Linux: beginning home automation on a server.

Linux: beginning home automation on a server.

This is just a quickie proof of concept about using a web server to do home automation remotely. all we will be doing is just turning on some leds, but the blueprint will be there for doing larger things. You do need to have some knowledge of linux and using the command line. You could also use the same idea to control x10 modules or even the Insteon units.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjZmrw9JkrM

I will not talk about setting up routers and how to open a port to access the server remotely. That is for another instructable. But then you could also use http://www.instructables.com/id/Linux-computer-tweeting/

You need to go to http://www.instructables.com/id/No-solder-parallel-port-break-out/ or http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-parallel-port-break-out-cable/ and build a compatible cable with the led array mentioned in the instructable. This will be attached to your web server.

Update: added a screen shot of html code.
Update: added asm file (lptout.c) separately.

For more info on using insteon see: http://www.linuxha.com/athome/common/iplcd/
Developer kit : http://www.smarthome.com/insteon/sdk2600S.html
Generating web page tutorials: http://w3schools.com/

You may like this instructable also: http://www.instructables.com/id/Linux-screen-play/

Note: I contacted Insteon about getting a free developer kit to do instructables and help sell their product. They said NO!

Step 1 Requirements

Some knowledge of linux.
Linux server running apache2 web server with a standard parallel port.. We are using an old Dell GX1 (Pentium II class).
Have administrative rights.
Have build-essential installed on the server
Knowledge of how to compile a c program.
A second computer or mobile web device to access the server remotely
Parallel port cable with led array attached. (see http://www.instructables.com/id/No-solder-parallel-port-break-out/ or http://www.instructables.com/id/Mini-parallel-port-break-out-cable/)
Note: Web page is an internal beta fictional but working site.

Comments

[Computothought]

Thanx for catching that, I thought I had caught and fixed it. Anyway I did upload the lptout.c that I used and the original version.

For some linux variants, you may want to use sys/io.h instead of asm/io.h.

[roliop]

Instructables seems to have removed the #includes in the code.

I guess the following are needed: just imagine the names within angle brackets...

#include stdio.h
#include stdlib.h
#include unistd.h
#include asm/io.h