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Thread: help needed to use a pc as a firewall

  1. #11
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    Have a look at http://www.fli4l.de/e_index.htm

    I'm running an old 486 as Router and Firewall with it. No harddisk is required - it runs from a single floppydisk.

  2. #12
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    thanks guys... now i thik i have to read a lot...check this forum in a month from today cos i will surely have more questions by then...
    Is that the place where I am supposed to say sth clever and brilliant so that everybody understands how clever nice guy I am????
    Screw you guys I am going home!-Kartman

  3. #13
    Senior Member gore's Avatar
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    Originally posted here by D0pp139an93r
    I wouldn't try it with a 90 Mhz
    Why not? You can use a 486 to do it, and a 486 is on average 16 - 120 MHz. 90 MHz should be fine. Just use the links you have been given. You should be able to find something easy. But something I have no seen here that should be brought up:

    If you plan on using this as a firewall/Router, you may want to add more cooling systems. Check inside the case and see how many fans it has. A system that will more than likely be on constantly is going to need some good cooling too. If you have the funds, buy some extra fans for the case. The Hd should have some cooling too, and the processor. If you can afford it, get liquid cooling or something, and also air cooling. Well, I may not be able to say it right, but what I am TRYING to say, is that you are going to need some good cooling so you don't fry the PC.

    Here are some links that may help.

    The linke below is a link to linuxiso.org that will take you to a page where you can download a distro aimed to be a firewall/gateway:

    http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=57

    The link below this is a link that shows how to turn a sega dreamcast into a Linux firewall/router:

    http://linuxdevices.com/articles/AT2269911435.html

    Hope you get it sorted out.

  4. #14
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    Originally posted here by gore
    If you plan on using this as a firewall/Router, you may want to add more cooling systems.
    Sorry Gore, but some weeks ago I even disconnected the fan in the power supply of my 486 because of it's noise. It is running without any problem.

    I think there is no need to bother with cooling.

  5. #15
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    Originally posted here by gore
    Why not? You can use a 486 to do it, and a 486 is on average 16 - 120 MHz. 90 MHz should be fine. Just use the links you have been given. You should be able to find something easy. But something I have no seen here that should be brought up:

    If you plan on using this as a firewall/Router, you may want to add more cooling systems. Check inside the case and see how many fans it has. A system that will more than likely be on constantly is going to need some good cooling too.
    Gore this is not true... most linux based "firewall" boxes do mostly NAT routing, that means for small home works most of the times a low cpu load, next a lot of those linux firewalls run on a single floppy or other media (cd, smartcard, ...) so no need for hdd cooling. I have installed a 80486 freesco for cable for someone else it has only passive cooling and a temperature controlled power supply fan and that thing is running since months.
    A 80486 is not going to run as hot as a today CPU does.

    Some people even rtweak their power supply to contain no fan at all, in place use passive cooling > result: an extremly silent firewall/router solution. I suggest to keep at least your power supply fan and if it doesn't bother you, your cpu fan. I have had 3 such linux based boxes running myself, 2 identical p1 166Mhz with 46Mb ram, no hdd each on an ADSL and one standby 80486 66Mhz with 12Mb ram, none of them had extra cooling, all of them have been running 24/24 7/7. All I can say is: make sure the box can 'get' some air. They are true dust collectors, and if placed wrong they do get hot.

  6. #16
    Senior Member gore's Avatar
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    Alright, I'll throw out that statement then. For the HD cooling I just meant, and this may be a misconception, but if it is spinning the whole time it could get warm. I know you don't NEED a HD cooler, I dont have one yet, but I am just a coolent freak.

    Not sure why. I know my router get's pretty warm. It sit's on top of one of my PCs and is in a completly open area.

    A 486, they wouldn't burn as hot because they are made slower correct? I have been trying to find one, or at least some older machine so I can test out a few things on it. No one seems to have one around here.

    I planned on getting it to use as a practice box with hardware mods and case mods so I could practice without ****ing up my main 3 boxes. Heh, I think I have a problem sometimes with stating my opinion and fact, I'm sorry about that.

    I'm a person that would use liquid Nitrogen cooling if I could find a good way that made it safe for PCs without makign the case into ice lol.

  7. #17
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    okay Gore, I think you have a point when it comes for example to caching. For instance caching programs like squid require fast hdd's (for example 10000 rpm scsi disks in a RAID striping) and indeed those configs do get realy hot (you can easily burn your fingers while touching such a disk). The routers you talked about also go hot cause they use (con)vector cooling manny of those home and soho network products don't have a fan spinning. Usualy they stay below 40°C. Switches could be heat generators too, the same goes for ADSL modems/routers.


    Gore you should easily find some old 80486. For me it seems strange to say 'old' 80486 cause those boxes are so close to the present if you grew up with a TI-94A.
    You can imagine the first cpu's with heatsinks and fans on were a rarity...?

  8. #18
    Senior Member gore's Avatar
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    Heh, I'v never burned my finger, but I have felt the HD in my Compaq after about 3 days of running. The thing was hot as hell! Much warmer than my HP Pavilion which has been up for 29 days 11 hours 57 minutes. I'm typing from that right now It stays a bit cooler because it's rarely off. Meaning it has the side case off and a desk fan on it every few days.

    Around here if people have an older machine they either won't sell it, or they use it as a door stop. I hav'nt had a computer long enough to imagine one without any form of cooling like that lol. Then again I was shocked too see my 128 MB Nvidia card to have it's own fan on it.

  9. #19
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    Originally posted here by gore
    Heh, I'v never burned my finger
    lol, so be warned, hot swappable disks literaly get hot.

  10. #20
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    Originally posted here by D0pp139an93r
    I wouldn't try it with a 90 Mhz, although I would advise using *nix. IPchains/tables provides good protection and comes with Linux.
    A P/90 is AMPLE power for even a small network. I had a 486 DX-4/100 for a long time as my router/fw, and it even did complicated things like NAT, and remote syslogging.

    Netfilter/Ipchains are only as good as the person configuring them. Generally, for a home user, those canned scripts will be enough.
    Chris Shepherd
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