User Feedback :: dsl as a home server



Check out coyote linux's disk router, boots from a floppy and will setup for as many nicks as you want. You can run a dmz, seperate class c networks whatever you want. But if you are employing a machine as a router, use a seperate one for samba, apache or whatever. An old machine has limited throughput and you want your internet as fast as possible. :)
there is also freesco at www.freesco.org.  It boots from floppy, can also be installed to fat partition, can also be installed to ext2 (but that takes extra packages).  out of the box it can have multiple nics, can be run on 386 and up, uses 2.0.29 (may be 39 now) kernel.  Has firewalling port forwarding, dns server, print server, sshd, ftpd, etc...

My setup is a 486/33 32Mram and I have:
Samba server setup (extra package to install),
print server (can only be set up on parallel no usb given kernel version).
dhcp server.
ftp server.
httpd.
modem for internet dialup.
1 nic connected to a hub/switch.
multiple computers connected to the switch (currently 2 windows 98 and my DSL laptop) and I can throw other machines on and off as required for testing, etc...

also just installed another modem and looking at turning it into an answering machine as well.

If you go with multiple nics (whatever OS you use) you will need crossover cables to connect.  If you go with one nic and a switch (under $10 now) you can use straight cables all the way around.

There is also smoothwall which is similar to freesco but offers alot more functionality, boots from CD, (but requires a faster machine to run, not sure exactly but worth a look).
Smoothwall has my vote. I use it on a 233Mhz box with 128Mb ram and 1Gb HDD. Works flawlessly.
Umm...you can also use iptables.dsl and rc.firewall.dsl

Just modify the config file and boom!

Instant firewall w/ multiple subnets, you can even open ports, forward, do whatever, if you make a change to the config file..a simple ./rc.firewall restart is all it needs to blow out the old firewall and activate the new firewall

Just read the manual!

http://lfw.sourceforge.net/config.html

Brian
AwPhuch
Thank you all. I'm gonna mess around with iptables.dsl and rc.firewall.dsl, since I don't have to mess around with yet  another linux distro...if that doesn't work, I'll go from there. Thank you to everyone who cared enough to leave a suggestion.

-Matthew
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