Hi folks,
I just got to run the HDLServer & HDLDump / HDLDumb. However since I'm new to this stuff, I had to collect a lot of information and since I think that this tool is great (except that the network is slow and HDLDumb should support adding multiple ISO's at once), I do want to contribute by combining all info in this thread, hoping that it will help someone else doing the same thing. And a special thank you to all you guys who have spent so much effort in building these nice tools. You are the best!!!

My hardware configuration is this:
PS2 V12 (slim)
Chystal Chip
Summone Fix
HD Connect
Network connection thru 2 switches

Software:
CDGENPS2 Version 3
HDLDumb / HDLDump + Server 0.8.5
ExecFTP 0.69
HDLoader
WinHIIP 1.7.6

What is this all about?
The main goal is to manage the ISO images on the harddisk, which is connected to the PS2, remotely from a PC. Otherwise you would have to move the harddisk to your PC, connect it at use WinHIIP for writing the ISO's directly to your harddisk or burn a DVD which you can import directly with HDLoader. Doing it via the network is more convenient.

How to get FTP to work:
We need FTP in order to at least access the memory card (MC) because it will store your network configuration. So I got ExecFTP. It comes with some files already. One has the extension .elf and that seems to be the executable file format for PS2. Anyways one file is called CONFIG.DAT. This file assumes that your PS2 has the network address 192.168.0.10 and uses gateway 192.168.0.1. For me this didn't work because I have a different subnet. If this works fine with you, you do not even need the whole FTP installation. If you need to change it, then edit CONFIG.DAT with a text editor. By default it looks like this:
192.168.0.10 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1

This means [IP of PS2] [Netmask] [Default Gateway]

Once you did this, use CDGENPS2 in order to create an ISO image for the FTP server. The tool is very simple and looks pretty much like a common CD burning software.You can even drag & drop files into the main window of CDGENPS2. The output will be a file with the extension *.iso. You can burn it to your CD with almost any common burning software, like nero, alcohol 120%, ...

IMPORTANT: Use a CD media - no DVD media in order to burn the ISO which you created with CDGENPS2!!! And also don't forget: This all makes no sense if your PS2 is not modded because it won't accept any self-made CD's.

Now start the ExecFTP server by starting your PS2 with the just created disc. It will come up with some status information of the FTP server. Now you can connect with any FTP client. I used TotalCommander, which is a free shell add-on. Browse to your MC and I had a folder there [0]. I'm not sure what this means but I assume it is identifying the MC in the first slot. Anyways open that folder and create a folder "SYS-CONF", if it is not there already. You can make a copy of your CONFIG.DAT, created in the previous step, rename it to IPCONFIG.DAT and copy it via FTP into the SYS-CONF folder. This will later on inform HDLD_SRV about which network settings to use.

Creating a CD for HDLD_SVR and running it:
You will get HDLD_SVR as a .elf file. However you will need more than just that in order to create a CD for it.
You need a SYSTEM.CNF file. You may copy the one from ExecFTP and modify it. That's what I did. It should look like this:
BOOT2 = cdrom0:\HDLD_SVR.ELF;1
VER = 1.00
VMODE = PAL/NTSC
LBA = 12231

Now create another iso image by bundling both files together, using CDGENPS2. This iso image can then be burned on a CD, like explained in the previous step. Insert it into your PS2 and start it. It should display some messages, telling you the IP address. Make sure it is the correct IP address. Now on your PC launch HDL_Dumb (the Windows GUI for HDL_Dump). Enter the IP address of your PS2 and say "attach". If it works, you're all set up and hopefully happy as I am when I talked to my PS2 :-)

BTW - meanwhile I transmitted the ExecFTP and also HDLD_SVR on my harddisk. This way I will only need the HDLoader DVD in my drive. I read an article here were people doubted that it would work, but it works ;-)

Good luck and have fun with your PS2!