[gentoo-user] {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[gentoo-user] {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Grant]

Does anyone know of a basic device that would function well as a
Gentoo router/firewall?  Using typical hardware seems like overkill.
I should be able to offload package compilation duties to another
local machine on the network.  It would also be nice if it were small,
cheap, and power-efficient.

- Grant

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[scott n-h]

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These are used for router/firewall: http://www.soekris.com/
I would suspect that you could get Gentoo installed on it although I haven't
only seen it used w/ the Monowall which was branched from FreeBSD.

On Sat, May 22, 2010 at 2:41 PM, Grant <emailgrant@gmail.com> wrote:

> Does anyone know of a basic device that would function well as a
> Gentoo router/firewall?  Using typical hardware seems like overkill.
> I should be able to offload package compilation duties to another
> local machine on the network.  It would also be nice if it were small,
> cheap, and power-efficient.
>
> - Grant
>
>

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Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Stroller]

On 22 May 2010, at 22:41, Grant wrote:

> Does anyone know of a basic device that would function well as a
> Gentoo router/firewall?  Using typical hardware seems like overkill.
> I should be able to offload package compilation duties to another
> local machine on the network.  It would also be nice if it were small,
> cheap, and power-efficient.

I believe stuff like this <http://www.routerboard.com/pricelist.php?started_from_home=1 
 > is really common on the Athens network, but it all appears to be  
MIPS. I would imagine that, rather than run Gentoo MIPS, one would use  
something like Openembedded, although searching for the name of that I  
was reminded of Gentoo Embedded, which might be ideal.

One used to be able to get 486 / 586 boards of similar form-factor,  
but I have no idea if you still can. Cross-compiling using distcc is  
probably a PITA, and I believe x86 is less power-efficient than MIPS  
or ARM, but I don't know by how much. An Atom based board might be the  
best compromise if you want to use "real Gentoo" - the problem with  
anything else is that you have to learn to use / build a specialist  
router-distro if you want to do anything extra-ordinary with it.

Stroller.

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Adam]

>> Does anyone know of a basic device that would function well as a
>> Gentoo router/firewall?  Using typical hardware seems like overkill.
>> I should be able to offload package compilation duties to another
>> local machine on the network.  It would also be nice if it were small,
>> cheap, and power-efficient.
> 
> I believe stuff like this
> <http://www.routerboard.com/pricelist.php?started_from_home=1> is really
> common on the Athens network, but it all appears to be MIPS. 

If you want x86, maybe a VIA;
http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/boards/index.jsp

Re: [gentoo-user] {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Sat, 22 May 2010 14:41:14 -0700, Grant wrote:

> Does anyone know of a basic device that would function well as a
> Gentoo router/firewall?  Using typical hardware seems like overkill.
> I should be able to offload package compilation duties to another
> local machine on the network.  It would also be nice if it were small,
> cheap, and power-efficient.

How about a SheevaPlug or GuruPlug. they are certainly small and power
efficient, and there are dual NIC versions.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Micro-: (prefix) anything both very small and very expensive.

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[gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[James]

Grant <emailgrant <at> gmail.com> writes:


> small, cheap, and power-efficient.

Those are *keywords* for embedded Gentoo. There is
an excellent group of 'over achievers' therein
who will pummel you with excellent advice
and minucia down to the code snippets
and hardware advantages of this quest you
are seeking. Beware, it often becomes a life long 
passion to the point of an addition.

Here's an example:

http://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-embedded/


See my posting on 1Apr2010 as an example thread
on this very issue.


hth,
James

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Stroller]

On 24 May 2010, at 14:11, James wrote:
> ... Beware, it often becomes a life long
> passion to the point of an addition.

This is exactly what I fear of using such specialist hardware! Far  
better to burn a few watts, than to have to learn such intricacies!

> http://archives.gentoo.org/gentoo-embedded/
>
> See my posting on 1Apr2010 as an example thread
> on this very issue.

I'm enthusiastic to read this, but I can't find it. Could you give the  
exact title or a direct link to it? (perhaps on gmane?)

Stroller.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Iain Buchanan]

On Mon, 2010-05-24 at 20:39 +0100, Stroller wrote:
> On 24 May 2010, at 14:11, James wrote:
> > ... Beware, it often becomes a life long
> > passion to the point of an addition.
> 
> This is exactly what I fear of using such specialist hardware! Far  
> better to burn a few watts, than to have to learn such intricacies!

We buy about 5 - 10 of these (started on the net4801, now the net5501)
per year at work:
http://www.yawarra.com.au/hw-net5501.php
And make them do various things ranging in intensity from data servers
to gateway/firewall/routers and so on.  We've used IDE and flash in
them, usually IDE for the convenience.  We compile for x86.  The 4
network ports are nice, and there's some GPIO to boot.

They offer a range of free distributions for various purposes:
http://www.yawarra.com.au/ti-software.php#free

some are just links to the projects, some are pre-built for the device.
Would be good to get you started before you've customised it the way you
like.

That's an Australian company, but the boards come from
http://www.soekris.com/ so you may be able to order from them and
build / buy your own case.

hth,
-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

Lucas' Law:  Good will always win, because evil hires the _stupid_
             engineers.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Peter Humphrey]

On Tuesday 25 May 2010 04:55:05 Iain Buchanan wrote:

> We buy about 5 - 10 of these (started on the net4801, now the
> net5501) per year at work:
> http://www.yawarra.com.au/hw-net5501.php
> And make them do various things ranging in intensity from data
> servers to gateway/firewall/routers and so on.  We've used IDE and
> flash in them, usually IDE for the convenience.  We compile for x86.
>  The 4 network ports are nice, and there's some GPIO to boot.

I'm intrigued. How do you connect displays to them? I assume you'd need 
one for at least the first steps of installing an OS, no?

-- 
Rgds
Peter.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Iain Buchanan]

On Tue, 2010-05-25 at 09:48 +0100, Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Tuesday 25 May 2010 04:55:05 Iain Buchanan wrote:
> 
> > We buy about 5 - 10 of these (started on the net4801, now the
> > net5501) per year at work:
> > http://www.yawarra.com.au/hw-net5501.php
> > And make them do various things ranging in intensity from data
> > servers to gateway/firewall/routers and so on.  We've used IDE and
> > flash in them, usually IDE for the convenience.  We compile for x86.
> >  The 4 network ports are nice, and there's some GPIO to boot.
> 
> I'm intrigued. How do you connect displays to them? I assume you'd need 
> one for at least the first steps of installing an OS, no?

no :)  There is a serial port which is good enough for a console, which
you can use until your network is working.  After you've set up the
first one, then we copy the image to the next.

-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

Nothing is as simple as it seems at first
	Or as hopeless as it seems in the middle
		Or as finished as it seems in the end.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Peter Humphrey]

On Tuesday 25 May 2010 23:45:41 Iain Buchanan wrote:
> On Tue, 2010-05-25 at 09:48 +0100, Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > I'm intrigued. How do you connect displays to them? I assume you'd
> > need one for at least the first steps of installing an OS, no?
> 
> no :)  There is a serial port which is good enough for a console,
> which you can use until your network is working.

All very well if you happen to have such a device lying around. I don't, 
however, and Google doesn't show me a source of them either, so I'll 
just wait for something more suitable to come along. Cheaper, too, with 
any luck, such as the devices Neil mentioned on Monday.

Thanks anyway.

-- 
Rgds
Peter.

Re: [gentoo-user] Re: {OT} Basic device for a Gentoo router/firewall?

[Iain Buchanan]

On Wed, 2010-05-26 at 10:28 +0100, Peter Humphrey wrote:

> All very well if you happen to have such a device lying around. I don't, 
> however, and Google doesn't show me a source of them either, so I'll 
> just wait for something more suitable to come along. Cheaper, too, with 
> any luck, such as the devices Neil mentioned on Monday.
> 
> Thanks anyway.

no probs, they aren't cheap, but if you need the extra features, they're
well worth it.

Instead (as Neal or someone suggested) I'd go for a mini-itx atom board
- easy to compile for, low noise, and many are fanless.  Many come with
gigabit (good for the router), multiple usb, sata, and so on.  Some have
sockets, some have the cpu built in.

The Atom D510 is even dual core!

have fun putting it together!
-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon
to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.
		-- Oscar Wilde