Hi,
With the release of the Cisco RV320 (a dual wan vpn small business router) at around US$238, finding a secure affordable router that can handle two internet connections with failover has never been cheaper.
But.....
The very valid point has been made by mrkrad that most of these units just run Linux with custom tools there are very good free software alternatives. All that is needed to use these free versions is a box that will run Linux.
With this in mind, here is the challenge.
To build (spec out or physically build) a small linux machine for under US$300 using new or used parts (not your own stock) to meet the following criteria;
Feel free to comment on other peoples designs and be prepared to have them comment on yours.
This is meant to be a fun technical challenge so enjoy. Go serious, go crazy, build a Raspberry Pi cluster if that meets the specs for the price.
RB
With the release of the Cisco RV320 (a dual wan vpn small business router) at around US$238, finding a secure affordable router that can handle two internet connections with failover has never been cheaper.
But.....
The very valid point has been made by mrkrad that most of these units just run Linux with custom tools there are very good free software alternatives. All that is needed to use these free versions is a box that will run Linux.
With this in mind, here is the challenge.
To build (spec out or physically build) a small linux machine for under US$300 using new or used parts (not your own stock) to meet the following criteria;
- 6x full speed gigabit ports (minimum). Putting a PCI-X quad nic in a PCI slot is not valid.
- Small form factor (mitx type size).
- Able to run one of the free firewall solutions (your choice which one but a product rather than just Linux with the firewall turned on).
- Not a unit build for this purpose that someone is selling off cheaply. It is a build from parts not a buy old models cheaply competition. The idea is to try and make the builds repeatable for anyone who may wish to try them out.
Feel free to comment on other peoples designs and be prepared to have them comment on yours.
This is meant to be a fun technical challenge so enjoy. Go serious, go crazy, build a Raspberry Pi cluster if that meets the specs for the price.
RB
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