[TriLUG] Suggested Router OS? may be OT.

Nick Goldwater nick at src-dst.com
Fri Jan 30 08:30:44 EST 2009


----- "Heath Roberts" <htroberts at gmail.com> wrote:

| From: "Heath Roberts" <htroberts at gmail.com>
| To: "Triangle Linux Users Group General Discussion" <trilug at trilug.org>
| Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2009 11:09:29 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
| Subject: Re: [TriLUG] Suggested Router OS? may be OT.
|
| On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 10:02 AM, Carl Crider <c.crider at gmail.com>
| wrote:
| 
| >  We've been using CENTOS in our lab environment to set up "pizza
| box"
| > routers. My feeling is that this install is too heavy and I'm
| looking
| > for a new, much lighter solution. We use DHC_relay, tcp_dump, ipv4 &
| 6
| > support, and on some boxes we will install Wireshark for testing. If
| I
| > can't find a "one box" solution today, I may just brew my own
| router
| > project and be done with it. Oh, we are a 95% RPM-based lab, so I'd
| > like to stay with that in order to make administration equal across
| > the room.
| >
| 
| Cisco make a number of "one-box" products that would probably meet
| your
| requirements... the code is monolithic, but is typically
| well-optimized, and
| small (updates often fit on a 64MB compactflash--no DVD or multiple CD
| sets
| here--and can even be loaded over the network with no special
| distribution
| server).
| 
| We have a number of these devices that have been in production for
| years, so
| while the initial cost may seem daunting, the TCO is fairly low,
| especially
| if your time has any value. You can probably find previous-generation
| but
| serviceable equipment on eBay very inexpensively.
| 
| This is tougue-in-cheek, of course, but seriously, why wouldn't you
| use a
| router as a router? Do you drive tacks with a jackhammer? Lift your
| car to
| change a tire with great-stuff expanding foam?
| 
| Another suggestion, if you want flexibility, would be use vmware
| virtual
| routers, along with virtual machines, in a lab environment.
| 
| -- 
| Heath Roberts
| htroberts at gmail.com


A couple of suggestions. Linksys running DD-WRT (http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php). This has been a rock solid platform for me. There is also Vyatta. (http://vyatta.com/).

I guess it really depends on what your need is. Is it to constrain costs, stay open, have fun or a combination.

I have seen some fantastic deals on Cisco equipment on places like craigslist recently as well.

My zero interest $0.02

Nick



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