- Joined
- Dec 24, 2000
- Location
- Milwaukee, WI
Alright so here I've been sitting for far too long on this homegrown router. I think that about the only way I will begin to get some serious work done on this is to start a Project Log. I will start off with the fundamentals of what I want to accomplish with this Project.
Hardware Specs: Currently in posession of the following...
Project Goals: To replace my current router setup of a PII 400 with a small hard drive and running mandrake 9. To learn more about Gentoo and also give myself experience with wireless lan configuration. Things I would like to try are doing multiple IP schemes such as the wired side of the Home is 10.1.x.x and the wireless side of the Home is 10.2.x.x. Would also like to configure and use Samba and some other things to enable me to work with the router faster as it does much more than route. The reason why I am going with a full distro instead of something like Smoothwall which is very limited in it's functions is because I want more than a router but I want an all in one solution that I can plug in and go.
Estimated Completion: As soon as the rest of the parts have arrived. I really need to get this done as this rig has sat on my desk far too long. I would hope within the next month or so it should be up and running and functional provided all things go well. Being my first work log please bear with me as I work on it and get it every step closer to done.
As for how much of it can be done, most of the internals can be mounted up and configured, os installed and configured etc soon. But I really need the switch and wireless router before I can call it done. Now, I can possibly use the wireless AP/router I have at the moment but my biggest complaint is it drops the wireless side once every few days and I want a piece of hardware I can put in the closet and be done with it. Suggestions needed as for what Wireless AP to go with, I currently have a netgear and am very dissatisfied with it, so any suggestions and why you suggest it would be great. I would like for it to have G spec as well because my laptop currently does.
The case I have I scored two of them they came with some really slow 286's with minimal work I have been able to clean up and gut the one and have to finish removing the remainder of the backplane, drill out the mounting standoffs, and drill holes for the new ones to go in place. As for a new backplane I am not sure whether I will just go with a thin piece of aluminum for ease of dremeling or a piece of plexi for the same reason.
The end result is I want to create an all in one router/connectivity/server package all in one small footprint of a system using common parts such as M-ATX mobo's so that down the road the hardware can and is easy to upgrade.
Well let me know what you guys think, I will post up pictures this weekend for you and hopefully get some inspiration to finish! Thanks!
J
Hardware Specs: Currently in posession of the following...
* Intel PIII 833
* Mobo - Integrated Vid/Sound/Lan (No name, says Toshiba on the BIOS Screen - Compgeeks special)
* 512MB PC150 TinyBGA Kingmax Ram
* 30GB Maxtor HD
* 3Com PCI NIC
* PCI Angle Riser
* 1U 200Watt PSU
* Slimline Copper heatsink (1U Compliant)
* Slotload DVD Rom - Install only then disconnected
* Slimline 1U Height desktop case (Formerly AT or custom)
Needed for completion: The following is required to finish...* Mobo - Integrated Vid/Sound/Lan (No name, says Toshiba on the BIOS Screen - Compgeeks special)
* 512MB PC150 TinyBGA Kingmax Ram
* 30GB Maxtor HD
* 3Com PCI NIC
* PCI Angle Riser
* 1U 200Watt PSU
* Slimline Copper heatsink (1U Compliant)
* Slotload DVD Rom - Install only then disconnected
* Slimline 1U Height desktop case (Formerly AT or custom)
* Small < 8 Port 10/100 Switch (To integrate in the case)
* Wireless access point (Don't need any additional ports other than an uplink)
* UPS of some sort (Enough to survive short power outages)
* Switches, connectors (various)
* Paint (Black, because beige is out)
OS Requirements: Gentoo with the following...* Wireless access point (Don't need any additional ports other than an uplink)
* UPS of some sort (Enough to survive short power outages)
* Switches, connectors (various)
* Paint (Black, because beige is out)
* SSH - For remote config
* Webmin - Also for remote config
* Apache - For web development
* MRTG - For traffic monitoring
* Shorewall - Firewall of some sort
* BNC - For IRC purposes
* Samba - For file sharing
* FTP - For remote file access
* More possibly to come but Linux is flexible and robust enough
* Webmin - Also for remote config
* Apache - For web development
* MRTG - For traffic monitoring
* Shorewall - Firewall of some sort
* BNC - For IRC purposes
* Samba - For file sharing
* FTP - For remote file access
* More possibly to come but Linux is flexible and robust enough
Project Goals: To replace my current router setup of a PII 400 with a small hard drive and running mandrake 9. To learn more about Gentoo and also give myself experience with wireless lan configuration. Things I would like to try are doing multiple IP schemes such as the wired side of the Home is 10.1.x.x and the wireless side of the Home is 10.2.x.x. Would also like to configure and use Samba and some other things to enable me to work with the router faster as it does much more than route. The reason why I am going with a full distro instead of something like Smoothwall which is very limited in it's functions is because I want more than a router but I want an all in one solution that I can plug in and go.
Estimated Completion: As soon as the rest of the parts have arrived. I really need to get this done as this rig has sat on my desk far too long. I would hope within the next month or so it should be up and running and functional provided all things go well. Being my first work log please bear with me as I work on it and get it every step closer to done.
As for how much of it can be done, most of the internals can be mounted up and configured, os installed and configured etc soon. But I really need the switch and wireless router before I can call it done. Now, I can possibly use the wireless AP/router I have at the moment but my biggest complaint is it drops the wireless side once every few days and I want a piece of hardware I can put in the closet and be done with it. Suggestions needed as for what Wireless AP to go with, I currently have a netgear and am very dissatisfied with it, so any suggestions and why you suggest it would be great. I would like for it to have G spec as well because my laptop currently does.
The case I have I scored two of them they came with some really slow 286's with minimal work I have been able to clean up and gut the one and have to finish removing the remainder of the backplane, drill out the mounting standoffs, and drill holes for the new ones to go in place. As for a new backplane I am not sure whether I will just go with a thin piece of aluminum for ease of dremeling or a piece of plexi for the same reason.
The end result is I want to create an all in one router/connectivity/server package all in one small footprint of a system using common parts such as M-ATX mobo's so that down the road the hardware can and is easy to upgrade.
Well let me know what you guys think, I will post up pictures this weekend for you and hopefully get some inspiration to finish! Thanks!
J