[geeks] IPCop and pfSense...

[nate at portents.com]

>>The D201GLY2 is kind of tempting, and I've thought about it,
>>specifically in combination with the Apex MI-100 case, which is only
>>$55 and comes with a 250W power supply:
>>
>>http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154084
>
> Neat little case - I like the D201GLY2 MB/CPU combo, but it isn't the
> be-all, end-all for low-cost MBs (it just is so right for so many
> differnet little appllications, IMHO).

Yes, I'm not a fan of the SiS chipset, and it looks likely that Intel will
be moving away from it.  Specifically, Atom is coming:

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/intel/showdoc.aspx?i=3276

Their "Little Falls" Atom-based M-ITX boards should be out later this
year.  And on the high-end of M-ITX, Intel recently showed off their
LGA775 boards based on their own G45 chipset, the DQ45EK and DG45FC.

However, the D201GLY2 and "Little Falls" based boards will have CPU
heatsinks taller than the backplate, which could very well be an issue for
the case I mentioned above (since the Apex MI-100 has a power supply
directly over the motherboard).

> Just a thought, but aren't you like, one hole in the chassis away from
> being able to use the ASUS USB WiFi adapter on the Intem MB (or any MB for
> that matter)? Also, an external USB adapter would likely have a 3 foot USB
> extension cable, allowing you to place the antenna away from your
> equipment rack/stack/pile for better coverage...

You know, I hadn't really even looked into AP-mode compatability of the
Shuttle PN20, and based on this, it doesn't look good:

http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Jean_Tourrilhes/Linux/Linux.Wireless.drivers.802.11ag.html#RealTek80211g

I'm probably better off just getting something like the ZyXEL G-570S and
plugging it into an ethernet port:

http://www.zyxel.com/web/product_family_detail.php?PC1indexflag=20040520161256&CategoryGroupNo=13E013E3-F6F7-4C3C-8C70-FF2AA3A0C118

> There are units that stick right in the IDC scoket on the MB, which means
> *no* cabling.

Tempting, but it's really hard to determine which cheap adapters truly
support DMA and aren't really just PIO.  The Addonics CF - SATA HDD
Adapter is only $32 and is the same form factor as a 2.5" notebook hard
drive, seems like a good way to go:

http://www.addonics.com/products/flash_memory_reader/adsahdcf.asp

So right now I'm leaning toward pfSense with a ZyXEL G-570S for wireless,
though I just came across this firewall which I'd never heard of before:

http://www.endian.com/en/products/software/

Anyone have any experience with that?

- Nate