A sustainable multilayer tool-artifact for data privacy and project networking...
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) is a multi-layer project that includes, among other things, a physical object in the form of a pre-configured easy-to-use device.
Our current software design includes everything you need to work autonomously, safely and ecologically, and it is able to run all the hardware it contains, including a RaspberryPi, a PiJuice BC7X power platform (a battery) and a Solar Panel.
The kit contains a required minimum components for proper operation, although it is totally expandable. When you submit your request to acquire one, you can choose if you want to start from the basic kit or from versions with more components.
We have paranoically and efficiently configured all the layers that make it up, including encryption and distribution of data, to prevent a single failure point.
In addition, we have built a whole Operating System from scratch, safe, multilayer and resilent. In case of any failure related to software, when restarting the kit everything will be restored as when you have acquired it.
Through a container technology, we managed to differentiate the most internal part of the artifact from the part that uses who acquires it, so that it is very complicated that something can fail. We have also created an update system using Cloud Computing, which facilitates having the latest versions without losing data and almost immediately for all the inhabitants that requires it.
In the following video we can see how the first prototype [01/2023] of the kit starts since the electric cable is connected, until it shows the desktop applications.
Because it must make checks to obtain the most optimal resolution (in this case HDMI_TV: 1920×1080), the start time is: 42 seconds
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype has compilation and configured its own kernel so that it works correctly and safely with Raspberrypi (64-Bit) and all software (Operating system and applications) and hardware (peripherals and sensors) that the kit has.
snh% Linux snh-kit 6.5.0-0.deb12.4-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.5.10-1~bpo12+1 (2023-11-23) aarch64 GNU/Linux
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype has compilation and configured its own Operating system (from scratch) that we have baptized as “SNH-OS”. It has been built using a Linux distribution system for embedded devices called Yocto.
Build Configuration:
snh% Poky (Yocto Project Reference Distro) 4.3.4 snh-kit
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype is using a system of containers to isolate content called Docker.
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype is using, inside the container technology, a top-level layer OS distribution that supports ARM architecture family for 64-Bits kernel, and that contains a fully functional base package system, called GNU/Linux Debian.
OS Release:
snh% Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype contains a fully functional base package system that allows you to make, within the possibilities of the hardware, a large number of operations: network connections, device discovery, open documents, file handling, packages decompression, etc.
The kit allows you to use any screen, including tactical, which can be connected by an HDMI cable. We have included an application so you can handle the display configuration, change the resolution (and other display options), even double the screen.
The kit allows you to use any USB keyboard, although it contains a virtual keyboard application that you can use with a tactical screen or with the mouse.
The kit allows you to operate with files and folders like any other computer. It has a UNIX permissions system and all common file manipulation functions: copy, paste, delete, move, etc.
The kit uses a window manager designed for embedded and based on the X Window System called Matchbox, so you can handle applications more intuitively and visual.
The kit uses a connection manager for embedded devices called ConnMan which is designed to be slim and to use as few resources as possible. It is a fully modular system that can be extended, through plug-ins, to support all kinds of wired or wireless technologies.
The kit allows you to connect to other devices through Bluetooth technology, for example, to get internet directly from a mobile phone.
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype contains a fully functional management system composed of different tools.
The kit has a text editor called Gedit that emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, with a clean and simple GUI.
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype contains different measures to protect the information privacy and confidentiality, through the use of encryption and the correct routed/storage of the data.
The kit does not keep logs that are privacy-relevant for the user (it only has some related to system performance), so that if it falls into unwanted hands, it is very complicated to make reverse engineering of the previous actions. It also routes connections through proxies (including DNS resolutions) making practically impossible the discovery of the origin of requests and only allows access through encrypted channels with the aim of making more difficult possible data interception attacks (ex: Man-in-the-middle attack).
The kit has a lightweight caching and forwarding web proxy server called Privoxy.
It has a wide variety of uses, from aiding security by filtering traffic; to caching web, DNS and other computer network lookups for a group of people sharing network resources; to speeding up a web server by caching repeated requests. It can be configured to use on-disk cache and serve cached content when offline and perform various forms of content filtering.
The kit has a lightweight, easy to configure DNS (encrypted) forwarder, designed to provide DNS (and optionally DHCP and TFTP) services to a small-scale network called DNSMasq. It can serve the names of local machines which are not in the global DNS.
The kit has an anonymous communication system called Tor.
Using it makes more difficult to trace a user's Internet activity because it directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network, consisting of more than six thousand relays, to conceal a user's location and usage from anyone performing network surveillance or traffic analysis.
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype has different applications related to the use of the Internet (surfing the web, sending and receiving email, chatting, making VoIP calls, etc.), which are configured by default with certain paranoia parameters that allow a safe experience.
So all of these Internet related applications do not keep cookies, delete the history of use when closing, use encrypted channels (HTTPS/SSL) and always connect through the Tor network.
The kit has a web browser called Mozilla Firefox. It uses the Gecko rendering engine to display web pages, which implements current and anticipated web standards.
The kit has an email client, personal information manager, news client, RSS and chat client called Mozilla Thunderbird.
The kit has a voice over IP (VoIP) application called Mumble.
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) starting prototype contains its own project network and ecosystem based on a mesh network called Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB).
We are developing new functionalities and much of our effort focuses on building a stable community.
You can visit the roadmap to see what state is the current development and what are the future implementations that are desired to achieve.
SolarNET.HuB (SNH) contains its own cryptocurrency called ECOin.
ECOin is a crypto-currency with the goal of providing a long-term energy-efficient digital economy strategy.
This tool provides a currency mining system technology for autonomous generation by solar energy.
It is the only crypto in the market that implements such a sophisticated mining system:
Proof-Of-Work Proof-Of-Stake Proof-Of-Transaction
This allows the inhabitants of the kit to access an economic and market system, totally sustainable.