Re: old Notebook as firewall Q's

In message <dq0d2i$5h3$2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, ABC <simonbray@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes 

"Jill" <f@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Xns97469E8455A1fchancecom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I have an old Acer notebook that I am looking to turn into a firewall for
my home network (seems more reasonable then paying $100 for one), and I'm
hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

So, here it is.

Acer Travelmate 517TE

I have a CATC NetMate usb adapter that I have used in the past to hook-up
high speed internet to this machine (no ethernet port).

I have recently aquired a 3COM 10/100 LAN Cardbus adapter that will
essentially do the same thing.

Can I use the CATC as the internet in and the 3COM as the internet out,
which would then run into my Linksys router and service the rest of the
network?  I looked into the specs of the 3COM and it says it is 'full-
duplex'; I don't know if this applies, but thought it might mean that I
can use it as the out port.

If this setup will work; what is my best bet for firewall software?  XP
is currently loaded onto the system and I have found that it is quite
unstable (maybe a virus on there somewhere).  I assume that it should be
loaded with Linux and the approprite firewall software.  I have read that
there are boot disks that can be used, but I'm willing to dedicate the
machine to this use, so I figure I might as well go the distance and just
set it up to do its thing.

Advice/thoughts/links would be appreicated.  I've done quite a bit of
surfing on this topic, but still not quite sure if I can make this work.

Thx,

A 
IPCOP is a very reliable linux firewall. It can run on vurtually any
equipment (old and new). I've connected a Linksys router to an old PIII
laptop running IPCOP without any problems. The IPCOP does a better job than
the Linksys router as the router does not have good logging facility. And
the best of all, is that IPCOP is free http://www.ipcop.org

You will need to see whether your "CATC NetMate usb adapter" will work in IPCOP, that may depend on whether there is a Linux driver for it. The 3COM sounds more certain though.

The "full duplex" would not matter greatly to you here. All Ethernet NICs will work out as well as in. "Full Duplex" just means that it can work in & out simultaneously at full speed, but your Internet connection will not be anything like quick enough to tell the difference, I think.

An old laptop can be a good choice as a firewall, because it is small, uses little power and is quiet.

That said, IPCOP does take a little learning, especially if you have not used Linux before and your time might just be better spend learning to get the most from your Linksys.

Good luck!
--
Dave English                      Senior Software & Systems Engineer
                             Internet Platform Development, Thus plc
.

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