“Thanks to Linux, all of these problems can be solved in one
fell swoop if you’ve got an older, unused computer laying
around which meets at least these specifications:
- A reasonably fast CPU. Any 486 ought to do.
- At least 16 megabytes of memory.
- A working floppy drive.
- Two ethernet cards, preferably of a commonly supported type
(NE2k, 3c509, Tulip, etc.)”
“With this equipment we are going to build a stand-alone
firewall/router which will provide long and reliable service at
very little cost. No hard drive, sound, or other I/O hardware
is necessary. A video display and a keyboard are helpful for
installation, but are unnecessary afterward. The tool of choice (at
least for this article) is called Freesco. The Freesco software
distribution is a scaled-down Linux operating system small enough
to fit on a single floppy. It contains only the bare essentials: a
stable Linux kernel, a few network services, some ethernet drivers,
and some scripts for configuration.”