G
Gordon Darling
Freesco (Free Cisco- linux based router dev)
http://www.freesco.org/
FREESCO (stands for FREE ciSCO) is a free replacement for commercial
routers supporting up to 3 ethernet/arcnet/token_ring/arlan network cards
and up to 2 modems.
Why should you use Freesco?
* Ease of use - it's insanely easy to set up
* Thoroughly documented - it's more or less self contained, read one doc
and you're off and running
* Like most players in this field, it runs off one floppy
* FreeSco runs in as little as 6 Mb RAM.
* Unique Web Control Panel
Freesco is the easiest to use, one disk Linux system available. For more,
read the full overview.
http://www.freesco.org/?L=Overview
Freesco was developed in the open source tradition as an alternative to
routing products offered by Cisco, 3-Com, Accend, Nortel etc. All of
these companies offer products that are well made, but they are also
proprietary and expensive. Between the cost of the equipment and support,
you'll spend a great deal and only address one or two of your networking
needs .. Additionally, by being closed source (proprietary), many of
these products restrict the user from modifying the source software to
better suit their needs and easily fix problems that arise.
As many of us who work in the IS industry know, Management is always
looking for ways to make work more efficient and decrease expenses. At
the same time though, the IS department is usually restricted by
budgetary constraints that prevent it from implementing products that
would do just that, cut costs and make people's work easier and more cost
effective.
That is where an open source product like Freesco can make all the
difference. It is open source (non-proprietary), easy to use and best of
all, free.
Freesco is based on the Linux operating system and incorporates many of
the features of a full operating system into software that fits on a
single 1.44 meg floppy diskette. With Freesco, you can make:
* a simple bridge with up to 3 Ethernet segments
* a router with up to 3 Ethernet segments
* a dialup line router
* a leased line router
* an Ethernet router
* a dial-in server with up to 2 modems
* a time server
* a dhcp server
* a http server
* a print server (requires TCP/IP printing client software)
Freesco also incorporates firewalling and NAT which are resident within
the Linux kernel to help protect you and your network. All of these
features can be used in conjunction with each other or individually.
How does Freesco do all this? By using only what you need from the Linux
operating system and by utilizing the best in "small" *nix programs such
as:
* thttp (http://www.acme.com/)
* lpr daemon (by Steve Flynn)
* and many standard small linux programs
Some technical info:
* Linux 2.0.38 + IP masquerad
* DHCP server (Internet Software Consortium)
* DNS server (Internet Software Consortium BIND v4)
* Web server (ACME Labs thttpd)
* Time server (proprietary)
* Print server (Steve Flynn)
* dial-in server
* up to 3 ethernet cards (most cards supported by linux)
* up to 2 modems
Control via: telnet, web, console.
Regards
Gordon
http://www.freesco.org/
FREESCO (stands for FREE ciSCO) is a free replacement for commercial
routers supporting up to 3 ethernet/arcnet/token_ring/arlan network cards
and up to 2 modems.
Why should you use Freesco?
* Ease of use - it's insanely easy to set up
* Thoroughly documented - it's more or less self contained, read one doc
and you're off and running
* Like most players in this field, it runs off one floppy
* FreeSco runs in as little as 6 Mb RAM.
* Unique Web Control Panel
Freesco is the easiest to use, one disk Linux system available. For more,
read the full overview.
http://www.freesco.org/?L=Overview
Freesco was developed in the open source tradition as an alternative to
routing products offered by Cisco, 3-Com, Accend, Nortel etc. All of
these companies offer products that are well made, but they are also
proprietary and expensive. Between the cost of the equipment and support,
you'll spend a great deal and only address one or two of your networking
needs .. Additionally, by being closed source (proprietary), many of
these products restrict the user from modifying the source software to
better suit their needs and easily fix problems that arise.
As many of us who work in the IS industry know, Management is always
looking for ways to make work more efficient and decrease expenses. At
the same time though, the IS department is usually restricted by
budgetary constraints that prevent it from implementing products that
would do just that, cut costs and make people's work easier and more cost
effective.
That is where an open source product like Freesco can make all the
difference. It is open source (non-proprietary), easy to use and best of
all, free.
Freesco is based on the Linux operating system and incorporates many of
the features of a full operating system into software that fits on a
single 1.44 meg floppy diskette. With Freesco, you can make:
* a simple bridge with up to 3 Ethernet segments
* a router with up to 3 Ethernet segments
* a dialup line router
* a leased line router
* an Ethernet router
* a dial-in server with up to 2 modems
* a time server
* a dhcp server
* a http server
* a print server (requires TCP/IP printing client software)
Freesco also incorporates firewalling and NAT which are resident within
the Linux kernel to help protect you and your network. All of these
features can be used in conjunction with each other or individually.
How does Freesco do all this? By using only what you need from the Linux
operating system and by utilizing the best in "small" *nix programs such
as:
* thttp (http://www.acme.com/)
* lpr daemon (by Steve Flynn)
* and many standard small linux programs
Some technical info:
* Linux 2.0.38 + IP masquerad
* DHCP server (Internet Software Consortium)
* DNS server (Internet Software Consortium BIND v4)
* Web server (ACME Labs thttpd)
* Time server (proprietary)
* Print server (Steve Flynn)
* dial-in server
* up to 3 ethernet cards (most cards supported by linux)
* up to 2 modems
Control via: telnet, web, console.
Regards
Gordon