ORB server and Virtualbox

[boomerang56]

I found out about Orb by accident the other day.

http://www.orb.com

It has everything I want in a media server - well almost, but it's free and it "just works" for the most part. I think it's a perfect for Amahi in terms of being able to access my files remotely, behind a very restrictive corp proxy server & firewall at work. I think I will set up a new user named "Orb" and have that user assigned read-only rights to the shares for streaming purposes.

The odd thing is it doesn't like to stream to clients in my home network but that's a minor thing since I want to access my music from work. 160+ GB is too much to put on an iPod. Granted, the sound quality would be better...

Unfortunately it's Windows/Mac only. Their FAQ mentions something about a Linux port but apparently it's said that for a year now.

It runs really well in Virtualbox. If you have the Fedora Fusion repository you can easily add Virtualbox. It's easier to set up than Vmware in my opinion.

So far the only limit I've seen in Orb is that it can't stream my Media Server TV recordings due to ffmpeg not decoding the .wtv codec.

It streams .mkv files though.

For some reason Media Player on the remote machines can't stream, but the built in web based Orb Flash Player has been working fine so far.

Anyway hope this helps someone looking for a media server to run on their Amahi box. One thing I really liked was being able to set the streaming speed remotely.

[cpg]

are you brave enough to try to package it?

one thing you could do is try it locally as a web app. if you get it to work, i am positive you can get help packaging it

[boomerang56]

are you brave enough to try to package it?

one thing you could do is try it locally as a web app. if you get it to work, i am positive you can get help packaging it

Well that's the thing, Virtualbox really can't be used as a web app as far as I know.

I wish it could, because it does work really well, but then coming from Sun, it should be good.

VMWare Server is free, but I had to register and be issued a license key before I could download it anyway. VMWare would make a much better webapp but I don't know if it would be legal to do so.

I tried getting VMWare going on my Amahi/Fedora box but it was so much hassle that I went to Virtualbox instead.

Virtualbox really needs to run in a window. I launch it either at the local console or by VNC.

Speaking of which there needs to be a better VNC app for Amahi. As much as I use and love the WebVNC app, I think there needs to be anautomated way of setting up a totally headless VNC install for Amahi. It's a pain to get VNC working on Fedora (compared to Suse which is what I'm more familiar with).

If all this is easier with Ubuntu, I'll switch in a heartbeat.

The other problem with packing this is the Orb part. Orb requires XP. I'm pretty sure I can package a virtual machine image with XP and Orb installed, but I don't think I'd like Leavenworth very much. LOL

It'd be great if the makers of Orb could be convinced of the value of letting the Amahi community test their Linux port for them.

If you can get an RPM or a tarball for Orb, sure, I'd be happy to try and package that... LOL

[lou1z]

not sure i like the thought of a third party serving up my media. i'd prefer to directly stream. i've got this sneaking suspicion that once orb is up and running on your pc and serving files, then the company can access them too.

[boomerang56]

For some of us this is the only way to stream at all behind a corp firewall/proxy. Also the only way I have to (easily) view my webcam on demand so I can check in on my dogs whenever I want. The company I work for blocks practically everything. Directly streaming is impossible here. Using a VPN is impossible here. So something like Orb is the only solution. besides, it's darn cool. I love using it so far.

If Orb wants to inventory my collection of Farsi and Uzbek music, my Grateful Dead collection, the snapshots of my dogs and my collection of Battlestar Galactica & Babylon 5 episodes, then I say "let 'em".

Orb is a small organization like Amahi. They want to be featured on small NAS appliances. The idea is people want ubiquitous hassle-free access to their media.

To each their own...

[lou1z]

they're obviously not very bothered if they let you install what you want (orb) on their pc's or allow you to connect your's own pc to their network.
but hey, that's a mistake that most companies do..... forget about the inside man.
you may want to have a look at adito. that will cut through most corporates and allow you to stream, runs apps eg rdp, vnc ,ssh etc via ssl

[boomerang56]

It's the other way around. Orb is installed at home, not at work. My HDA is at home, not at work. I'm very happy with Orb. Besides - Adito is a VPN, not a media server. VPNs do me zero good at work.

[lou1z]

adito will work for you (albeit maybe not exactly what you are after)
i have used it for years in both directions. if you can browse the web via ssl, adito will let you run any app you have.
i'm sure ampache would work for you too.
but like you say, each to their own and orb is probably good. it's merely the 3rd party bit i don't like. i'd probably consider using it if you could authenticate & stream directly via http/s.