CentOS - Aug 2010 - CentOS or other Linux Internet Router/Gateway

Hi Everyone,

I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a router
or gateway or...?  I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't know
where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server
(though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the
computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not
sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty
Linux distributions for this purpose.

Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be
able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be*
the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead?
Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and
make the Internet too slow?

Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn
about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started
on that.

Thanks for any pointers.

-- 
RonB -- Using CentOS 5.5

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
> filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
> the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a
router
> or gateway or...?  I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't
know
> where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server
> (though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the
> computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not
> sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty
> Linux distributions for this purpose.
>
> Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be
> able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be*
> the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead?
> Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and
> make the Internet too slow?
>
> Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn
> about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started
> on that.
>
>
for what you want, I'd suggest pfSense, which is a FreeBSD Unix based 
firewall.

a P3 would be plenty powerful enough, although I'd want something small 
and very low power, like a MiniITX board such as an Alix 2d2 card.

this system would replace your existing linksys router, although you 
could setup your linksys to act as a wireless gateway on the LAN side.

On Sun, 2010-08-22 at 17:48 -0500, Ron Blizzard wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
> filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
> the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a
router
> or gateway or...?  I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't
know
> where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server
> (though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the
> computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not
> sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty
> Linux distributions for this purpose.
> 
> Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be
> able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be*
> the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead?
> Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and
> make the Internet too slow?
> 
> Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn
> about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started
> on that.
> 
> Thanks for any pointers.
> 
There is a long list of options here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_router_or_firewall_distributions

My preferences are IPCop and Tomato Firmware, depending on the needed
complexity. IPCop will run on junk hardware and Tomato runs on several
home routers like the Linksys WRT54GL.

There are many IPCop add-ons, including DansGuardian, which is basically
a very effective porn filter. Like many/most on the list, both IPCop and
Tomato are configured via web interfaces.

Many people like SmoothWall or, for something more extensive, SME Server
or ClearOS (previously known as ClarkConnect). If you want a high
performance router, look at pfSense.


Steve

At Sun, 22 Aug 2010 17:48:14 -0500 CentOS mailing list <centos at
centos.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
> filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
> the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a
router
> or gateway or...?  I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't
know
> where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server
> (though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the
> computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not
> sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty
> Linux distributions for this purpose.
> 
> Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be
> able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be*
> the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead?
> Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and
> make the Internet too slow?
It depends. The CentOS box could be a router.  Typically you'd have two
NICs (Network Interface Cards), one connecting to your
cable/DSL/whatever 'modem', and the other to your LAN.  Your Linksys
router would then become merely a switch and wireless AP.  You would
probably disable the Linksys router's dhcp server and on-board caching
name server, and transfer these functions to the CentOS box.  Ditto for
the firewall.

CentOS can also run a 'proxy' server, which could be used to filter /
block / etc. access to web sites eg it could be used to limit 'teenage'
access to certain sorts of websites for various reasons, including
traffic limitations (no Youtube/iTunes video/audio downloads while
daddy/mommy needs to use VPN to connect with the office, no IM'ing
after bedtime on school nights, etc.).  With the addition of the shaper
module, you can also create a separate 'teen' virtual network with
limited
bandwidth. 

Your Linksys router IS a simple 32-bit computer running Linux (typicall
an ARM processor, not really any faster than a PIII, probably slower
actually). A PIII has more than enough processing power to function as a
router, DNS, and DHCP server.  And probably as a proxy server too.  The
proxy server's limitations would mostly be a matter of fast enough disk
access, partitularly if it was set up as a caching proxy server.
> 
> Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn
> about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started
> on that.
> 
> Thanks for any pointers.
> 
-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933
Deepwoods Software        -- Download the Model Railroad System
http://www.deepsoft.com/  -- Binaries for Linux and MS-Windows
heller at deepsoft.com       -- http://www.deepsoft.com/ModelRailroadSystem/

Ron Blizzard wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
> filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
> the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a
router
> or gateway or...?  I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't
know
> where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server
> (though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the
> computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not
> sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty
> Linux distributions for this purpose.
> 
> Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be
> able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be*
> the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead?
> Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and
> make the Internet too slow?
> 
> Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn
> about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started
> on that.
> 
> Thanks for any pointers.
> 
m0n0wall <http://m0n0.ch/wall/> is the probably easiest firewall package 
to use. It is FreeBSD based with a web interface to manage it. You can 
put it on any number of hardware configurations, including an older PC 
with two network cards. I've been using it for a couple of years now 
with no problems. It forwards logs to an internal syslog server on my 
home network.

Bob McConnell
N2SPP

On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 5:48 PM, Ron Blizzard <rb4centos at gmail.com>
wrote:
> I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
> filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
> the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a
Ron: We have IPCop running on an Intel 233 MMX box, with 64 MB of RAM.
No problems with it during the past several years.

I would also suggest that you contemplate using the free DNS service
of OpenDNS and configure your web browsers, router, etc. to use their
DNS services (8 cities in the USA and 2 in Europe).
http://www.opendns.com/

I believe they also have a free filtering service families can use,
however, I'm not sure it is free, because we are not using it....
HTH,  Lanny

Ron Blizzard p??e v Ne 22. 08. 2010 v 17:48 -0500:
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I've got kids who are growing older and I want to build a Linux box to
> filter Internet access. I've got six computers on the Internet, plus
> the laptops -- most run Windows. I'm not sure if it's called a
router
> or gateway or...?  I don't mind doing the leg work, I just don't
know
> where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm *not* looking for a web server
> (though it might be fun to have a local web) -- I might also use the
> computer for a file server, but I mostly want a... proxy server? Not
> sure what tool I need to use. I seem to remember there were specialty
> Linux distributions for this purpose.
If you want to try something CentOS based see ClearOS:

http://www.clearfoundation.com/Software/overview.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClearOS

it looks great and it is working

Pavel
> Once I do figure out what kind of box I'm building, would I still be
> able to put my Linksys router behind it, or would the Linux box *be*
> the router? -- and would I have to get a wireless switch instead?
> Would a Pentium III handle this duty, or would it gum up the works and
> make the Internet too slow?
> 
> Sorry for stupid questions. At some point I'm going to have to learn
> about Linux servers. I'm hoping this project will help me get started
> on that.
> 
> Thanks for any pointers.
> 
-- 
Pavel Lisy <pavel.lisy at gmail.com>