[robespierre]

The Soekris net5501 is just a 486 running Linux (or NetBSD or ...), it just doesn't require a keyboard or screen to install like a PC does. You use a serial terminal. It also uses a small fraction of the space and power. And 4 fast ethernet ports are built in, you don't need to buy multiple network cards.

[vishnu]

You guys obviously do a lot more with your Internet setups than I do, I don't Zoom (I don't have a camera), I don't do voice over IP, I don't do fax, or serial, or really anything. To me, my fairly ancient setup seems to work perfectly well, even though my lawn service guys punched a big gouge in my coaxial cable connection to the Internet. It's on my todo list to patch it... 😆

[jan-jaap]

Fast ethernet? Psst, the nineties are over. I've got gigabit fiber to the home. I had to decommission my trusty PC Engines APU because it could keep up. Now my router is a VM on an Intel NUC running ESXi.

[robespierre]

You have some expansion options, depending on what your operating system (remember, you can install anything that runs on a 486) supports. You can use up to two 3.3V PCI cards and 1 MiniPCI (commonly for wlan modules). That can add another 8 ethernet ports, T3, FXS and FXO ports, FDDI, 32-port serial access, etc., although the power supply for cards is limited to 20 watts.

What's a "voice mail card"? Just use the fricking hard drive to store data, jeez. The Cisco 3600 series doesn't even have wireless LAN capability and their processor is anemic.

[jwhat]

Hi Hamei & Vishnu,

read that article on "home routers" which was a bit alarming...

I am with you Hamei on Cisco, my first permanent internet connection was via IBM 2210 ISDN Router which supported public WAN and behind that I had a dual homed FreeBSD based firewall using TIS application proxys in the firewall (TIS sold their commerical SW as Guantlet) for LAN network.

After that I changed to: Cisco 827 ADSL / Ethernet, then to Cisco 870 ADSL+/Ethernet, then to Cisco 2901 VSDL/Ethernet and now Cisco 4331 Ethernet only.

I thinks the problem here is "What is a router?".

Home "routers" are simple NAT devices and Cisco devices are full blown, fully configurable routers (Static Routes, RIP, OSPF, BGP ... the list goes on)

They can do NAT, but provide way more in routing & security capabilities than any home device, plus the IP Telephony and the multitude of connectivity options.

I only have Ethernet ports on my 4331, as in Australia the "access provider" supplies termination unit with Ethernet interface.

So Vishnu is right that our internet setup are a bit more complicated.

Remember the Internet bubble when Cisco was highest market cap company in the world... all just for sending bits around the worlds networks :-)

Cheers from Oz,

jwhat/John.

[vishnu]

Here's a more comprehensive look at how I'm set up, it's not very complicated and it works really great. I can't imagine ever using a commercial router, Cisco or anyone else:

Code:

Linux computers------
                    |
SGI computers------Hub----Linux firewall w/ two NICS----Internet
                    |       |
(one) Sun computer---        --- Running Slackware 15.0
                            |
                            --- Running my website (Apache)
                            |
                            --- IPTables firewall (configured by me)
                            |
                            --- Running dynamic host configuration protocol (for guest's lappys)

[jan-jaap]

Here's a more comprehensive look at how I'm set up, it's not very complicated and it works really great.

I'm sure you had fun constructing that but I wouldn't recommend it to random people. If you don't trust your ISP modem/firewall, I would recommend something like pfSense or OPNsense. I used to run pfSense on a PC Engines APU2C4 which is a passively cooled platform using only 5W I think. servethehome.com has reviewed countless mini PCs that will do fine as well.

Both pfSense and OPNsense come with a web UI, documentation and are actively maintained.

The Cisco 3600 series were last sold 20 years ago, and have been unsupported for 15 years. They apparently use up to 140W of power. I'm sure it was a fine choice in it's day, but just because OP wanted a firewall for his IRIX system(s) does not mean the firewall has to be of similar vintage as the IRIX system...

[robespierre]

Both pfSense and OPNsense come with a web UI

Immediate disqualification.

[vishnu]

I can certainly understand where random people wouldn't be able to undertake such an obscure setup as mine. But like for example the Linux kernel has code to optimize the kernel to be used as a router, which is a really nice feature. And also, since I have a static IP address from my ISP, I'm able to run my website from my house, for the mere price of my monthly internet connection. It's like getting a co-lo for free, and around here co-los are hundreds of dollars a month. Also, even though there is a lot of information on how to configure the IPTables firewall, it's a pretty convoluted process. I just edit the text by hand, though I think the IPTables authors are working on a GUI interface to the configuration. Maybe they've already done that, I should probably look. So much to do so little time.

[gmcenroe]

Here's a more comprehensive look at how I'm set up, it's not very complicated and it works really great. I can't imagine ever using a commercial router, Cisco or anyone else:

Code:

Linux computers------
                    |
SGI computers------Hub----Linux firewall w/ two NICS----Internet
                    |       |
(one) Sun computer---        --- Running Slackware 15.0
                            |
                            --- Running my website (Apache)
                            |
                            --- IPTables firewall (configured by me)
                            |
                            --- Running dynamic host configuration protocol (for guest's lappys)

As long as you run a separate firewall, even a cheaper SOPHOS firewall, your router will not be a security problem. Then you can eventually replace it with more enterprise network solution in the future. That is one of my current plans.

---

Here's a more comprehensive look at how I'm set up, it's not very complicated and it works really great.

I'm sure you had fun constructing that but I wouldn't recommend it to random people. If you don't trust your ISP modem/firewall, I would recommend something like pfSense or OPNsense. I used to run pfSense on a PC Engines APU2C4 which is a passively cooled platform using only 5W I think. servethehome.com has reviewed countless mini PCs that will do fine as well.

Both pfSense and OPNsense come with a web UI, documentation and are actively maintained.

The Cisco 3600 series were last sold 20 years ago, and have been unsupported for 15 years. They apparently use up to 140W of power. I'm sure it was a fine choice in it's day, but just because OP wanted a firewall for his IRIX system(s) does not mean the firewall has to be of similar vintage as the IRIX system...

I agree, I am not very enthusiastic to run a 36xx router that has been out of support and since 2008, out of sale in 2003. There is a reason why these units sell for such a low price. Also it is rare to find an ISP that allows one to use a static IP address.