User:Linux-SA

Introduction:

Hi, and thank you for visiting my little corner of the LinuxMCE wiki!

My real name is David, and I was born in San Antonio, Texas. U.S.A. I currently live and work in Adelaide South Australia, AUSTRALIA - where I immigrated in August, 1982 with my mom and dad and youngest sister Alison... On July 4, 1999 I was married to Tanya, with whom we've had three wonderful boys, Jacob, Mark and Matthew.

My last role (working for someone else) was as a Regional Manager of a Telecommunications Company called "Telkom." Currently, I run a small business called Forum SA - located at: http://www.forumsa.com.au

If you're wondering why I've chosen the nickname Linux-SA - it's to honor my state's L.U.G. (Linux User Group) that I've been involved in since early 2000, located at: http://www.linuxsa.org.au

Even though I've been a member of Linux-SA for the better part of a decade - I am most certainly a noob when it comes to Linux. In fact, LinuxMCE was the first time I attempted accessing/using the Command Line Interface of any Linux system!!! To be completely honest, LinuxMCE is only our third experiment in integrating Linux permanently into our lives! Our first attempt was Redhat 9, followed by Suse 10 - neither of which suited our needs and only lasted on our computers for less then a few months. By far LinuxMCE is the longest we've had Linux running in our home and we are in the process of integrating it into our entire home - including running the home itself!

My AUSTRALIAN Hardware:

It is important to note that the vast majority of LinuxMCE users and developers live in The United States and Europe - where the compatibility of electronic equipment (to Australian standards) varies.

Compatibility is important because a lot of the hardware that works in America (EG: TV-Tuner cards and a vast majority of Home Automation equipment) will NOT work in Australia. (European equipement is less of a concern because the standards - DVB-T; PAL; 230v/50Hz; etc - are pretty much the same.)

This wiki outlines all of the 100% Linux MCE compatible AUSTRALIAN hardware that I'm currently using to run my Linux MCE 0710 - i386 setup.

It's been posted so that you (the AUSTRALIAN person - new to LinuxMCE) can have a better understanding of what just works (plug and play) here in AUSTRALIA without messing around with drivers or 'hacking' the kernal - or any other nonsense... (I don't know about you - but I don't WANT to mess around with such stuff - I just want it to WORK with minimal effort!)

Just remember: The primary rule when it comes to LinuxMCE is do your homework before purchasing - and you'll never be dissapointed!

Please check back regularly as this is most definitely a work in progress... Every month (at least) I'm constantly updating my setup as I add and take away different pieces of hardware that works pnp (plug and play) with Linux MCE.

Core/Hybrid - Media Director #1: (Lounge)

Operating System: Linux MCE 0710 - i386
User Interface: OpenGL with overlay (Medium)
Motherboard: Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus
Processor: Intel duo Quad 6600
Video: Inno 3D 7600GS - 512mb (PCI-E)
RAM: Corsair 2Gb (2x 1Gb sticks)
HDD: Western Digital - 250GB (EIDE)
Audio:  [P5N32-E SLI Plus (standard audio out)
NIC #1: For input, I'm using the onboard P5N32-E SLI Plus gigabit
NIC #2: For output, I'm using the onboard P5N32-E SLI Plus gigabit
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2-550W
DVD-RW: Pioneer DVD-R/W (model doesn't matter - all are pnp)  
Bluetooth: Dongle Nice and cheap... $10aud
Infrared Reciever/Transmitter: USB-UIRT
Infrared Remote Control: Windows MCE
Monitor: Panasonic 50" (127cm) HD-TV (Dvi-HDMI)
Resolution: (1080p HDTV - 100Hz)

Media Director #2: (Master Bedroom)

Operating System: Linux MCE 0710 - i386 (NIC boot from Core/Hybrid)
User Interface: Static images, no overlay (lightweight)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-6OX
Processor: Intel P3 (1.2Ghz)
Video: Inno 3D 5200GS - 128Mb (AGP slot)  
RAM: Hynix 1Gb (2x 512Mb sticks)  
HDD: Western Digital - 80GB (EIDE) 
Monitor: Panasonic 32" Flat Screen CRT  
NIC: Intel Pro MT gigabit (10/100/1000)
Audio: Gigabyte GA-6OX onboard audio out  
DVD-RW: Pioneer DVD-R (model doesn't matter - all are pnp)  
Bluetooth: Dongle Nice and cheap... $10aud
Resolution: (800x600 - 80Hz) It seems that P3 hardware can't handle higher

N.A.S. (Network Attached Server:)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP-Pro  
Motherboard: Asus P4P800-E
Processor: Intel Celeron (2.4Ghz)
Video: ATI RADEON 9600 Pro - 256Mb (AGP slot)  
NIC: Intel Pro MT gigabit (10/100/1000)
RAM: Corsair 2Gb (2x 1Gb sticks)   
HDD #1: Western Digital - 80GB (EIDE)  
HDD #2: Western Digital - 400GB (EIDE) 
HDD #3: Western Digital - 250GB (EIDE)
HDD #4: Western Digital - 250GB (EIDE)
HDD #5: Western Digital - 250GB (EIDE)
Audio:  Asus P4P800-E  (standard audio out) 
DVD-RW: Pioneer DVD-R/W (model doesn't matter - all are pnp)

V.O.I.P. to P.S.T.N. Integration:

1x ADSL 2+ Modem/Router Billion Bipac 7404 VGP-M 
1x 'Naked' DSL 2+: Internode Home-Naked-100 (100gb @ a confirmed rate of: 120000/410 kbps)
1x Asterisk/Free PBX LinuxMCE - Asterisk (Part of the standard LinuxMCE installation)
1x VOIP Line: VOIP WA ($5 per month + 12c STD/Local + 22c p/m mobile)
2x Cisco 7960: IP Phone (running SCCP firmware)
5x Cisco 7910: IP Phone (running SCCP firmware)
1x Telstra F5200 1.8GHz Cordless PSTN phone

Assorted additional Hardware:

1x 19-inch Rack
1x Orbiter Imate PDA2k
6x Other PC's running various other Operating Systems
1x 4U Rack Mount Case - with ability to handle 9 HDD's.
1x Surecom EP-808SX NWay Desktop Switch 8 Port Megabit (10/100)  
1x Alloy GS-08DX NWay Desktop Switch 8 Port Gigabit (10/100/1000)
3x Category 5 megabit (10/100) LAN cables operating at 100MHz.
6x Category 6 gigabit (10/100/1000) LAN cables operating at 250MHz.
6x Category 6a gigabit (10/100/1000) LAN cable operating at 500 MHz. 
Other bits and pieces security related I prefer not to document for security reasons

Near Future Upgrades:

2x Cisco 7960: IP Phone's (To replace 2 existing 7910's)
3x Cisco 7940: IP Phone's (To replace 3 existing 7910's)
1x upgrade from 2.1 speakers to 7.1 speakers. (I'm saving for a decent THX system.)
2x dual HD-TV TV Tuners (Total 4 HD-TV Channels - Still researching compatible brands) 
Other bits and pieces security related I prefer not to document for security reasons

My personal experiences with Linux MCE:

Because the focus of this 'wiki' is LinuxMCE compatible hardware that 'just works' (plug and play) here in AUSTRALIA, it's sadly lacking in details, such as my personal experience in installing LinuxMCE and using it on a day to day basis. (Not to mention tweaking it to do things it wasn't originally intended to do.)

If reading about such day-to-day experiences interests you, I've got an off-site forum where I talk about all that at: Forum SA