[TriLUG] Using a Single Board Computer for a network appliance

[Mauricio Tavares via TriLUG]

On Fri, May 14, 2021 at 3:38 AM Joseph S. Tate via TriLUG
<trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
>
> Given that AT&T has the world's worst DNS service, and barely any support
> for custom DHCP on their required network router, and that I want to run
> some sort of network wide ad-block, I was thinking of turning off DNS/DHCP
> at the router, and running it on something else. I don't want to run
> something that will eat a lot of power, or cost a lot to implement.
>
      To handle DNS/DCHP tasks you do not need much at all. Even a
lowly Pi zero may suffice; it might even handle pi-hole. Now, main
reason to run a Pi is because that is the first name people think for
a small single board computer; debian has a table[1][2] of them.

> I have a Raspberry Pi 4, or I run docker on my always on desktop. I feel
> like the Raspberry Pi running pi-hole + ??? would be a good plan. Any
> contrary thoughts? Is it going to be fast enough for gigabit networking?
> Should I try running OpenWRT instead?
>

      Do you now mean running it as a router? If so, I take you are
planning on running it in a router-in-a-stick mode.   I have been told
the pi4 has a true gigabit connection[3] (someone was getting 856
Mbits/sec doing iperf tests[4] on the pi4), but I think it is really
comparable to many of the routers you can out openwrt on which
advertise gigabit ports. In the end of the day it boils down to how
often you will be pushing your (I suppose it to be a) gigabit
connection to its limit and beyond.

[1] https://wiki.debian.org/RaspberryPi#Should_I_buy_a_Raspberry_Pi.3F
[2] https://wiki.debian.org/CheapServerBoxHardware
[3] http://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2019/raspberry-pi-4-needs-fan-heres-why-and-how-you-can-add-one
[4] https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/117127/using-a-raspberry-pi-4-or-alternative-for-gigabit-speed-test-can-it-handle-th

> I also have an always on desktop running docker. Should I run something
> from that instead?
>
> --
> Joseph Tate
>
> P.S. Anyone have success replacing an AT&T fiber modem/gateway with
> something off the shelf? Worth it to save the $10/month device fee?
> --
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