PC Peripherals Making the best out of a old machine

D

digen

Contributor
Well I for one was in need of making the most of what I had apart from the main rig which I use for all purposes.

With a couple of old machine lying around I couldnt store them there lying dust can I? :hap5:
Mission: I wanted one machine to act as a firewall :cool2:
The machine specs are a Pentium 120Mhz,cd writer,10Gb hard drive,48MB SD RAM.After a bit of research to what I wanted from them I landed up with three solutions & oh did I tell you they are OpenSource :clap:

1.
SmoothWall Express is an open source firewall distribution based on the GNU/Linux operating system. Linux is the ideal choice for security systems; it is well proven, secure, highly configurable and freely††† available as open source code. SmoothWall includes a hardened subset of the GNU/Linux operating system, so there is no separate OS to install. Designed for ease of use, SmoothWall is configured via a web-based GUI, and requires absolutely no knowledge of Linux to install or use.
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Smoothwall is the best option out there.Also recommended by MVP's.Btw notice the text in bold,with myself still being on the linux learning curve this is just the option I wanted right now.It contains enough documentation & manuals to get you started already.

Info & Download

2.
ClarkConnect is a powerful yet easy-to-use software package that transforms off-the-shelf server hardware into a dedicated Internet firewall, gateway or server. The software is a great solution for schools, businesses, organizations, and home offices.
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Info & Download

3.
IPCop Firewall is a Linux firewall distribution geared towards home and SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) users. The IPCop interface is very user-friendly and task-based. IPCop offers the critical functionality of an expensive network appliance using stock, or even obsolete, hardware and OpenSource Software.
OLD PC + IPCOP = Secure Internet Appliance

IPCop lets you take an old PC and convert it into an appliance that will.

1. Secure your home network from the internet.
2. Improve the performance of web browsers (by keeping frequently used information)

All this functionality can be managed from a simple to use web interface, even updates and patches can be installed using a web browser.
Remember IPCop works with most home networks and small office networks, dial up modems, cable modems, ADSL, Leased lines and ISDN. It also lets several PCs share connections to the internet. If you have an always on connection to can even use IPCop to protect your web and email servers. IPCop also has remote management meaning you can securely update and reconfigure your IPCop firewall from anywhere with an internet connection!
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Info & Download

Though I've yet to try the above two they surely look promising.

P.S: Other ideas & links to making the best out of old machine are welcome. :ohyeah:
 
Use the appropriate rules for Iptables itself. You'll get the best performance out of it as iptables is integrated into the linux kernel.
 
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