PCI USB card to add more USB ports on ReadyNAS

[sirozha]

Since the PCI card slot is not really being used (the wireless card feature is nice, but it's useless without WPA, and I still can't figure out why use two NICs in this device), would it be terribly difficult to enable support for a USB expansion card with several additional USB ports?

Here's the link to the Linux USB project, and it seems that most of those PCI cards are supported in Linux.

http://www.linux-usb.org/usb2.html

It shouldn't be that difficult to compile a few drivers and integrate them into the next firmware release. We need more than two USB ports: one for UPS; one or two for printers; seems like we might need two ports per one external disk since some disks are underpowered by just one USB port; one USB port for a camera, etc. So, if we could install a PCI card with five additional USB ports in the PCI slot, that would really be cool, wouldn't it? Perhaps, you could also enable FireWire support through a PCI card since some of those cards come with FireWire and USB ports.

What do you guys think?

[Skywalker]

Some of the PCI USB2 cards out there probably work already, but a USB 2.0 powered hub would effectively do the same thing and you wouldn't have to worry about the card not working. Plus, you can move it around so that the USB ports are in a more convenient location.

[sirozha]

Some of the PCI USB2 cards out there probably work already, but a USB 2.0 powered hub would effectively do the same thing and you wouldn't have to worry about the card not working. Plus, you can move it around so that the USB ports are in a more convenient location.

Having a couple USB ports on the front would be nice too, but a USB hub just adds to the clutter, even though it provides easier access to the ports. If there were enough USB ports, then once all the cables were connected, nothing else would need to be moved.

Is there a way to find out which USB expansion cards would work with the ReadyNAS?

[chirpa]

id like to be able to add a 4port usb card also. got a bunch of nec usb2.0 cards sitting around doing nothing. would be nice to run the UPS,printer, and hdds and stuff all off it easily.

[sirozha]

id like to be able to add a 4port usb card also. got a bunch of nec usb2.0 cards sitting around doing nothing. would be nice to run the UPS,printer, and hdds and stuff all off it easily.

If you already have a card, why don't you try it?

[chirpa]

i have other issues on the NAS box currently that support is working on.

[sirozha]

i have other issues on the NAS box currently that support is working on.

If yoy do decide to try your USB PCI card, could you let us know about the results?

Thanks

[Skywalker]

I can almost guarantee that the NEC cards won't work. We use a VIA chip on-board, which should work, and some other ones as well. Look for cards that use a chipset that complies with the UHCI standard, and not OHCI (NEC).