This post should prove useful for anyone thinking about using a Buffalo LinkStation to run their SlimServer instance. The advantages of doing this are:
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The LinkStation is a small and quiet device, so it can sit just about anywhere without being obtrusive.
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The SlimServer software runs quite happily on this unit, saving the requirement for a full-blown PC or server to serve media.
There are several ways to do this installation, but I found the following to be quite painless.
The first thing to do is the read the warnings and information on http://linkstationwiki.org/Projects/OpenLink Please take these warnings seriously. They DO matter.
Once you are happy that you know what you’re doing, you can move on to http://linkstationwiki.org/Articles/GeneralFirmwareFlash and start the actual installation. If you follow the instructions carefully, you should be fine.
To install SlimServer, follow the instructions from the heading “Getting SlimServer on the LinkStation.” at http://fieldnetworks.com/slim/linkstation3.html
Having installed the software, I had issues with several Perl modules not being in the new firmware. To remedy this, download MIPSelSlimServerModules, and copy them to the root (/) of the LinkStation. From there, unpack the package (tar –zxf mipsel-slimserver-modules-0.5b.tgz) and run install.sh (./install.sh). This should resolve dependencies for SlimServer version 6.2.2 and older.
That, all being well, should be enough to get you going.