[clue-tech] Mini-itx and pico-itx

[Michael J. Hammel]

On Wed, 2008-01-30 at 17:57 -0700, Sean LeBlanc wrote:
> So, I was reading an article detailing someone putting together a pico-itx
> from a barebones kit, and I got to wondering about these. Right now, it
> looks a tad expensive, so I started casting around for what's up with
> mini-itx systems.

> Has anyone built a firewall box along these lines, and do you have any
> advice? 

Lots of good advice on this thread.  I'll add my 2 cents.

This project depends on what you're really after:  a do-it-yourself
learning project or a functional, production firewall.  In my opinion,
in both cases you want a SBC solution, not mini-ITX.  SBC's are lower
power and better suited to dedicated functionality.  Mini-ITX boards
(from the original down to the Nano) are really more like regular PCs
with very small form factors.  You can learn alot from using them - I'm
learning alot about hardware trying to get my M10000 to properly output
TV signals to my Toshiba TV (even though other TVs seem to work just
fine with it).   But I wouldn't consider them for something like a
firewall, which is (these days) a pretty straight forward project with
less expensive hardware.

So, if you just want a low cost production device, get a Linksys router
and stuff DD-WRT on it.  I've done that.  It's a no-brainer if you use
the WRT-54GL (which you'll have to shop around for), which is the Linux
ready version of that box.

If you want to learn about making your own dedicated device using SSDs
or similar, then a low cost SBC is a nice starting point.  But it's not
always easy to get a Linux distro for them (or FreeBSD, etc.).  Starting
with a mini-itx board allows you to go with off the shelf distros and
tweak till your heart is content. 

As for SSDs, someone mentioned IDE-to-Compact Flash adapters.  These are
perfect for mini-itx projects that want to drop a hard drive.  Since you
want to reduce the number of flash writes to extend the life of your
device, you would build your distro much like a LiveCD and stuff it on
the flash drive.  Or you could pare it down using a custom distribution
based on BusyBox to learn what real embedded devices are like.  But off
the shelf distros for this would be hard to find.  You're more than
likely going to have to roll your own.  Then again, that's the fun in
it.  :-)

Anyway, it just depends what you're really after in this project.  Good
luck.
-- 
Michael J. Hammel                                    Principal Software Engineer
mjhammel at graphics-muse.org                           http://graphics-muse.org
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