[CentOS] Small proxy appliance hardware

Wed Dec 2 18:07:11 UTC 2009
Chuck Munro <chuckm at rmtcentral.net>

I need to configure a small proxy appliance which doesn't require a lot
of CPU power.  I'm looking for any warnings this group may have
regarding CentOS-5 on the following:

 - Acer AspireRevo 3610  (Atom CPU)
 - Dell Inspiron 537s  (Celeron)
 - Any other small machines you might recommend (UL approved)

I need to implement dual NICs, and for the Dell it should be no problem
finding a low-profile 3Com or Intel adapter, but for the Acer I'll need
to use one of those USB wired network dongle things.

Does anyone have recommendations for a USB dongle that is fully
automatic (regarding speed and duplex negotiation) supported by CentOS?
Gigabit speed is not required.

Any other compatibility issues with the above machines?

Normally I'd simply build something from components and squeeze it into
a small box, but in this case I need something with UL/CSA/CE approvals,
which lets out homebrew hardware.

Many thanks in advance!