[TriLUG] VPN (router) recommendation

[Scott Chilcote]

On 04/19/2013 01:02 AM, Steve Litt wrote:
> Here's how you can get it tonight for zero dollars... 1) Grab an
> ancient computer from your garage. I'd say a Pentium III with 512MB
> and a 2GB drive would probably be good enough. 2) Cannibalize a second
> wired NIC from an even older computer. 3) Download OpenBSD and install
> it on the old computer, CLI only. 4) Make it into a PF firewall. See
> this: http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/pf/ For lighter electrical
> usage and better use of space, make the old computer a laptop and use
> a USB NIC dongle for the Internet side, with the laptop's 100MB for
> the LAN side. Thanks, SteveT Steve Litt *
> http://www.troubleshooters.com/ Troubleshooting Training * Human
> Performance 

It's worth pointing out the dead dinosaur factor when you're considering
repurposing an old desktop computer.   Running the 350W PSU in that box
around the clock will consume at least ten times as much power as a
network appliance, and several times as much as a laptop. 

So if you are concerned about energy consumption, I recommend leaving
the big hardware turned off when you are asleep and using something more
efficient as a network router.

    Scott C.

-- 
Scott Chilcote
Cary, NC USA
scottchilcote at att.net