[1676] in linux-net channel archive
Re: Linux router
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Alan Cox)
Tue Jan 23 20:26:44 1996
From: iialan@iifeak.swan.ac.uk (Alan Cox)
To: doughty@cis.nmclites.edu (Shawn G. Doughty)
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 14:05:19 +0000 (GMT)
Cc: linux-net@vger.rutgers.edu
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.3.91.960122154337.15438A-100000@cis.nmclites.edu> from "Shawn G. Doughty" at Jan 22, 96 03:50:03 pm
> I have been asked to help someone setup linux as a server in an
> ISP venture and have a few questions.
> 1) Is linux up to par with FreeBSD or BSDI to act as a main server for
> a small 8-10 line ISP?
As far as I am aware. The only two exceptions I know of are if you want
to do multihomed routing or multicast routing, which I suspect not for
a small ISP somehow. Both are being addressed in 1.3.x but that won't help
you now.
> 2) Can a small linux box act as a router with one of the new integrated
> csi/dsu-router boards from companies like SDL? The BSDI people swear
SDL provide drivers for their N2 card.
> rather use linux. In addition, can it handle the load in answering 8
> 28.8k modems using a Comtrol or Cyclades board and get good thruput?
A passable 486 will do this easily.
> 3) Can the linux based GNU firewall tools such as ipfw do an effective
> job? Has anyone used the Maxama Packet Filter software for this?
They'll do a usable job. In a real secure environment you run no other
services on your firewall. There are also other configurations to look at
such as a netblazer or Livingston portmaster with csu/dsu on it and a
linux machine as your mail/cache/dns/authentication/etc server.
The big-linux or linuxisp lists are probably the place for these questions.
Alan
