a port of lcd4linux to the firewall appliance smoothwall.

version:
v2.1, released 14.06.2005.

details:
for many, smoothwall is used as an install-and-forget system, never checking on how the system is performing until something goes wrong. for me, checking the status is a daily task. the web administration pages are great for this, but what if you're in a hurry? born from lcd4linux is lcd4smoothwall, a software package which can display a vast array of system statistics via a usb or parallel port lcd screen. kinda like this.

requirements:
lcd4smoothwall primarily requires smoothwall, specifically v2.0 express. you should also have all 7 fixes installed if possible. secondarily to that, the default smoothwall kernel does not include parallel port support, so unless you're one of the lucky few with a usb lcd screen, you will also need a new kernel . i heartily recommend you have a quick read of this thread on the official smoothwall community forum. it really is super. at the time of writing, superkernel version 2.4.30-rc5b is the most recent and specifically includes support for lcd4smoothwall.

lcd4smoothwall supports a large number of screen chipsets and an impressive number of configuration options, all of which are better explained at the lcd4linux website.

installation:
installation of lcd4smoothwall is pretty easy really. you'll need a way to transfer the package file to your smoothwall machine - i recommend winscp for that little task. log into the smoothwall with winscp in exactly the same way you would an ssh client, and simply drag-and-drop the lcd4smoothwall-2.1.tgz file from your client machine to the /tmp folder of your smoothwall. after that, you'll need to log into the machine (as root) either locally or via ssh, and issue the following commands:

# cd /tmp
# tar -zxvf lcd4smoothwall-2.1.tgz -C /
# ./install-l4s.sh

that should put everything where it needs to go. all that's left is to edit your /etc/lcd4linux.conf file to sort out a configuration you like, and start the lcd4linux daemon by issuing the command:

# lcd4linux

you'll probably spend quite some time working out a configuration that suits you, so i suggest you get familiar with the official lcd4linux site, as their documentation is impeccable. a modified version of the official sample file is installed to /etc/lcd4linux.conf by default, but so is /etc/lcd4linux.conf.sample for your reference.

installed files:
/etc/lcd4linux.conf
/etc/lcd4linux.conf.sample
/usr/local/bin/lcd4linux
/usr/local/lib/libgd.a
/usr/local/lib/libpng12.a
/usr/local/lib/libusb.a
/usr/local/lib/libusbpp.a
/usr/local/lib/cfg.o
/usr/local/lib/debug.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_BeckmannEgle.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_BWCT.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_Crystalfontz.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_Curses.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_Cwlinux.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_generic_graphic.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_generic_parport.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_generic_serial.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_generic_text.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_HD44780.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_Image.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_M50530.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_MatrixOrbital.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_MilfordInstruments.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_NULL.o
/usr/local/lib/drv.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_RouterBoard.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_T6963.o
/usr/local/lib/drv_USBLCD.o
/usr/local/lib/evaluator.o
/usr/local/lib/hash.o
/usr/local/lib/layout.o
/usr/local/lib/lcd4linux.o
/usr/local/lib/pid.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_apm.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_cfg.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_cpuinfo.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_diskstats.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_exec.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_i2c_sensors.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_imon.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_isdn.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_loadavg.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_math.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_meminfo.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_netdev.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_pop3.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_ppp.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_proc_stat.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_seti.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_string.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_test.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_time.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_uname.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_uptime.o
/usr/local/lib/plugin_wireless.o
/usr/local/lib/qprintf.o
/usr/local/lib/thread.o
/usr/local/lib/timer.o
/usr/local/lib/udelay.o
/usr/local/lib/widget_bar.o
/usr/local/lib/widget_icon.o
/usr/local/lib/widget.o
/usr/local/lib/widget_text.o
/usr/local/lib/libpng12.so.0.1.2.7
/usr/local/lib/libpng.so.3.1.2.7
/usr/local/lib/libusb-0.1.so.4.4.2
/usr/local/lib/libusbpp-0.1.so.4.4.2
/usr/local/lib/libgd.so.1.8.4
/usr/local/lib/libfreetype.so.6.3.2
/usr/local/lib/libjpeg.so.62.0.0

created symlinks:
/usr/local/lib/libpng.a
/usr/local/lib/libpng12.so
/usr/local/lib/libpng12.so.0
/usr/local/lib/libpng.so
/usr/local/lib/libpng.so.3
/usr/local/lib/libusb.so
/usr/local/lib/libusb-0.1.so.4
/usr/local/lib/libusbpp.so
/usr/local/lib/libusbpp-0.1.so.4
/usr/local/lib/libgd.so
/usr/local/lib/libgd.so.1
/usr/local/lib/libgd.so.1.8
/usr/local/lib/libfreetype.so
/usr/local/lib/libfreetype.so.6
/usr/local/lib/libjpeg.so
/usr/local/lib/libjpeg.so.62

modified files:
the installer will check for the string “/usr/local/lib” in /etc/ld.so.conf. if that string is not found, the installer will insert it, otherwise nothing is changed.
this modification remains after uninstall!

if you're still intersted in downloading lcd4smoothwall, then scroll back up and give that pretty little cardboard box a click.

the discussion thread for lcd4smoothewall can be found on the official smoothwall forums. feel free to place feedback or bring up any queries there, or contact me directly using the contact form.

thanks:
, , dale, bohica, netwhiz