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System Requirements: A Linux firewall is a great way to recycle old computer hardware! You can get a suitable system off of eBay for under $50, or perhaps even free from your company's dumpster. :) I recommend the following specs:
• Memory: 64-128 mb
• Hard disk: 2-3 gb
• Processor 200mhz+
• 2+ Network Interfaces
• CD-ROM or Floppy drive
• Some type of video output
• A network switch.
Keep in mind
that these are very rough specs. You may want more or less depending on what exactly you plan on doing with your machine. A bare minimum firewall will probably run fine on even lower specs. On the other hand, if you want to do some heavy lifting like IPSec or proxying, you may want a heftier machine. Of course, you can always upgrade later.
You will need a simple network switch to allow you to connect all the computers on your LAN to your new router. Our setup assumes the following topology:
| ISP: Cable/DSL/Dialup/Etc |
--- |
Linux Router! |
--- |
(LAN Switch) |
-- |
PC 1 |
| -- |
PC 2 |
| -- |
PC 3 |
Now head over to www.debian.org. Under "Getting Debian" click CD ISO images. You can choose to download any of the CD (or Floppy) types. A minimal image is all that's necessary, although the full discs will work just as well. Use your favorite CD burning application to create the installation CDs. There's lots of documentation on the site if you need help with this.
Boot your system from the first installation CD. You should be presented with the Debian installation screen. By default Debian installs using the 2.4 kernel series. The kernel is the core of the Linux OS. I personally recommend using the 2.6 series, which is the latest. The 2.4 series, while being more mature and potentially more stable, is now considered legacy.
Type "linux26" at the boot: prompt and hit enter.
Now choose your language of choice. In my case, English.
...country and region...
...and keymap...
The installer will now try to detect your hardware, and hopefully be successful. Assuming you have multiple network cards, and are using the network installation CDs or Floppys, the installer will ask you to select which card is connected to your internet connection. If DHCP fails, make sure you've connected the right interface to your ISP or current router and try again.
Now, enter a hostname (computer name) for your system. You can call it whatever you want.
If your home network isn't part of a domain, or you're not sure what this is, leave the next screen as it is and hit Enter. You'll know if you need to change it.
Now we need to partition the hard disk. This will erase everything on the hard drive! Don't do it unless you're ready to lose anything on the drive! Hit Enter to "Erase Entire Disk" and wipe the disk clean.
Since this drive won't need to contain much in the way of programs, we can safely choose the first option, "All Files in One Partition."
The partitioner will automatically create your root and swap partitions. The defaults should be fine, but you may also choose to use different file systems or partition sizes if you know what you're doing. Once you're happy with it, hit Finish.
Select Yes to Write the changes to disks. This is your last chance to not erase your drive!
The partitioner will finish setting up the partitions and start installing the system base. This will take a couple minutes. Hit Yes to install the Grub bootloader.
Setup is almost complete! Remove your CDs and Floppys and hit Continue to boot into your new system.
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Proceed to Step 2 - Initial Configuration |
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| Copyright © 2006 Matt LaPlante. All rights reserved. |
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