IpCop
I've had an ancient eMachines computer sitting in the closet for who knows how long, along with a bunch of near obsolete computer parts. While doing some spring cleaning the other day, I pondered how I could put it to any use. It would be too slow to tolerably use as a personal computer with its 9 year old Celeron processor (even though I managed to scrounge up 256MB of PC133 RAM to replace its measly 32MB) and its 4GB hard drive would be nearly filled to capacity if Windows XP or 2000 were to be installed on it along with the requisite software.
I then recalled that there is a Linux distribution designed to turn old obsolete PCs into first rate firewall/routers called IpCop. As it turns out, I had two unused network cards which were to provide the 'in' and the 'out' ports required to use the PC as a firewall/router. Yay!!! I burned the install CD, loaded it on the old clunker (as per directions), configured my old basic router to function as a switch, hooked it all up, and it's working GREAT. It is far more secure and has far more options than my old $30 router. If you have an old computer, I would definitely recommend not throwing it away. Put it to good use protecting your newer computers. It may sound daunting but its actually pretty simple if you can read directions. Everything you could possibly need to know is in the instructions or just a Google search away. The best part is that its free!!
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