Personal cloud storage
Rsadeika
Posts: 3,837
For the last couple of years I have been using a Nook Color tablet, and as of a couple weeks ago I upgraded to the Nook HD+. I wanted to try out a good functional tablet, like the HD+, and keep the cost at a reasonable price. Just wanted to see if a tablet could replace a laptop computer, still not certain about that.
As I was checking out the available apps for the HD+, I came across Dropbox, so I thought I would give that a try. That works quite nicely, you get 2GB of "Cloud Storage", an app for the HD+, and a program that resides on your main computer. Giving a try, it works as advertized, but if you need more "Cloud Storage" it can get very expensive. After using it for a while I started thinking as to whether it would be possible to eliminate Dropbox with something that could reside on your home computer, and have more control over the "Cloud Storage". Openstack is available, but it only runs on *nix type setups, I was looking for something that would include Windows computers also. I am still looking into some other offerings like Pogoplug, Tonido, and Spideroak.
Since there is a thread that is discussing if the P2 should have WiFi, and if that does become a reality, I can see a tablet with access to a "Personal Cloud Storage", and getting access to the P2 devices as an interesting development. I am also considering just going the Web Site route, but then you would have to create your own apps to run on your particular tablet, and create some sort of program that would run on the personal computer. Still not sure as to what would be needed to accomplish something like that, need lots of ideas in this area.
So, has anybody done something like this?
Ray
As I was checking out the available apps for the HD+, I came across Dropbox, so I thought I would give that a try. That works quite nicely, you get 2GB of "Cloud Storage", an app for the HD+, and a program that resides on your main computer. Giving a try, it works as advertized, but if you need more "Cloud Storage" it can get very expensive. After using it for a while I started thinking as to whether it would be possible to eliminate Dropbox with something that could reside on your home computer, and have more control over the "Cloud Storage". Openstack is available, but it only runs on *nix type setups, I was looking for something that would include Windows computers also. I am still looking into some other offerings like Pogoplug, Tonido, and Spideroak.
Since there is a thread that is discussing if the P2 should have WiFi, and if that does become a reality, I can see a tablet with access to a "Personal Cloud Storage", and getting access to the P2 devices as an interesting development. I am also considering just going the Web Site route, but then you would have to create your own apps to run on your particular tablet, and create some sort of program that would run on the personal computer. Still not sure as to what would be needed to accomplish something like that, need lots of ideas in this area.
So, has anybody done something like this?
Ray
Comments
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/147253-Node.js-and-the-Propeller.
The basic idea is:
1) Link the Propeller to your server. The "server" could be a PC or just a RasperryPi or some such small device. The link could be good old serial or whatever you have. Server is connected to the net of course.
2) The server runs a simple WEB server. In my case the WEB server will be a few pages of JavaScript code running under Node.js. That provides for serial links, HTTP, websockets, ssh etc. Importantly it takes care of security using HTTPS, handling logins etc.
3) That node.js server serves up HTML and JS to your browser to provide the user interface.
4) Now that we have websockets, real time communication between browser and server is very easy.
I'm loath to get into apps for tablets for this. Seems better to have a WEB app that can run in any browser anywhere, mobile or not.
The other notion that came to mind is, should the cloud be developed and used like a Network-attached storage (NAS) device, in this case maybe refereed to as Cloud-attached storage (CAS). I guess you would need a network icon, on your tablet, which would contain all the available folders/directories at your disposal. I think there are some companies that are selling this type of hardware already, but not sure about that.
I decided to give another app called 'WiFi File Server' a try, just to see if easy access to my desktop PC was possible. The program works but it seems kind of cumbersome, I was expecting something that would be very easy to use, and less cumbersome. So this could be a step towards a CAS setup, but it would have to easier to use. Also the 'WiFi File Server' program is on the tablet, and it is always in the on mode until you shut the program down. I think a program like this would have to be located and run on the designated server that would be at your home.
Ray
web apps run in your browser so they work with any PC or device that has a browser. The code and data lives on the web servers.
One of the best examples I have ever seen is the Cloud9 IDE. A full up IDE for programming many different programming languages. All data lives in the cloud which can also host and run your finished programs. https://c9.io/ Cloud9 is an open source project so you can run it on your own home server if you want. Actually it's used as an IDE on the tiny BeagleBoard ARM computers.
All this "apps in the cloud" business was the idea behind HP's WebOS.
Ray
http://pogoplug.com/devices
The one I have has a sata connector, pry off the top cover and dropped in an old 120gb drive and signed up for the free service.
So I have 120gb free "cloud" storage at home. It works with my windows, linux, and android devices.
-dan
At the moment I have a PC box that is running Windows 8 Pro with a 1TB drive, and 2 eSATA ports that have a JBOD box with 4 2TB drives installed. So I have access to 17TB of potential storage space which should be a pretty decent "cloud". Now all I have to figure out is how do I setup a WEB page that has its own IP address, the internet service that I have frowns on having a WEB page activity associated with the IP address that is with this home service. The other potential problem that I see is, how do I gain access to the home computer if the WEB page IP address is not the same IP address as the home service. I guess now I need some suggestions as to what company would provide the best and most reliable service at an affordable price? I noticed a company called GoDaddy, but I did not see any downloadable information that would explain specifically how to use their services.
Since I only have the Nook HD+ as the tablet I would be using, this setup would be very limited to having access to "Hotspots". In the long run I see a possible upgrade to the new Blackberry Playbook or a Windows Surface Pro tablet. The only problem with the Surface Pro is that it does not have a built in wireless SIM card socket, that would make the tablet a totally awesome product, getting access to my "cloud" from practically anywhere.
I guess my next step is to figure out the WEB page stuff.
Ray
Consumer versions of windows were not designed to be used as a web server. Do you need to use windows?
If you had an old unused computer you could install some form of linux and use that as the web server.
Even if you have the one computer you could try something called virtual box and experiment with linux there.
https://www.virtualbox.org/
Google for "dynamic dns"
That is anther reason to look at not only linux but open source software in general...lots of free software for windows, and mac
as well.
-dan
You're not gonna get your beer MANUALLY, now are you? That's so retro!
Now, the Linux vs Windows question as it pertains to dealing with a WEB page. It is all about the equipment that I have available. For about a year, the same PC box that I described earlier, was running Ubuntu Server, which eventually "ate" one of my drives on the JBOD box that was attached. I was, and still am, very disappointed with Linux. The problem was narrowed down to the JBOD box, Linux simply did not know how to deal with it. When I switched over to Windows 8 Pro, I have a Windows driver that allows proper control of the eSATA ports which in turn allow for the proper control of the JBOD box. I also have another PC box which I have Ubuntu Server installed, at this time, which I tried attaching a couple of Seagate GoFlex drives, the 3TB versions, and again I find disappointing, Linux does not know how to deal with those drives. So all in all, proper operation of Linux is still highly dependent on the equipment choices that you make. And that is why I am still leaning towards a Windows environment.
I am still trying to figure out, on paper, what my system will look like, using existing equipment, that will be able to handle the proper functioning of the "Personal Storage Cloud", and my "worker" robots. I am not there yet.
Ray