[gentoo-user] Re: new linux router

[James <wireless@tampabay.rr.com>]

Nicolas Sebrecht <nicolas.s-dev <at> laposte.net> writes:

> 
> On Wed, Mar 04, 2015 at 03:10:40PM +0000, James wrote:
> 
> > I'd like to be  able to download some open source linux to the router
> > hardware if updates and pathces are not maintained by the vendor?
> > That way I do not purchase something that is to be abandoned in
> > a few years by the vendor.
> > 
> > It's just a small home/office so 3x100Mb E would be fine, but GigE
> > ports would be better. I'm flexible on the CPU/arch of the hardware,
> > so all discussion and suggestions are welcome. In an idealized world
> > I'd pay extra for a gentoo_derivative based router; but all I find
> > is the WRT, devil_linux and such, nothing really cool and interesting.
> 
> For the hardware, you could get a alix2d3:
>   http://www.pcengines.ch/alix2d3.htm

I actually recently acquired one of these from a friend.

> For the distribution, I'd recommend Alpine:
>   http://www.alpinelinux.org/about

Why would that be better than putting lilblue (gentoo) on 
the board. Maybe somebody who has success with booting off
of usb (and that definitely is not me) could test lilblue
on an alix2d3 board?


http://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Install_Gentoo_on_a_bootable_USB_stick

https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Project:Hardened_uClibc/Lilblue


I'm not sure the arch of a 500 MHz AMD Geode LX800;
isn't that compatible with i686 binaries? I found this:

" When it comes to compiling, just compile with -march=geode. That option is
defined on any i386/x86-64 gcc, so no real need to cross-compile. If you
want to run the binary on your compiler host as well (without a recompile),
try something like -march=i486 -mtune=geode. "

How did you have your make.conf files (or similar under Alpine) set up?
If I go this route, I'd really rather run gentoo or something
quite similar, rather than a distro I not familiar with.

> That's the combo I used in a recent past and it worked quiet fine
> (802.1q VLAN, traffic shaping with tc, advanced firewall with scripted
> iptables rules, ethernet cards controlled with ethtool (I could fix
> speed/duplex for incompatible network hardware), ssh, etc).

I'm not familiar with Alpine linux. How many of your scripts would be
useful on gentoo? If what you did is sensitive, just drop to me privately.....


> While there is no wifi I found this MUCH better than WRT54GL, for
> example.

Yep, not in love with any of the wrt54 codes/systems/hardwares.....
I do not need or want a wireless interface on this device.


thx,
James