RE: [SLUG] Older i386 looking for buff firewall. Must know how to handle bad packets...

["Aaron Binns" <abinns@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>It's certainly possible, but I wouldn't waste my time.  Is there any reason
>>for needing to put it on this machine?

I want to use my 166 box to run internal server programs which I am not supposed
to run over the net port with bigpond direct. I have this 386 lying around and I
know it works.. so why throw it away? I've always been told a 386 can run Linux
(if a severely cut down version) for one or (increasingly rarely) two very
specific tasks.

>>I once put slackware on a 30Mb HD with 4mb of ram, it swapped all day long
>>until it died .. a reboot fixed it until the next time.

Seriously, if all I am running is IPchains, how much swapping will be going on?
it is headless - no GUI - and I am going to remove the soundcard and any other
devices which are not required.. though the 20MB drive will stick about as I
have nowhere else to put it.

>>With hardware so cheap you should really just get a better box .. I'm sure
>>you could get a Pentium 75 with 8mb of RAM and 500Mb for around $100 these
>>days, a lot of people throw out 486's!

True, but with my budget in the red already, I don't really have a space $100 to
throw into a machine while is basically only going to be sitting on the net and
blocking unwanted packets. I have the 386 and would rather not junk it is not
completely necessary.

>>Your time is money, and from the sound of it the 386 is going to take a lot
>>of your time.

I agree on the first bit. but I was rather hoping there wouldn't be the last bit
attached...

For all the talk of a basic 386 running Linux .. is it really true? The mobo
cannot handle any more ram chips and I don't want to spend a heap of dosh on new
chips for such old equipment. So can Linux really handle a 386 sx with 4mb ram
(stable with decent uptime).. or have I found my first myth & untruth about
Linux? heck Id been looking forward to seeing Linux run on the old box.

Mildly disillusioned,
Aaron