Help making a Linux router

gobd · Post by **gobd** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 8:55 pm

I don't want to buy a router as I've already got a very old computer down in my basement (133mhz, 1.2GB HD, 32MB ram, I have another 256MB ram that might work in this PC too, i haven't checked yet) and I wanted to turn that into a Linux router and firewall. Are the specs on the PC good enough to do so?

Do any of you have a guide that would help me out? I have never messed with Linux before but I'm an advanced windows user. I assume once it's turned into a router I could just take an ethernet from the box to a switch and then supply other computers if I ever friends over with their computers.

Also I'd like this to not be just a router, but something that is usablel. Something that you can browse the web with (firefox?) and use AIM with. If this part isn't possible then just skip it...

I really don't know anything about a hardware solution like this, if there is a windows solution (or any other solution for that matter) that will act as a GOOD router (doesn't have to be restarted more than once a month, has all the features) then tell me about that too.

vinnie · Post by **vinnie** » Tue Mar 09, 2004 10:41 pm

I think Smoothwall might do the trick for you there.

http://smoothwall.org/about/

Minimum requirements are a late 486 or early Pentium system with 16MB RAM and 100MB hard disk.

If you want browsing and aim and whatnot... smoothwall probably isn't the ideal solution, but as far as router boxes go, I think it's becoming the ants-pants

qball15j · Post by **qball15j** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 6:45 am

SmoothWall is great, I've been using it for some time now and really like it. However, there are others out there like m0n0wall, ClarkConnect, and IPCop. Just search google and you'll find their websites.

Paft · Post by **Paft** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 7:21 am

I'm a big fan of Freesco as a Linux router/firewall. It's easy, fast, and it just plain WORKS. Plus, it boots and saves from and to a floppy disc, so you never have to worry about changing computers!

Personal experience? It's been running since late 2002 at my school, hasn't had to be reboot once.

qball15j · Post by **qball15j** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 2:02 pm

I'll have to check out FreeSCO, from your descriptions it sounds like m0n0wall.

pimptrizkit · Post by **pimptrizkit** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 4:50 am

outa curioustie. what are you going to do if the fan dies?

cyberskye · Post by **cyberskye** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 12:37 pm

Also I'd like this to not be just a router, but something that is usablel. Something that you can browse the web with (firefox?) and use AIM with. If this part isn't possible then just skip it...

That makes for a bad router. The advantage to using a unix box as a outer is that you can turn everything off besides essentials services. Adding more (especially a browser or even worse - AIM) defeats the purpose. You're effectively opening security holes on your security device.

gobd · Post by **gobd** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 9:05 pm

Looks like smoothwall is the thing for me then, I've been messing with it a lot today and yesterday but I haven't gotten it working quite yet. The people on the smoothwall forums are really helpful, I should have it working in a few more days.

qball15j · Post by **qball15j** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 9:13 pm

Originally posted by gobd
Looks like smoothwall is the thing for me then, I've been messing with it a lot today and yesterday but I haven't gotten it working quite yet. The people on the smoothwall forums are really helpful, I should have it working in a few more days.

The SmoothWall forums are a great resource if you need help with anything. Where exactly are you having problems? The biggest thing I've seen to be any trouble is if it doesn't detect your network card automatically.

gobd · Post by **gobd** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:09 am

My red NIC isn't pulling an IP address from comcast through DHCP. It's starting to annoy me, I've got everything configured right I'm pretty sure, the MAC is spoofed, it just won't pull an IP address. In fact when it isn't working it doesn't even have an IP address of 0.0.0.0 that line just doesn't exsist if you type in ifconfig eth1

You got any tips, the people at smoothwall have been stumped so far.

pimptrizkit · Post by **pimptrizkit** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:34 am

ive had that happen to me, try the card in another comnouter. the box might be rejecting it now

gobd · Post by **gobd** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 12:52 am

I don't have any more NICs that I can use

The one that's in the SW box currently is my only extra. Right now I'm going to try leaving my cable modem unplugged all night then in the morning plug it into the SW and see if it pulls an IP then. If that doesn't work I'll just go and buy and extra NIC for the 15$ at Fred Myers and then return it if it doesn't solve my problem. I assume they've got a return policy that will let me return hardware like that for cash not just stupid store credit.