Re: installing on linksys WRT54G?

[Thor Lancelot Simon <tls%rek.tjls.com@localhost>]

On Tue, Dec 21, 2004 at 04:05:27PM +0000, Emmanuel Dreyfus wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Linksys WRT54G is a 802.11 a/b/g access point running Linux. You can 
> install your custom distribution on it. Anyone gave a try at installing 
> NetBSD on it?

It uses a Broadcom SoC that includes a MIPS core, a 4-port reconfigurable
Ethernet switch with per-port VLAN support, and a Broadcom 802.11 MAC.

The Linux software for it manipulates the VLAN configuration of the switch
and if necessary does software bridging (seldom necessary) to allow almost
arbitrary reconfiguration into separate Ethernet segments and application
of firewall policies to each.  Neat trick.

Unfortunately, even the source distribution for the thing uses a *binary*
driver for the Broadcom wireless MAC -- so I doubt we will get far trying
to run NetBSD on it if you want the wireless to work.

A more interesting question is whether shipment of the Broadcom driver in
binary firmware distributions for the device violates the GPL.  Until
Cisco forced Linksys to comply with the GPL at all, the firmware was
supplied *only* as a single binary image.

-- 
 Thor Lancelot Simon                                          
tls%rek.tjls.com@localhost

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is to be
 abandoned or transcended, there is no problem."                - Noam Chomsky