the Beetel do the DHCP and port forwarding etc. So in this case the Linksys will simply act as a Wireless Access Point.
 
I think I'll have the port forwarding and DHCP setup on the Beetel and just have the Linksys as a switch?
Click to expand...
To share internet, you need to connect beetel modem to wan port of linksys router. Keep the modem in full bridge mode (with dhcp off)and linksys in ppoe mode.
If NAT is enabled in linksys, anything connected to the linksys will not see the beetel modem. so only the linksys router will get dhcp. you should actually disable dhcp in the beetel model, and enable dhcp in linksys router.
if the modem is in 192.168.1.1 ranege, your linksys should be in a different range like 192.168.2.1 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0 since a lot of devices will connect to it. Ofcourse you will need to setup all devices to use dhcp instead of giving them static addresses.
 
6pack said:
To share internet, you need to connect beetel modem to wan port of linksys router. Keep the modem in full bridge mode (with dhcp off)and linksys in ppoe mode.
If NAT is enabled in linksys, anything connected to the linksys will not see the beetel modem. so only the linksys router will get dhcp. you should actually disable dhcp in the beetel model, and enable dhcp in linksys router.
if the modem is in 192.168.1.1 ranege, your linksys should be in a different range like 192.168.2.1 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0 since a lot of devices will connect to it. Ofcourse you will need to setup all devices to use dhcp instead of giving them static addresses.
Click to expand...

Thanks was planning to do this only but fate intervened and my Linksys router is now dead. Waiting for a TP-Link router to reach from Flipkart now.
Another question - you say that ll devices need to be setup to use DHCP? Is that necessary - because I'd like the Pogoplug to have a Static IP (outside the DHCP range but within the sub-net) to make it easier to access on the LAN. I realize that if DynDNS is setup properly, DHCP on PogoPlug should not matter for outside-LAN connections
 
it would be easier to let pogoplug get ip address though dhcp. if you want it to have the same ip address for pogoplug every time, in router settings there will something called Dhcp Reservation. The first time pogoplug connects to the router, go to router settings and under dhcp reservation you can assign the current ip address to the pogoplug mac id. save the settings, and every time pogoplug connects it will get the same ip address.

The modem has a nat plus the router's has a nat. In default configs, with both nat's being enabled, I dont think pogoplug will get dyndns. maybe you will need to set up the router to use dyndns instead of the plug.
 
6pack said:
it would be easier to let pogoplug get ip address though dhcp. if you want it to have the same ip address for pogoplug every time, in router settings there will something called Dhcp Reservation. The first time pogoplug connects to the router, go to router settings and under dhcp reservation you can assign the current ip address to the pogoplug mac id. save the settings, and every time pogoplug connects it will get the same ip address.

The modem has a nat plus the router's has a nat. In default configs, with both nat's being enabled, I dont think pogoplug will get dyndns. maybe you will need to set up the router to use dyndns instead of the plug.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the DHCP reservation tip - my 8-year old Linksys router never had that option. I've just set the modem in bridge mode, activated PPPoE on the router along with DHCP (with MAC reservation for the Pogoplug). Everything is setup and working all fine now.
 
6pack said:
To share internet, you need to connect beetel modem to wan port of linksys router. Keep the modem in full bridge mode (with dhcp off)and linksys in ppoe mode.
Click to expand...

Not necessariliy, you can also use the NAT in the Beetel and connect the Beetel to any one of the LAN ports on the Wireless Router and disable the DHCP server of the Wireless Router. No NAT functions will be done by the Wireless Router.

Letting the Beetel make the PPPoE connections and connecting the Beetel to the WAN port of the Wireless Router is not recommended though in which case as 6pack mentioned, both devices would be doing the NAT functions.
 
So everything is now up and running fine - I've also setup BubbleUPnP server on the Pogoplug and can access my music library from the Android client for my phone from anywhere. Quite cool that. However, I was wondering if anybody has inputs on some other streaming software that I can setup on the Pogoplug so that I can access my music library at least using VLC on my laptop? I've tried checking if VLC can access my Minidlna server from outside of the local network, but no luck on that front so far
 
To do that you have to open ports I think miniDLNA works on port 8200 and register for a no-ip or something like that to provide you with host name that will be updated with your IP, you can also try Skifta from Android
 
tommy_vercetti said:
To do that you have to open ports I think miniDLNA works on port 8200 and register for a no-ip or something like that to provide you with host name that will be updated with your IP, you can also try Skifta from Android
Click to expand...
Thanks, I've done this but I'm not able to access Minidlna streaming outside of my local network. Inside the local network, everything works perfectly. I'm trying to get access to my music library so that I can stream it when I'm traveling (with a Macbook Air, storing on the HDD is not an option)
 
Back
Top