Which Red Hat?

Mon Feb 17 19:01:18 PST 2003

[Concurring with J C:}

Quoting J C Lawrence (claw at kanga.nu):

> I like making security equipment from atypical hardware platforms.
> Sure, use a "standard" OS (*BSD, Linux, whatever), but run it on
> something interesting.  Run it on Alpha, on MIPS, on PA-RISC, something
> not x86.

I like this idea, a lot.  For one thing, buffer overflows are much less
of a problem on anything but x86.  One recurring problem is that _cheap_
non-x86 hardware only rarely can be conveniently made to have two
reliable ethernet interfaces.  If you can find them used, NetWinders
(StrongARM-based or Transmeta Crusoe) are good, being small, low-power,
and quiet.  They came with one 10Base-T and one 10/100 port.

Occasionally, you can find very cheap, low-end x86 laptops with two
PCMCIA ports (e.g., late 486).  Comes with its own UPS.

-- 
Cheers,                   "Teach a man to make fire, and he will be warm 
Rick Moen                 for a day.  Set a man on fire, and he will be warm
rick at linuxmafia.com       for the rest of his life."   -- John A. Hrastar