I discovered OpenWRT when I was hunting for a distro of linux that would install on my Linksys WRT54GS wireless router.

Initial install was really easy, you just browse to the Linksys admin page and upload the openwrt.bin file.

Even better all of the configuration you had on the Linksys is retained on NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM), so when the router reboots for the first time, it is configured exactly as you had it before!

So a few tweaks here and there and I was quite happy with the results, I even started looking at some customisations such as running a webcam off the USB port - USB is normally only for a PC to be networked to the router. I was also thinking about the possibilties of using it as a USB print server. This has to be the coolest customisation though:
http://yasha.okshtein.net/wrt54g/pics2.html


... a buggy controlled by the router - a mobile wireless range expander :-)

Unfortunatly I could not get the router to forward external requests to my web/mail/ssh server. I followed the DMZ Howto and raised a question, however no solution was found. I tried for a week (web and email down which I hate) but no joy.

In the end I had to put the Linksys software back on, but the changes I had made (trying to get the DMZ working in OpenWRT) had broken the DMZ functionality totally. This does warrant further investigation, however I don't have the time right now. Not with my site and email down anyway.

Smoothwall is back...
So with the DMZ broken on the router, I dug out and old Pentium 120MHz stuck 3 network cards and a 240Meg HDD and then installed SmoothWall Express 3.0 Alpha "Grizzly"
There is a known problem and I had already downloaded the fix.
40 mins later and traffic was being directed through the smoothwall to the webserver machine.

As for the Linksys...
I don't need DMZ functionality now, the smoothie will handle this. I'm going to stick OpenWRT back on it and configure it as a wireless range expander. Perhaps I'll plug some speakers into it and use it for streaming audio.

It's really nice to see some activity on the smoothwall project which has remained dormant for ages. I prefer smoothwalls idea of a DMZ, the machines in the DMZ cannot see the green network, whereas the LinksysOS kind of makes one machine visible to the internet. I don't like this because should my webserver become compromised - my whole network is visible to the hacker.

I spent the last few Thursdays doing a St. Andrews Ambulence service first aid course. It was a great course and a brush up for me since I haven't done any first aid for a little while.

On the last day Dave and I were discussing how first aiders seem to attract more than thier fair share of medical problems, i.e if you're a first aider people tend to collapse near/on you more than a non first aid person. At then end of the course we were discussing requalifying in three years having (hopefully) only had to put the odd plaster on n that period.

Not so...

This morning (less than 24 hours since qualifying) Dave stuck his head round our office door and said "I need you right now" - to which I replied "Yeah right". But sure enough Dave got his first "more than a plaster" incident this morning :-)

I will be avoiding him for a while - he's obviously unlucky ;-)

I've been considering if company intranets are essential or a complete waste of time?

I found this article which covers the aspects of, and justification for, an intranet: www.darwinmag.com/read/110101/intranet.html

I've seen it work very well, becoming a central resource for information, knowledge sharing and online tools. However not everyone is convinced!

For a company the cost of an intranet must be considered - could an employee's time be better spent elsewhere? Or do the time savings, an intranet will bring, out weigh the cost of setup and maintainence.

Is there a simple equation that could determine the suitability of an intranet project?
If NumberOfEmployees > 50 then Intranet = Yes???
... I'm sure it's not that simple though.

Thoughts anyone?

This is a fantastic page:

www.xs4all.nl/~egbg/counterscript.html

Print it out (or the PDF) and place it next to your telephone at home.

The next time you get a telemarketing call, just follow the flow diagram.

Superb .

I've been thinking about syndicating content from some websites (friends/familily/favorites/useful) for some time.

Katie now has a static page on my site here: static.php?page=static060203-123002

The main body of the page is from her blogs RSS feed. The syndication is done via an external 'service' and all you have to do is insert a bit of javascript into your webpage.

Not the most elegant solution, I would have prefered to write my own PHP, however in keeping with 'simplephpblog' - it just works and was easy. I didn't have to edit the PHP behind my blog either.

Check out JavaScript RSS box viewer which allows you to create your own javascript to copy and paste.