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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!nntp.coast.net!news.kei.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in2.uu.net!ftpbox!mothost!newdelph.rtsg.mot.com!komondor!kadow From: kadow@komondor.cig.mot.com (Kevin Kadow) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: FreeBSD router, as good as a harware router ? Date: 8 Jan 1996 00:05:00 GMT Organization: Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Group Lines: 44 Message-ID: <4cpn3c$4de@newdelph.cig.mot.com> References: <4cof7j$59@news.mistral.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: komondor.cig.mot.com In article <4cof7j$59@news.mistral.co.uk>, Pete <plaker@cybar.co.uk> wrote: >I've been convinced that FreeBSD would be a good OS for my pentium >mail/web/news/ftp LAN server, but can FreeBSD on a seperate >386 really be as reliable and more monitorable and configurable than >the 'black box' option ? If so, this is much much cheeper, why >doesn't EVERYBODY do this instead of spending a fortune on a hardware >router ? A 386 could never be as reliable a router as a Cisco, or perhaps even a Livingston. If you happen to have a 386 sitting around, it could be _acceptable_ as a router for a low-bandwidth serial connection, but if you're buying new hardware, supporting multiple high-bandwidth connections, or it's a mission critical connection, a router makes more sense. Until recently I believed the opposite- that a good PC could perform the functions of a router as reliably and at a lower initial cost, but I've changed my mind after working with experienced network administrators at large sites, such as Motorola. >Basically, if someone has really experienced both, what are the >advantages/disadvantages of both methods of routing ? PC's: + Low initial cost + Familiarity (if in a PC environment) + Spare parts available over the counter + Multiple use- a lightly loaded BSD PC can do more than just route - Difficult to troubleshoot - Low bandwidth capacity Routers: + Scalability + Familiarity (if in a highly-routed environment with few PC's) + Service contracts + Security. Count the security holes found is Cisco -vs- holes in Unix + High throughput and bandwidth capacity + Reliability - Expensive - Difficult user configuration interface In a corporate environment, the higher initial cost is outweighed by the long-term savings in troubleshooting and administrative overhead. It's a lot easier to keep 100 routers running smoothly than 100 PC's.