Background

The PogoPlug is a network-attached storage device that by default runs busybox. By installing archlinux you gain access to a larger set of installable packages.

Steps

1. Power up the PogoPlug and attach it to your LAN via an ethernet cable.

2. Go to pogoplug's site and activate it.

3. Once you activate the device click on your login name at the top left of the screen and choose:

   • Settings > Security > Enable SSH access for this PogoPlug device

4. SSH into your device (the password is what you set it to in the previous step):

   
   ssh root@<IP address>
   

5. Kill the PogoPlug software:

   
   killall hbwd
   

6. Download and install a bootloader:

   
   cd /tmp
   wget http://jeff.doozan.com/debian/uboot/install_uboot_mtd0.sh
   chmod +x install_uboot_mtd0.sh
   ./install_uboot_mtd0.sh
   

7. Insert a USB drive into the PogoPlug

8. Start fdisk on the PogoPlug:

   
   /sbin/fdisk /dev/sda
   

9. At the prompt enter the commands to create a partition:

   
   o
   p
   n
   p
   1
   

10. Accept all the defaults after entering 1 and the exit when you reach the prompt Command (m for help)::

    
    w
    

11. Create the filesystem on the USB:

    
    wget http://archlinuxarm.org/os/pogoplug/mke2fs
    chmod 755 mke2fs
    ./mke2fs /dev/sda1
    mkdir usb
    mount /dev/sda1 usb
    

12. Download and install Arch Linux:

    
    cd usb
    wget http://archlinuxarm.org/os/ArchLinuxARM-armv5te-latest.tar.gz
    tar -xzvf ArchLinuxARM-armv5te-*.tar.gz
    rm ArchLinuxARM-armv5te-*.tar.gz
    sync
    

13. Clean up and reboot:

    
    cd ..
    umount usb
    /sbin/reboot
    

14. The new SSH login and password are root, root