Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Visual system load indicator for no gui server

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michigan, USA
    Beans
    1,184
    Distro
    Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

    Visual system load indicator for no gui server

    I am on the hunt for some kind of device that I can hookup to a few of my servers, and then see at a glance what the system load is at that moment.

    It could be as simple as 4-5 LED's that light as the load gets higher.

    I am a developer, so I am not opposed to using a microcontroller if anyone can point me at any that have good Linux support (for programming them as well).

    I have a Dell XPS as my "server" which has a rather annoying multi-color LED in the front, I would probably just want to figure out how to "drive" that one as it has a perfect array of colors to tell me load.


    I have tried the SMBios dellLEDctl app, but it tells me that it has no support on this system.

    This leads me to believe I am going to need some other kind of controller to plug in via serial, or usb.

    Any Ideas?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alabama, USA
    Beans
    906
    Distro
    Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

    Re: Visual system load indicator for no gui server

    Perhaps a small LCD? (like on a watch, not a laptop)

    A Google search shows http://www.crystalfontz.com to be a promising place to find them. Under the "software" page they have a download with C program examples to control the displays.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michigan, USA
    Beans
    1,184
    Distro
    Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat

    Re: Visual system load indicator for no gui server

    Small LCD would be great, but not readable at a glance or from across the room. I could go with the model that has 4 LED's to the left side, but that seems overkill if you just want to read load at a glance.

    I guess I am more looking for a cheap microcontroller chip, that has good linux support, and only a few IO ports.

    Something like the PICAxe chip, but less Windows Only.

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •