siteplayer article

Sat, 14 Dec 2002 12:30:27 -0500

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Some of you may remember that brought to taco a siteplayer tiny web server.=
=20
I'm in the
process of learning how to use it and wrote a short article that describes=
=20
it.  Below is the
first paragraph.   I puting the rest of the article up on my web server=20
www.black-arts.org after taco
today.   The newsletter will have an expanded version.   H.

I had been looking for a very small web server.  Not for a project, but, to=
=20
see just how small clever people could actually make such a=20
thing.   Searching the web I found one or two examples.  One version I=20
found did serve pages and it had a kind of TCP/IP stack that relied on=20
SLIP, the old serial line interface protocol.  Not really up to what I=20
wanted.  Then one day I was paging through Nuts and Bolts magazine and=20
found  just what I was looking for.  It was called siteplayer , from=20
NetMedia, and consists of a tiny web server with a full TCP/IP stack=20
including (amazingly!)  a modest CGI capability,  built-in address=20
resolution protocol (ARP), DHCP, UCP and of courser TCP over which the HTTP=
=20
protocol rides.  These are capabilities I didn=92t expect to find on a=
 device=20
this small.   Deciding I needed to learn more about this device, I ordered=
=20
one.  The device itself comes as a small board about an inch and a half=20
square, about the size of a quarter dollar.  Mounted on top is a Philips=20
80C51 microprocessor and an oscillator  =93can=94 while underneath is a=
 flash=20
RAM with 48k of room for downloadable web pages.  The flash also holds=20
programming that makes the siteplayer work.   The combination has a foot=20
print not unlike a small integrated circuit.   Most attractive is that  can=
=20
be plugged directly into an RJ-45 port on my home Ethernet network, so I=20
can address it with my favorite web browser and create basic pages with my=
=20
usual page creation software. (I used Netscape=92s =93Composer=94 to=
 successfully=20
retrieved, modified  and resaved one of the html pages that came with the=20
site player --more on this later).  The basic site player costs (as of this=
=20
writing 14 Dec 02) $30.00 but there is also a development board  for $100=20
that includes a siteplayer and  gives you access to many of site player=92s=
=20
features.  It  allows you to  plug it into your network and start=20
developing pages as soon as its delivered.

=A1
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<html>
Some of you may remember that brought
to taco a siteplayer tiny web server. I'm in the 
process of learning how to use it and wrote a short article that
describes it.&nbsp; Below is the 
first paragraph.&nbsp;&nbsp; I puting the rest of the article up on my
web server
<a href=3D"http://www.black-arts.org/" eudora=3D"autourl">www.black-arts.org=
</a>
after taco 
today.&nbsp;&nbsp; The newsletter will have an expanded version.&nbsp;&nbsp;=
 H. 
I had been looking for a very small web server.&nbsp; Not for a project,=
 but, to see just how small clever people could actually make such a=
 thing.&nbsp;&nbsp; Searching the web I found one or two examples.&nbsp; One=
 version I found did serve pages and it had a kind of TCP/IP stack that=
 relied on SLIP, the old serial line interface protocol.&nbsp; Not really up=
 to what I wanted.&nbsp; Then one day I was paging through Nuts and Bolts=
 magazine and found&nbsp; just what I was looking for.&nbsp; It was called=
 siteplayer , from NetMedia, and consists of a tiny web server with a full=
 TCP/IP stack including (amazingly!)&nbsp; a modest CGI capability,&nbsp;=
 built-in address resolution protocol (ARP), DHCP, UCP and of courser TCP=
 over which the HTTP protocol rides.&nbsp; These are capabilities I didn=92t=
 expect to find on a device this small.&nbsp;&nbsp; Deciding I needed to=
 learn more about this device, I ordered one.&nbsp; The device itself comes=
 as a small board about an inch and a half square, about the size of a=
 quarter dollar.&nbsp; Mounted on top is a Philips 80C51 microprocessor and=
 an oscillator&nbsp; =93can=94 while underneath is a flash RAM with 48k of=
 room for downloadable web pages.&nbsp; The flash also holds programming=
 that makes the siteplayer work.&nbsp;&nbsp; The combination has a foot=
 print not unlike a small integrated circuit.&nbsp;&nbsp; Most attractive is=
 that&nbsp; can be plugged directly into an RJ-45 port on my home Ethernet=
 network, so I can address it with my favorite web browser and create basic=
 pages with my usual page creation software. (I used Netscape=92s =93Compose=
r=94 to successfully retrieved, modified&nbsp; and resaved one of the html=
 pages that came with the site player --more on this later).&nbsp; The basic=
 site player costs (as of this writing 14 Dec 02) $30.00 but there is also a=
 development board&nbsp; for $100 that includes a siteplayer and&nbsp; gives=
 you access to many of site player=92s features.&nbsp; It&nbsp; allows you=
 to&nbsp; plug it into your network and start developing pages as soon as=
 its delivered. 
=A1</html>

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