You could use the Tiny Linux project to drive some of this stuff. Tiny
Linux could turn a 386sx with 6 mb ram into a low volume print server or
a small samba server. When running file and print services, the issue is
throughput - fast hard drive, switched networking backbone, bi-
directional parallel port, etc.
If you use an internal ISA modem, you can have control over the UART. I
belive Coyote Linux can run on a 386 (with 386 Math Co or a 386 DX), but
FreeSCO (FreeCisco) requires a 486. When it comes to routing, you do not
need a lot of processing power. Even some of the high-end Cisco routers
only use a 68030, the Motorola equvivalent of a 386
Personally, I once had Coyote Linux on a 486 DX 100 16MB Ram ISA Modem,
and Tiny Linux on 386sx 25, 8 mb Ram 1GB HD sharing file and print
services via Samba (10Base-T Coax). It definitely was not a high
performance system, but it was quite tolerable for a 4 or 5 person Linux
party. The systems are packed away, because I moved from America in
March.
-=Sean=-
On 27 Sep 2001, at 18:26, Niall O Broin wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 27, 2001 at 05:09:25PM +0100, Colm O'Gairbhith wrote:
>> > As a member of the Dublin Food-Co-op http://www.clubi.ie/dfc/ I'm
> > involved in their IT committee. Since they're doing a review of their IT
> > systems at the moment ( a couple of 486's, one pentium 150, no network,
> > one printer, one modem used solely by the pentium, all running Windows
> > 95/98 ) I'm hoping to lead them by the hand into the open-source world
> > which I think fits the ethos of the co-op a bit better that the current
> > MS-centric setup.
> >
> > Here's the question, would the ILUG like to take us on as a project ??
> > My idea is that, with a few network cards, the 486 on linux could work
> > as a router for internet traffic and run SAMBA ( I believe this would
> > allow all PC's then to share the printer ). All PC's could then be used
> > for internet access, as opposed to the primacy of the pentium right now.
> > What do you think ? and more importantly Can/Will you help ?
>> Whoa - I thought I sometimes kept hardware beyond its sellby date :-) You
> certainly could use one of the 486s as a router and a Samba server, though
> don't expect stunning performance, and using the box as a router could be
> problematic depending on the type of UART (serial port chip) in the 486. And
> you'd want have at least 16M of memory (and that's really pushing it - 32M
> would be better) and then there'll be a problem with recent distributions,
> nearly all of which are compiled for Pentium and up.
>> Could you not have a browse in a skip at Ericsson's and find some better
> hardware :-)
>> Personally I don't have time to spend on this at the moment but I will
> donate dual media network cards so you've got the networking hardware. I'll
> also throw in whatever coax I have knocking so you may be able to do all the
> networking FOC hardware wise, depending on your cable requirements,
> otherwise you'll have to buy a hub and the necessary amount of TP cables.
>>>>> Niall
>> --
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