“Everybody’s talking about using Linux to turn an old 486
into a router/firewall for a home or small office network. This
article offers step-by-step instructions for setting up such a
device using Open Source software from the Linux Router Project
(LRP). If you have an Internet connection with a single static
IP address, a 486 box with a working floppy drive and at least 12MB
of RAM, two NICs and a hub, you have everything you need to provide
safe Internet connectivity for your whole network.”
“What is LRP? In brief, it’s a minimalist Linux distribution
that boots from a single floppy disk. Since the disk can be
write-protected using the corner tab lock, there is no chance for
anyone to damage your installation over the Internet. On the
off-chance the firewall is breached, you can return the machine to
its original state by simply cycling the power to reboot.”
“LRP runs atop a filesystem mounted on a RAM-disk. Because
everything is in RAM, it runs very quickly. A 486 should be more
than able to keep pace with a T-1 or better.”