Help me make a tiny linux server (hardware related)

[w1z4rd]

I constantly have requests to put my firewalls onto corporate and government networks (loads of servers in rural eastern cape government satellite sites ). Most of them are HP ML110`s. The hardware runs a fairly simple setup with the basic packages like dansguardian, iptables, squid, sometimes Postfix, sometimes Exim. I basically set them up as gateway/proxy/firewall.

I dont have a problem with the HP`s, they graft really well and so far not one return on hardware... but they are a bit of an over kill. I dont need those kind of specs for what these servers are doing and a ML110 takes up a lot of space in a cabinet.

I want to build them into a tiny but cheap pc level spec. Whats the best tiny 2 NIC mini pc/server out there? I want to make the PC as small as possible but it has to have two NICs and be able to run debian or slak.

I would like to keep the cost of the hardware under R3500 (way under if possible).

 

[nihilist]

What size are you talking, and what CPU/RAM options are you requiring?

I think the cheapest and easiest route to take would just to get regular PCs in MicroATX format, since at least the parts are easily replaceable. You could go ITX and get mini cases, special PSUs but then you'll be in a situation where parts may not be easily sourced.

The only real drawback is getting a small enough mATX case.

The other alternative, if you don't need big specs would be an HP Thinclient, I think some of them have 2 NICS, or if not you could use a USB->Ethernet adapter, I've heard some folk in the IPCop/PfSense community talk about doing that.

Thin Clients are nearly always solid state, tiny and generally cheap. The ones that run XP Embedded should have enough horse power for squid, depending on how many users.