[colug-432] Recommendation for router/?

[Rick Hornsby]

> On Jan 7, 2015, at 11:31, Zach Villers <zachvatwork at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> COLUG,
> 
> Thinking of replacing my cable company router with something I can run either open/ddwrt or pfSense on. I need at least 8 ethernet ports and wireless for a ~ 1600 sq ft house.

I wouldn't buy a consumer router just because it has 8 Ethernet ports. A 1Gbps switch will do that nicely.  If you find a router you like and it has 8 LAN ports, great. But don't pay a bunch of money just for that.

> I would also like to set up a central backup server for our house. We dont have alot, so maybe a couple of 1 TB drives. 
> 
> Would it be best to buy a separate router and build a backup server, or combine the two into a multipurpose machine? If building a router/server, would i just need two NICs and a wireless card?

Yes, two NICs for a router is necessary.  One is assigned to your cable modem (the WAN/external link), and the other your LAN (internal) side. The LAN side will go to the switch mentioned above for distribution to your network.

A wireless AP can go in the router as a card, can be an external device connected to the switch by Ethernet (ie to locate your AP more ideally for your house), etc. Several options are available here - including repurposing an existing "wireless router". Throw it into bridge mode and you have an access point.

While NAT/PAT isn't really "security", putting your backups on your homebuilt router means your backups are exposed directly to the interwebs.

I would separate those functions and put your backup server inside your network to give it some protection. This will be even better if you're going to use a product like pfSense which is also a firewall, going far beyond just being a simple NAT.

> Any opinions on either ddwrt or pfSense or something else?

If you're just getting started (and it still exists?) coyote Linux router project was pretty good. pfSense is good but holy moly there is a lot to it - an vast array of options, switches, knobs, and dials. If you want lots of fine grained control and a GUI, pfSense is a good choice. If you want a gentle introduction imho that may not be ideal.

That said, I had fun and learned a good deal about Linux, networking etc by building my own Linux router and configuring iptables etc by hand if you're into that sort of thing.

-rj