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Most home/office networks these days run behind some type of gateway/router/firewall equipment. These networks usually use small firewall/router devices made by companies such as Linksys, D-Link, and Netgear to provide their network connectivity. The problem is these devices are often weak, underpowered, and feature limited. The solution? Building your own!
In this tutorial we'll cover many topics that will allow you to build your own custom firewall machine from scratch using standard PC hardware and the Linux operating system. I'll present everything from the basic topics of firewalls, DHCP, and DNS, up to advanced features such as VPN and IDS. The result will be a complete working firewall/router for your home or office network that can do as much or as little as you need it to!
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First, a little bit about the software we'll be using: Linux is a wonderfully powerful and versatile operating system. It can run anything from a full-fledged office workstation, to a server cluster, to a cell phone. You can also conquer the power of Linux to create a powerful firewall and router for your home network. Best of all, the hardware required is cheap, and the software is free.
Why Debian? Ultimately it comes down to personal preference. Most any Linux distribution will work. I've built firewall systems with several Linux distros now, and I've chosen Debian as my favorite for a few reasons:
• Minimal builds are fairly minimal. The "minimal" build on some distros is a lot larger than on others. It all has to do with how many packages are tied to the core OS. In this case, smaller is better.
• Huge package selection. Debian has one of the largest selections of pre-built packages available with the OS. Provides lots of versatility with minimal effort.
• Supports customization well. While all distros are customizable, some are inherently more or less flexible than others. Debian generally shows very little resistance when you decide to go off the beaten path.
• Excellent support. Debian has a huge community. Security updates are released very quickly, and there's always somebody out there to ask for help.
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Alternative Alert! - Distributions
This guide uses the Debian Linux distribution (Debian 3.1 "Sarge" to be specific). One of the greatest (and potentially most complicated) parts of Linux is the variety of operating systems available. The software used in this guide is all free and open source, so with a little adaptation, you can create a Linux firewall with any brand you desire.
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Things to know before we start: The purpose of this guide is not to be the end all be all of Linux firewalls, it's merely a starting point. You're encouraged to go above and beyond the bare minimums shown here. The possibilities are truly endless, but to get the most out of your machine you must not be afraid to explore!
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Proceed to Step 1 - Installation |
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| Copyright © 2006 Matt LaPlante. All rights reserved. |
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