Wanted: Small footprint HW for Linux router

Hey folks,

I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
router/NAT/firewall. I'm trying to get away from what amounts to way
over-sized (both in footprint, power consumption and components)
regular "PC boxes" for this effort. I want something that is as close
in dimension as a standard OTS router (CISCO, 3COM, etc.).

I've found some hw boxes that are quite small (and inexpensive!), but
they are WAY over powered and over featured for what I want to do
(Firewire ports, USB ports, etc.) I don't need anything more than a
Pentium Pro processor, and could probably get by with a 486DX
"machine" with a 500mb HD for what I want to do (stripped kernel,
etc.) and the low traffic I need to service. Something like this, but
not so powerful (though I would prefer something flatter):

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=S451-3035

Sorry for the cross-post into c.o.l.networking, but I thought maybe
I'd pick up someone there that has crossed this "bridge" before... If
someone ever came up with a good hardware footprint appliance coupled
with Linux's great routing capabilities (ip, tc, etc.) I think they'd
have a winner. Maybe it's out there and I haven't found it.

chris
-----
Chris Olive
chris (at) technologEase (dot) com

("newsbot" is an anti-spam account and NEVER reads any email it
receives, so spammers... buzz off!)

C. Olive wrote:

> Hey folks,
>
> I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
> router/NAT/firewall. I'm trying to get away from what amounts to way
> over-sized (both in footprint, power consumption and components)
> regular "PC boxes" for this effort. I want something that is as close
> in dimension as a standard OTS router (CISCO, 3COM, etc.).
>
> I've found some hw boxes that are quite small (and inexpensive!), but
> they are WAY over powered and over featured for what I want to do
> (Firewire ports, USB ports, etc.) I don't need anything more than a
> Pentium Pro processor, and could probably get by with a 486DX
> "machine" with a 500mb HD for what I want to do (stripped kernel,
> etc.) and the low traffic I need to service. Something like this, but
> not so powerful (though I would prefer something flatter):
>
>
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=S451-3035

That is a great price. Your going to pay more for embedded
type devices unless you are ready to order large quantities.
If someone can tell me where I can purchase a device that
will accept compact flash and has PCI + one ethernet then I would
be happy. Many of them are $$$$

On Wednesday 20 August 2003 02:19 pm C. Olive spaketh unto the masses
thusly in post <(E-Mail Removed)> :

> Hey folks,
>
> I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
> router/NAT/firewall.

<snip>

http://www.smoothwall.org/

You can use an old 486 to run this but it doesn't do NAT (at least I
don't think it does). HTH.
--
Twisted

Registered Linux user # 323911.
Life's not fair, but the root password helps. -BOFH
In Linux country, if you listen carefully you can hear Windows reboot.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)> , C. Olive wrote:

> Hey folks,
>
> I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
> router/NAT/firewall. I'm trying to get away from what amounts to way
> over-sized (both in footprint, power consumption and components)
> regular "PC boxes" for this effort. I want something that is as close
> in dimension as a standard OTS router (CISCO, 3COM, etc.).
>
> I've found some hw boxes that are quite small (and inexpensive!), but
> they are WAY over powered and over featured for what I want to do
> (Firewire ports, USB ports, etc.) I don't need anything more than a
> Pentium Pro processor, and could probably get by with a 486DX
> "machine" with a 500mb HD for what I want to do (stripped kernel,
> etc.) and the low traffic I need to service. Something like this, but
> not so powerful (though I would prefer something flatter):
>
>
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=S451-3035
>
> Sorry for the cross-post into c.o.l.networking, but I thought maybe
> I'd pick up someone there that has crossed this "bridge" before... If
> someone ever came up with a good hardware footprint appliance coupled
> with Linux's great routing capabilities (ip, tc, etc.) I think they'd
> have a winner. Maybe it's out there and I haven't found it.
>
Try http://www.mini-itx.com for stuff based on the Via CPUs. They even do
one that doesn't need a fan, useful for quiet operation.

Dave
--
mail: da (E-Mail Removed) (without the space)
http://www.llondel.org/
So many gadgets, so little time...

C. Olive wrote:
> Hey folks,
>
> I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
> router/NAT/firewall. I'm trying to get away from what amounts to way
> over-sized (both in footprint, power consumption and components)
> regular "PC boxes" for this effort. I want something that is as close
> in dimension as a standard OTS router (CISCO, 3COM, etc.).
>
> I've found some hw boxes that are quite small (and inexpensive!), but
> they are WAY over powered and over featured for what I want to do
> (Firewire ports, USB ports, etc.) I don't need anything more than a
> Pentium Pro processor, and could probably get by with a 486DX
> "machine" with a 500mb HD for what I want to do (stripped kernel,
> etc.) and the low traffic I need to service. Something like this, but
> not so powerful (though I would prefer something flatter):
>
> http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=S451-3035

http://www.soekris.com/

:: C. Olive
:: I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
:: router/NAT/firewall. I'm trying to get away from what amounts to way
:: over-sized (both in footprint, power consumption and components)
:: regular "PC boxes" for this effort. [...]
:: Something like this, but not so powerful (though I would prefer
:: something flatter):
:: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=S451-3035

: "Dave {Reply Address in.sig}" <noone$$@llondel.org>
: Try http://www.mini-itx.com for stuff based on the Via CPUs. They
: even do one that doesn't need a fan, useful for quiet operation.

They do several without fans. For my server boxes, I went to 11x11x3 in
fanless boxes for the servers on my home net, and a 8x8x11 in "cube" box
for my desktop, all using mini-itx, and the loudest things in my
workroom now are the disk drives (I re-used ones I already had instead
of going for something ultra-quiet). Also consume a small fraction of
the power, thus make a small fraction of the heat.
Good for my battery backup budget.

You might try www.idot.com . You can do better in terms of small
packaging, but you can also do worse. The mini-itx site noted above
points to what you can do if you just buy the motherboard and get
creative with sheet metal. Literally fit a fully capable computer
in the space of the power supply of a traditional tower box; in
the actual power supply box, in one project documented
on the mini-itx site.

You still end up with an overpowered machine; at least 500 mhz, and most
of them have fany video, audio, usb, and other integrated features
that'd just be ignored in a router. And you'll need to use a usb
adapter, or use up the single PCI slot on most mini-itx motherboards to
get the second ethernet port. But even so, you end up with a much
smaller box than the shuttle box mentioned above, and you can probably
get something for enough under 200 $US for it to work out OK.

In short, I've had good luck with them. You don't get 2 ghz and faster
performance, but you get most everything else needed for a solid
small-footprint computer that can be put to most any use.


Wayne Throop (E-Mail Removed) http://sheol.org/throopw

(E-Mail Removed) (C. Olive) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed) om>...
> Hey folks,
>
> I want to do some experiementing and eventual implemention of a Linux
> router/NAT/firewall. I'm trying to get away from what amounts to way
> over-sized (both in footprint, power consumption and components)
> regular "PC boxes" for this effort. I want something that is as close
> in dimension as a standard OTS router (CISCO, 3COM, etc.).
>
> I've found some hw boxes that are quite small (and inexpensive!), but
> they are WAY over powered and over featured for what I want to do
> (Firewire ports, USB ports, etc.) I don't need anything more than a
> Pentium Pro processor, and could probably get by with a 486DX
> "machine" with a 500mb HD for what I want to do (stripped kernel,
> etc.) and the low traffic I need to service. Something like this, but
> not so powerful (though I would prefer something flatter):

You can get the VIA ITX board ($100) with our compact flash drive ($10) for
a very low power firewall. DHCP/NAT/firewall software included.

>
> http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...&sku=S451-3035
>
> Sorry for the cross-post into c.o.l.networking, but I thought maybe
> I'd pick up someone there that has crossed this "bridge" before... If
> someone ever came up with a good hardware footprint appliance coupled
> with Linux's great routing capabilities (ip, tc, etc.) I think they'd
> have a winner. Maybe it's out there and I haven't found it.
>
> chris
> -----
> Chris Olive
> chris (at) technologEase (dot) com
>
> ("newsbot" is an anti-spam account and NEVER reads any email it
> receives, so spammers... buzz off!)

In comp.os.linux.networking Sales for IDE-CF flash drive <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> You can get the VIA ITX board ($100) with our compact flash drive ($10) for
> a very low power firewall. DHCP/NAT/firewall software included.

Where is your website?

--
Harmon Seaver

In comp.os.linux.networking Chris Cox <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> C. Olive wrote:
> http://www.soekris.com/

This is some very nice stuff -- but how do you do the initial linux install
w/o any monitor port? I know you can hook up a monitor on a serial port,
although I've never tried that, but I think that has to be compiled into the
kernel first. Or do you do the install on another machine and then put the
drive into this box, then recompile?

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> In comp.os.linux.networking Sales for IDE-CF flash drive <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
>>You can get the VIA ITX board ($100) with our compact flash drive ($10) for
>>a very low power firewall. DHCP/NAT/firewall software included.
>
>
> Where is your website?
>
Don't know if this is the same one, but...

IPCop based Home Gateway
....
What if we told you that for about the same money you're going to spend
on that hardware router you could make a high performance EPIA firewall
based on Linux? Well, it's true - but what are the advantages?

It's totally upgradable, not just simple stuff but things like IPV6
which will break ALL other home routers
The packet-handling abilities of Linux are far better than any Windows
or hardware based firewall (in my experience).
You can easily add other software to do things like web caching and
traffic shaping (which prioritises your most important traffic - such as
voice over IP or gaming)
It's small and quiet and being Linux will run indefinitely but if you
get bored with it you can install something else...
It's a cool project and you'll probably learn something from it!

<Article goes on to discuss requirements, instructions, etc.>

http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/ipcop/