On 15 November 2013 16:03, SmithS <smit...@hush.ai> wrote: > Greetings misc@. After coming across a link[1] to make an OpenBSD > router using a "Soekris" device, I think I will make one. Does anyone > else have this hardware and can verify all the components work? > I think Intel NICs are good, but everything else? I have never heard > of this brand before so I want to be safe before buying. The model > number[2] is "6501-30" > > [1] http://www.bsdnow.tv/tutorials/openbsd-router > [2] https://soekris.com/products/net6501/net6501-30-board-case.html > > greetz, > SmithS
Soekris has been used with OpenBSD for a very long time throughout many releases, so, if you like what you see, that's exactly what you're going to get. Their brand is actually very well known. However, their hardware is not particularly competitive in the price department, and, incidentally, is also quite known for being an excellent tool to fine-tune overall OpenBSD performance under very stressful network scenarios, which don't take much effort to generate (especially on their pre-GigE hardware, but a 600MHz Atom is probably not that much different). If you only need two NICs, there are many alternatives that are priced considerably lower than Soekris, and provide a better value; some are still fanless and already have two GigE NICs on board. The "net6501-30-board-case" above, w/ 600 MHz Intel Atom and soldered 0.5GB of DDR2 RAM, is 310 USD, plus "psu-12v-3-0a-world" is 20 USD extra, for a total of 330 USD + tax/shipping/handling. Plus you'll need some storage device. A quick search today reveals Shuttle DS47 -- fanless, dual GigE, two COM ports, lots of USB 3.0, accepts up to 16GB of DDR3, probably supported by the latest OpenBSD release, especially if you only need it for a router (might have to use 5.4-current due to http://www.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/cvsweb/src/sys/dev/ic/re.c#rev1.145). 220 USD, with a choice of multiple retailers to buy from, plus a little extra for a lot more DDR3 than the soldered 0.5GB of the Soekris. http://global.shuttle.com/main/productsDetail?productId=1718 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101145 http://www.amazon.com/SHUTTLE-DS47-Celeron-1-1GHz-Barebone/dp/B00DK06L6O?keywords=%222x+RJ45%22+barebone Foxconn also makes nice barebones -- they're even cheaper than Shuttle. However, if you don't require solid GigE performance, and are looking for just 100Mbps routing throughput for a home-router project, my advice is to buy a netbook -- they go for 200 to 250 USD nowadays, plus an external USB Gigabit Ethernet adapter is 10 to 20 USD. Most cheap USB Ethernet adapters are supported nowadays, especially on OpenBSD. With a netbook-based OpenBSD router, you'll have a complementary UPS, plus a diagnostic display w/ keyboard (alas with no serial), plus a fast SSD or HDD that's also included. And the price is the same as, or even lower than, any of the alternatives that would not have any such features. You really can't beat the value by going with a netbook, unless you do require 4x 1Gbps, x2, which you aren't going to get with a 600MHz Atom-based Soekris, either. C.
