Turn an Old PC Into a Multi-Purpose LAN Server with ZeroShell (part 1)

“First things first–gather the hardware. Zeroshell should work
well on just about any computer, on typical 32-bit PCs, and higher
performance 64-bit machines. An old dusty box loaded with a network
adapter or two should be fine. But keep in mind, you’ll need at
least a Pentium 233MHz processor, 96MB of RAM, and a CD-ROM (ATA)
drive, or an ATA Compact Flash (CF) adapter for embedded devices.
So you can store your configuration, you’ll want some type of
storage device, such as a IDE, SATA, or SCSI hard drive; or a
external or flash USB drive. All the typical VGA graphic cards and
RS232 serial port adapters are supported. Additionally, ZeroShell
supports all the Linux-capable PCI, USB and PCMCIA network
cards.

“If you want to replace your wired or wireless router with
ZeroShell, you’ll need at least two Ethernet cards loaded in the
PC. That way one can plug into the Internet modem and the other to
a computer or a switch. To support multiple computers on the
network without using a switch could be possible by setting up the
soft access point (AP) feature. If you want to experiment with itss
wireless capabilities, throw in a wireless card. You should stick
with a Wi-Fi card that uses an Atheros chipset and is supported by
the MadWifi drivers.”

Complete
Story