[NBLUG/talk] Inexpensive Box for Trusix?

[Lincoln Peters]

On Sunday 02 October 2005 03:30 pm, John Nouveaux wrote:
> I'm replacing and old and dying x86 box with a new one. My intention
> is to load Trustix and have it serve as my home office firewall. I'm
> interested in inexpensive as, from what I've seen, the specs on
> pretty much everything out there are more than enough to drive my
> simple Trustix firewall.
>
> Short of building my own box (I'm not sure I want to go that route,
> but could be talked into it, I suppose), I'm looking for a low-end
> box *without* Windows pre-loaded (I have no interest in sending a
> nickel Redmond's way when I'm going to load Trustix on first power-on
> -- well I have no interest in sending a nickel Redmond's way period,
> but that's another story!).

Perhaps you could get a used PC from the Computer Recycling Center that would 
be adequate for a Trustix firewall?  It would probably be something of a 
middle ground between buying a low-end system and building your own, since 
the used PC probably wouldn't have all of the hardware you're looking for 
pre-installed (e.g. I presume you'll want two NIC's).  I'm sure that the 
final price tag would come out lower than either of the two new boxes you 
mentioned.

As for not wanting to send a nickel Redmond's way, the computers they get 
usually have Windows pre-installed (usually Windows 98), but they don't 
charge extra for pre-loading it because (according to them) they used the 
Windows licenses that came with the PC's when they were donated.  Thus, if a 
nickel does get send to Redmond, at least it's not your nickel.


If the reason you're looking at a Trustix firewall is because you don't think 
a store-bought router (e.g. a LinkSys or D-Link) has a good enough firewall, 
last month's meeting was about how to install Linux on certain models of 
LinkSys routers.  This would probably be the least expensive option of all, 
but the most difficult to set up (and might not be worth it, depending on how 
valuable your time is).

-- 
Lincoln Peters
<sampln at sbcglobal.net>

OS/2 must die!