RE: Security on a home DSL Line

[Roeland Meyer <rmeyer () mhsc com>]

I did that ... too much work. Easier to install an appliance.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sean Figgins [mailto:sfiggins () mail wcg net]
> Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 7:33 AM
> To: nanog () merit edu
> Subject: RE: Security on a home DSL Line
>
>
>
> Of course, for those that don't know how to install a OS 
> without the use of
> GUIs, you can always install FreeBSD just about as easily as 
> Linux, and have
> all the security of IPFilter over IPChains...  I've used this 
> method to do
> everything from a Dial on Demand NAT gateway, to a full fledged
> firewall/router solution.
>
> Of course, my home network is behind more sophisticated 
> security now, but
> if/when I ever change jobs and network providers, I'll be 
> going back to the
> FreeBSD firewall/NAT method.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-nanog () merit edu [mailto:owner-nanog () merit edu]On Behalf Of
> Brandon Hume
> Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 9:07 AM
> To: nanog () merit edu
> Subject: Re: Security on a home DSL Line
>
>
>
> > Otherwise, your idea is perfect; Linux or OpenBSD, whichever you're
> > more comfortable with, will give you the most flexibility, 
> and Solaris x86
> > might work but will be dog-slow and unless you have a lot of RAM,
> > completely unusuable.
>
> For such a weakly defined measure of "a lot of RAM", this statement is
> inaccurate.  Solaris 8 x86 will run comfortably, without X 
> and superfluous
> processes (to say: a rational firewall/NAT box configuration) 
> within 12M
> of RAM.  A passing knowledge of Solaris would not let a 
> person know this to
> be true, however, since Sun states its memory requirements on 
> the assumption
> you'd be using X.
>
> That being said, OpenBSD is probably the best choice.  It 
> requires more
> skill
> to install, but less skill to secure, and would probably run 
> better *by
> default* on a minimal machine.  After that I'd suggest 
> Solaris, since it
> installs less crap than most of the Linux distributions (note: most).
> Driver issues might force your hand to the Linuxes, of course.
>
> I also place OpenBSD and Solaris above Linux because they 
> both give you the
> use of IPFilter, which I believe to be just flat-out superior 
> to IPChains.
>
> --
> Brandon Hume    - hume -> BOFH.Halifax.NS.Ca, 
http://WWW.BOFH.Halifax.NS.Ca/
                       -> Solaris Snob and general NOCMonkey