*BSD News Article 84595


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From: dillon@flea.best.net (Matt Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: FreeBSD as a router - 2 T1 / 2 Ethernet - BGP / OSPF
Date: 9 Dec 1996 20:22:32 GMT
Organization: BEST Internet Communications, Inc.
Lines: 62
Message-ID: <58hse8$5hv@nntp1.best.com>
References: <58g3cs$h5m@palan.palantir.com> <58h0fc$joh@stargate.stdio.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: flea.best.net

:In article <58h0fc$joh@stargate.stdio.com>,
:James Risner <risner@heathers.stdio.com> wrote:
:>Scott Boake (scott@palan.palantir.com) wrote:
:>: We had a router die this weekend and need to replace it with a new one.
:>
:>: Currently the Internet connection is a Fractional Frame Relay T-1.
:>: In the future it would be nice to have the ability to be able to expand
:>: to multihomed (at least 2 T-1 speed connections) with 2 Ethernet connections.
>: With full BGP / OSPF, etc.
:>
:>: I'm looking for the pros and cons of using a PC with FreeBSD (+ who's Sync
:>: V.35 Frame Card?) vs a Cisco / Livingston / etc.
:>
:>: Any and all comments are welcome...
:>
:>: Please E-Mail your replys & Thanks In Advance!
:>
:>Me too.
:>I was thinking of testing the following configuration:
:>
:>MB:	Pentium 120mhz SuperMicro P5STE 512K 4 PCI 4 ISA
:>OS:	64 meg ram FreeBSD 2.1.6-RELEASE
:>one	PCI NCR 53c810 / 1 gig drive 9 ms or so
:>two	PCI Adaptec (DEC "Tulip" I think) 4 port ether rj-45 10baseT
:>one	PCI SMC DEC 100 base T card for core
:>three	ISA 4 port ARNET (Digiboard) Sync/570i Sync V.35
:>one	ISA VGA
:>
:>What does this use:
:>4 ISA ports
:>4 PCI ports
:>
:>What you get:
:>$1000 computer + $400 8 10baseT + $100 100baseT + $3600 Sync ports
:>
:>$5100 router supporting BGP with 1-100baseT, 8-10baseT, 12-V.35(T1-1.544mbps)
:>
:>4 port sync, 2 ether 100mhz RISC Cisco 4500 with 64 meg ram is about
:>$15,000 (or three times as much money)
:>
:>Risner
:>
:>Any comments?  "Your wrong and here is why?" "Hey that is a good idea."
:>Email me: risner@stdio.com

    When BEST first started, we ran two T1's off a riscom card in a BSDI
    box, and ran gated to do the BGP.  It worked, but it was not all that
    reliable.  Often gated would die, or the kernel would crash due to bugs
    in the route table... when you are dealing with two full BGP sessions
    running full internet routes, any UNIX box's route table is going to
    get exercised pretty well.

    Now that was 2 years ago.  gated / FreeBSD might very well make a good
    combination today.

    What you get with CISCO's is reliability... you configure them, then
    ignore them.  They just work.  If you have enough money to get a cisco,
    then get a cisco.  If not, the FreeBSD solution is workable if you 
    research it well enough.

					-Matt