SherlyBox: Build Your Own Cloud w/ Raspberry Pi
Sher.ly has developed a Raspberry Pi device that allows owners to setup their own private IaaS cloud infrastructure. Once this device is powered on, users can login to the SherlyBox in using a VPN which encrypts the connection between your device and the SherlyBox cloud.
SherlyBox is built on a Raspberry Pi board. The device is loaded with 512MB of RAM, WiFi, 100MB Ethernet ports alongside 2 USB 2.0 ports. When you order a Raspberry Pi, you are typically sent a board without a case. The SherlyBox comes with a case and a built-in 4GB flash memory hard drive. For those who need more space private cloud space, a 1TB hard drive can be purchased that can be added into this suite. Specifications for the Raspberry Pi suggest that up to 127 USB drives can be simultaneously supported when connected with the proper apparatus.
SherlyBox is setup to use P2P for file transfer versus the popular CIFS (Common Internet File System) or SMB (Server Message Block) protocols. SherlyBox’s developers believe that this configuration can speed up file transfers by up to 2,000%. The popular XMBC client can be loaded on top of this setup which would allow users to download rich media using P2P services such as BitTorrent and store them on the massive 1TB hard drive thus turning the device into a private cloud for personal digital media or the cloud could be setup to provide your friends and family with exclusive VPN access into this device which would allow them to grab your favorite media.
SherlyBox is using the popular crowdsourcing funding platform KickStarter to fund the project. At the time of this writing, SherlyBox is 98% funded and has raised $68,211. If you would like to get in on the action early, a $29 donation gets you a full license of the Sher.ly app. If you put up $149, you get the actual Raspberry Pi box and the Sher.ly lifetime subscription. For $199, you get the Raspberry Pi with the 1TB hard drive enclosed. If the KickStarter campaign is any indication of Sher.ly, it seems as if this private cloud device will receive rave reviews.
