[ale] Advice on hacking new toys

[Raylynn Knight]

Having recently sold a couple of old Apple MacBooks, I used the funds
to go on a buying spree for the following potentially hackable
hardware:

* Seagate FreeAgent DockStar - Marvell Sheeva 1.2 Ghz ARM processor,
128MB RAM, 512MB NAND, GigE, 3 USB - already have root access and
source code.
* Hitachi SimpleNet - 250 Mhz STR8131 ARM processor, 64MB RAM, 8MB
NAND, 10/100 Ethernet, 2 USB - already have root access and source
code.
* Kaser NetCenter YF-702 - 300 Mhz VT8500 ARM processor, 256MB RAM,
2GB NAND, 10/100 Ethernet, 3 USB, SD, COM, 2 PS/2, VGA - haven't
gained root access yet and can't locate source code - Requested source
from www.kasercorp.com website.  Nmap shows only port 8080 open.  UI
via/VGA and keyboard seems locked down and provides no command line
access.  Next step is to try accessing via COM port.
* Arkview USB 2.0 Server M4 - 10/100 Ethernet, 1 USB - No other
information available.  Doesn't seem to acquire an IP address and
provided CD is unreadable.  Going to exchange this one.
* Verbatim MediaShare Mini - Appears to use HipServ software, but
install disk can't find unit and it doesn't acquire an IP address.
Possible defect unit?

Anyone else have any of the above units?  Anyone have a clue on
getting root access to the last 3 mentioned above?  I'm likely going
to return the last 2 as a web search returns absolutely no helpful
information.  The Kaser NetCenter is also lacking in documentation,
but I still want to try accessing it via the COM port before deciding
whether or not to return it.  The Seagate and Hitachi both have source
code available through the respective manufacturer web sites so I'll
be keeping them.

Ray