GNU/Linux mini network server

As mentioned earlier in this newsgroup, I'm not entirely satisfied with the
features offered by off-the-shelf routers like Linksys and stuff.

I'm looking for some kind of dedicated GNU/Linux box.

It could be an off-the-shelf router as well, as long as I can log onto it,
upgrade the kernels and install packages.

The things I need it to have:
- DHCP server, DNS server, CUPS server, NAT, ...
- at least one USB port.
- no source of noise: no fan, no hard-drive.

At first I thought I could reuse some old laptop of mine, but the lack of
USB ports on them kills a big part of the motivation since I can't use them
as print servers, then.


Stefan

On Thu, 08 Apr 2004 20:28:11 GMT, Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> wrote:

> I'm looking for some kind of dedicated GNU/Linux box.
>
> The things I need it to have:
> - DHCP server, DNS server, CUPS server, NAT, ...

Ought you to be running services on a router? Are you planning to use it
as a firewall too, if so running services on it is REALLY bad idea.

Regards, Trevor

<>< Re: deemed!

Stefan Monnier wrote:

> ...
> The things I need it to have:
> - DHCP server, DNS server, CUPS server, NAT, ...
> - at least one USB port.
> - no source of noise: no fan, no hard-drive.
>
> At first I thought I could reuse some old laptop of mine, but the lack of
> USB ports on them kills a big part of the motivation since I can't use them
> as print servers, then.

Sounds to me like an awful lot of services for a router ;-)

I would put
- DHCP, NAT on this.
- at most DNS (cache only), if it hat to be (otherweise the
provider).
- If lot of people surf a web-proxy makes sense - OK that
won't be easy without a harddisk ;-)

Other things, print-server, file-server, ... definitely stay
_within_ the LAN.

For a silent (H)diskless router have a look at
http://www.fli4l.de

Visvanath.

A P233 can easily run passively cooled, had one running for years at an
installation. I use Devil-Linux, which loads off a CD-ROM and stores the
config on a floppy, which can then be set to be read-only. Just needs at
least 64MB of RAM.

It can do all this stuff, but for a caching web proxy you're going to need a
lot more RAM if you're going without a hard disk.

"Visvanath Ratnaweera" <spam@ratnaweera.net> wrote in message
news:40790ac6$1_2@news.tiscalinet.ch...
> Stefan Monnier wrote:
>
> > ...
> > The things I need it to have:
> > - DHCP server, DNS server, CUPS server, NAT, ...
> > - at least one USB port.
> > - no source of noise: no fan, no hard-drive.
> >
> > At first I thought I could reuse some old laptop of mine, but the lack
of
> > USB ports on them kills a big part of the motivation since I can't use
them
> > as print servers, then.
>
> Sounds to me like an awful lot of services for a router ;-)
>
> I would put
> - DHCP, NAT on this.
> - at most DNS (cache only), if it hat to be (otherweise the
> provider).
> - If lot of people surf a web-proxy makes sense - OK that
> won't be easy without a harddisk ;-)
>
> Other things, print-server, file-server, ... definitely stay
> _within_ the LAN.
>
> For a silent (H)diskless router have a look at
> http://www.fli4l.de
>
> Visvanath.