> 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. > > for what you want, I'd suggest pfSense, which is a FreeBSD Unix based firewall. a P3 would be plenty powerful enough, although I'd want something small and very low power, like a MiniITX board such as an Alix 2d2 card. this system would replace your existing linksys router, although you could setup your linksys to act as a wireless gateway on the LAN side.