NoCatSplash on the Linksys WRT54G

* What is it?

This package will turn your Linksys WRT54G access point into a NoCat open
portal.  This means that users will be presented with a "splash page" of
your choosing, and must click a button before they can access the network
from your AP.

It supports virtually all known web browsers on any platform, and requires
no Javascript or special client side tools.

For more details on how NoCatSplash works, try this:
http://nocat.net/download/NoCatSplash/


* Will it break my access point?

This version of Splash54G runs out of the system RAM on the access point,
and does not attempt to touch the flash.  To revert to your previous
settings, just cycle the power on your AP.

I don't believe it's possible to permanently damage your AP without fiddling
with the flash, but that said, use this software AT YOUR OWN RISK.


* Requirements

To use this package, you'll need the latest wrt54g tools package from
CJ Collier. Also, this has only been tested to work with US Firmware
v1.30.7. More information on wrt54g tools is available at:

http://www.seattlewireless.net/index.cgi/Wrt54gTools

* Won't this install a back-door telnet on my AP?

No.  This package uses the wrt54g tools, but doesn't install anything beyond
what NoCatSplash needs to run.

* Installation

You *must* edit the nocat.conf to supply values for the first three
variables: LocalNetwork, InsideIP, and DNSAddr.  The first two will
work out of the box if you haven't changed the IP settings of your
WRT54G.

You must set DNSAddr to the IP address of the DNS server that the
WRT54G hands out in DHCP.  If it doesn't match the DNS address that
your clients receive from DHCP, they won't be able to resolve host
names.  (Future versions should auto-detect this setting...)

Also, edit the splash.html file to your liking.

Finally, you're ready to install it to the AP.  Make sure you configured the
wrt54g tools package correctly (did you edit wrt54g.cfg?) and that the
push_splash command is executable (chmod a+x push_splash).  Now run this
command:

./push_splash

In a few moments, you should see something like this:

Pushing busybox .. done
Configuring busybox .... done

Pushing splash archive.
Extracting archive.
Cleaning up.
Pushing nocat.conf.
Pushing splash.html.
Launching splashd.

Now try browsing the net through your AP.  If all went well, you should be
presented with a splash screen (click 'login' to proceed).  If it didn't go
well, make sure you installed the wrt54g tools package properly.  Reboot the
AP before attempting to install NoCatSplash again.

Note that after push_splash has been run, none of the other scripts
will run.  NoCatSplash takes over port 80 and disables access to
Ping.asp

To revert back to a normal access point, remove power for a moment, then
plug it back in.

* License

This code (marginal though it might be) is released under the GNU Public
License.  Why the GPL and not BSD or some other license?

<rant>

Linksys' recent actions have demonstrated to me that if authors of free
software don't declare and stand up for their rights, companies will attempt
to steal their work without so much as a nod of acknowledgment.

If you are frustrated by companies like Linksys that attempt to subvert the
wishes of the authors of free software, tell them about it!  Demand the
*complete* source code for projects covered by the GPL!

The ongoing saga of Linksys' exploitation of the Linux kernel are partly
chronicled here:

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/3659

If Linksys would release the full source to their kernel tree, we'd have
much cooler code than this little hack.

</rant>


Good luck!

--Rob Flickenger
rob {at} nocat {dot} net