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A Router like Web Interface for a SBC (TS-7500)

I have a SBC (Small Board Computer) (to be precise it is TS-7500 running Debian linux 2.6.24) and a couple of C programs running inside it. Now I have to provide a web interface to this board, in order to, let's say change some parameters etc (so that SBC serves as a blackbox). I guess this is what every router does - provide a couple of configuration parameters to user !

Now do suggest what is an easy way to achieve this, provided,

  1. I just have a handful of parameters to be configured (less than 10)
  2. Each parameter could be modeled as a drop-down menu to avoid input errors
  3. RAM on SBC is quite limited - so anything simpler is preferred.

I have come across a couple of topics, which suggest using Servlets, JSP, CGI etc to achieve the same. Please suggest a better and simpler option (assuming I'm not familiar with any of these concepts). Any links for same is also appreciated.

Thanks in advance !

Solution

  • You'll first need a webserver. Since you're running linux, the first and most obvious answer is Apache httpd. Another good choice here may be Lighttpd.

    Now you need a way to serve dynamic content. My personal go-to here is PHP. Often times you can install Apache+PHP with just a couple packages. It looks like Lighttpd supports PHP, too.

    This link will explain CGI, Perl, etc. What is CGI?

    Finally, you need a way for the web application you develop to affect the rest of your black box. SQLite makes for a nice lightweight way to store data in an organized fashion. Your PHP web app could use the same database that the C programs read their parameters from! Another option would be just simply reading and writing to flat text files.