Re: Unix/Linux Box

[Scarlet Otter <SecretaryBird@MYTAILFEATHERSSoftHome.net>]

Mike Pfaiffer <mike@digitalcivilization..ca> wrote in
news:3M91b.800191$3C2.18108745@news3.calgary.shaw.ca: 

>
>         In the end it really comes down to what works for you. In
>         essence you are 
> looking for a firewall/router/bridge/terminal server. RedHat would
> give you literally EVERYTHING you would ever want (except multimedia).
> Although I haven't used it, I hear RH 9.0 is very good as a server
> installation. Since you aren't using the machine with a monitor you
> can get away without installing all sorts of graphic and sound
> utilities. 


I hate to sound like a scratched record, but again, Freesco sounds like the 
ideal choice for this project:

http://www.freesco.org/?L=Overview

Running on a system as modest as an ancient 386 with a floppy drive and 6MB 
of RAM, a Freesco router (which is Linux-based) would provide all the 
features that you need to connect your IIC to the outside world as well as 
to an internal network.  Some key packages that have been ported to Freesco 
include:

PINE, Lynx, IRC Server, Bitchx (IRC client), Samba (for Windows-style file 
sharing), http server, telnet server, ftp server, NAT (firewall, which can 
be configured to allow port forwarding, the key to setting up a telnettable 
BBS), time server, Antivirus program, print server, dial-in server, Web-
based control panel, and so much more.  Of course, if you add many 
packages, you would naturally want to have it running from a hard drive (an 
80MB drive is plenty, though I like having a lot more drive space on mine.)

My current Freesco router serves as the gateway to the Internet for a nice 
little home network comprised of Win-98, Windows for Workgroups, and Linux 
boxes (at least 1 Mac will be added soon), and is set up on a 486/DX-33 
(may be a DX2-66...I can't remember exactly) with 32MB RAM, 540MB and 345MB 
Maxtor IDE Hard Drives, 56K ISA modem, 3Com EtherLink III (RJ-45), no 
monitor or keyboard attached.  This router (which for networking purposes, 
I have named Articuno) has been serving us reliably since 15-AUG-2002, and 
has made it possible for the two of us here to share one dialup connection 
without any problems.

So again, if you are looking for a simple yet versatile Linux-based system 
to plug your IIC into the Internet, then I will always first and foremost 
recommend Freesco.

-- Otter