A Linux server that plugs into a system’s USB port turns any machine into a Linux box, and fits in your hand.
Late on Friday, as a holiday weekend begins, a black-clad figure emerges from the shadows inside a typical office building. Moving with unearthly stealth and undeniable style, she slips from cubicle to cubicle, office to office.
At each stop, she deftly plugs a small black box into an open USB port, her fingerprint activating the system as it powers up. Each plug-in, actually a Debian-powered Realm Systems’ BlackDog server, capable of immediately running an application on boot and accessing a connected network, begins to execute its predefined instructions. The compromised network awakens, and embarks on a path of
Could this be the opening to season five of 24? Probably not, but it won’t be for lack of realistic technology. Realm Systems has announced it now offers the world’s smallest Linux server (Slashdot projects notwithstanding).
The BlackDog draws power from the USB port of a machine. It has on-board biometric support to help securely restrict its usage. But once plugged in, either to a Linux or Windows XP box, the user will be working in the BlackDog’s environment.
On the spec side, the BlackDog has the Linux 2.6.10 kernel and the Debian operating system pre-loaded. A 400 MHz processor with 64 MB of RAM forms the base for the platform. Realm Systems offers the unit with either 256 or 512 MB of flash memory for storage; pricing is $199 and $239, respectively.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
