Fun Stuff > CLIKC
Convert old computer to linux router/NAS
Statik:
Yeah, I just found LEAF the other day. It's not a hugely pressing project for me (making the DIY router/NAS) as finishing finals takes precedent at the moment, I was just looking for some opinions as to the way to go about it. And as I have multiple older computers laying around, it seemed like it would be an interesting project to try.
I have yet to understand the need for making every god damn thing wireless when it comes to computers. You could argue that laptops and cellphones are better for having such features, and I wouldn't disagree, but I have yet to see a practical reason to have a home network of DESKTOPS linked wirelessly. (Yes, it gets rid of cables, which could be a benefit, but wireless has a habit of being unreliable, so the downsides outweigh the upsides IMO) That being said, based on your comment, I'm guessing that you COULD make a linux box into a wireless router? And have it broadcast via a wireless NIC? Id be curious to know if it could/would have the same range as a traditional router with wireless capabilities. I can't really see why this wouldn't work, except for the fact that I don't know if wireless NICs are set up (or can be set up) to broadcast to / recieve from multiple sources?
ackblom12:
The point is really that Wireless has a lot of work that needs to be done, and the only way that's gonna happen is to get it into the mass market and give companies reasons to give a shit if it's reliable. My desktop I'd prefer to stick to being wired just because of the ridiculus amount of torrentings I do, but for most cases, I'd much much prefer my equipment to be wireless. Hell, if it wasn't for the shitty price of the 360's wireless adapter I'd definitely have that wireless because wires are just that much of a pain in the ass.
supersheep:
Wireless is also useful; if you live somewhere that isn't wired for networks, or especially if you live in rented accommodation. Running CAT5 up the stairs to my housemate's room is a bit of a pain when we can't tack it to the walls or drill holes to avoid doors.
ackblom12:
God yes, I have 5 computers on my network and I'd kill for a decent reliable wireless network. Also, honestly, wireless isn't terribly unreliable anymore. The main issue is that if anything does go wrong it's a ridiculous pain in the ass trying to find out what the hell happened. Also, in the case of torrents and massive file transfers, it's just nowhere near as fast. For online gaming even, the speed doesn't make a difference as long as you have G or N, which most do now, unless you've got something else wrong with the connection.
Also, for those who aren't familiar with sites like Newegg, CAT5 cable is expensive as fuck. I mean, some poeple actually pay Wal-Mart and Best Buy prices for cable. Silly I know.
dennis:
--- Quote from: Statik on 01 Dec 2008, 12:19 ---Yeah, I just found LEAF the other day. It's not a hugely pressing project for me (making the DIY router/NAS) as finishing finals takes precedent at the moment, I was just looking for some opinions as to the way to go about it. And as I have multiple older computers laying around, it seemed like it would be an interesting project to try.
I have yet to understand the need for making every god damn thing wireless when it comes to computers. You could argue that laptops and cellphones are better for having such features, and I wouldn't disagree, but I have yet to see a practical reason to have a home network of DESKTOPS linked wirelessly. (Yes, it gets rid of cables, which could be a benefit, but wireless has a habit of being unreliable, so the downsides outweigh the upsides IMO) That being said, based on your comment, I'm guessing that you COULD make a linux box into a wireless router? And have it broadcast via a wireless NIC? Id be curious to know if it could/would have the same range as a traditional router with wireless capabilities. I can't really see why this wouldn't work, except for the fact that I don't know if wireless NICs are set up (or can be set up) to broadcast to / recieve from multiple sources?
--- End quote ---
LEAF is pretty much painless as long as your NIC cards have good Linux drivers. It looks like the Bering distro is closest to what I was using back in the day (Dachstein). What's nice about building a multi-NIC computer into a router rather than using a consumer standalone router is that you can integrate various file and web servers and you can have advanced routing and QOS cheaply and easily. Also, it's just a fun project.
As for wireless, only a small range of card chipsets are supported by Linux for use as access points, but you should be able to set up a peer-to-peer network pretty easily. This isn't something I've done personally, though.
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