Ron Blizzard wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a router or gateway or...? I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't know where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server (though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty Linux distributions for this purpose.
Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be* the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead? Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and make the Internet too slow?
Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started on that.
Thanks for any pointers.
m0n0wall http://m0n0.ch/wall/ is the probably easiest firewall package to use. It is FreeBSD based with a web interface to manage it. You can put it on any number of hardware configurations, including an older PC with two network cards. I've been using it for a couple of years now with no problems. It forwards logs to an internal syslog server on my home network.
Bob McConnell N2SPP