Which machine to firewall with?
OK, I'm getting ready to rearrange my home setup into a more professional
model. I'm trying to figure out what to do with each machine and which
would be best as a firewall. Only two machines are complete with OS at this
point. All Linux machines will be Debian.
I am net connected via Cable Modem. Currently with two dynamic IP's (though
they haven't changed in a LONG time.
1. Athlon 1.3 w/768M RAM (PC-133) -- currently mail server/web
server/sometimes mail client
2. Athlon XP2000 w/1G RAM (DDR 2100) -- Currently (and will stay) WinXP
Pro. Used for work, carried between work and home as needed.
3. Sun Ultra1/Creator w/256M Ram + *8* 10/100 NICs and *1* 10-only NIC.
4. Athlon 900 -- not yet built -- 512M RAM (DDR 2100) or can swap a chip
with the XP box to have 768M in each -- can also swap the CPU from the 1.3
to this MB.
5. AMD K6/2-333 - PC133 RAM 256 - 512 available (not yet built)
6. I have a HP Color Laser 5/5M that will also be attached to the network
directly, with an IP, not through a machine acting as a spooler.
I looked at the Sun and said "cool -- router/firewall with all the ports
available ". But that seems a waste. Plus, I'd have to do my whole network
using crossover cables and I'd have to have an extra patch panel wherever
the Sun is located.
I think the K6/2-333 with a small hard drive (3G) will be perfect for
firewall/router duties. Feeding out to a single port that goes to wherevr I
decide to install the patch panel and a couple of switches/hubs. I have a 5
port and an 8 port that should stack nicely, giving me 11 available ports.
So, probably Debian stable on the Sun and use it as a mail/web server with
18 and 9 G drives installed.
Debian testin/unstable on the current mail/web server to "play" with.
XP stays on the current box.
1 box undecided install (Athlon 900)
Debian Stable on the 333 with firewall/router running.
So, I know NOTHING about firewall building. I've seen various firewall
builder software mentioned in the archives. What do you all think would be
best for a headless system that I'll be accessing by ssh? Is there
something out there with a decent web based interface that I could set up?
Ideas? Opinions?
Thanks.
--
Gerald V. Livingston II
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