[SpeedRacer]

Not sure if i'm crazy for asking this, but can a SE/30 with ethernet card and SCSI-Ethernet adaptor be used as a decent router/firewall for a home network of more modern Macs?

Specifically i'm interested in knowing what (if any) the performance hit would be vs. a dedicated hardware router. I've heard with only 1 card the machine will be a much greater bottleneck for the network traffic, but what about using a second card off of the SCSI port?

Anybody have any knowledge of this? Seems a shame to just have the SE collecting dust in the closet. It's either router or server.

Speed

[MacMonster]

I hope this link can help you:
http://jagshouse.com/IPNetRouter.html

[l008com]

I'd be a little nervous about one of those scsi-ethernet devices, they just add another thing to worry about on a setup that gets more and more complex when you have a router. I use a Quadra 700 with a nubus ethernet card and the built in ethernet. It has a 20MHz 040 which is MUCH more then enough to handle my cable connection. An SE/30 has a 16MHz 030 which might not be enough to handle the peaks, and ultimately might slow things down. I do recommend a Mac as a router versus a "Hardware Router", just not your mac ;-). Just plug it into your hub once you get another router, and have it do dnet for the rest of its life :-D

[macvillage.net]

I would just get a real router/firewall. I don't think you will be saving that much, and the real ones are going to be much more reliable, not to mention most likely faster.

[seanyepez]

Yeah. You'll save money on electricity, too.

[macvillage.net]

Very good point

and not to mention space

my LinkSys router is tiny

[Cipher13]

I'm a computer-router person... you have much more control, and the router can also do dnet, run as a server, and so forth... currently my main system is also my router though. I need to get an old Mac to route... unless my Classic II can do it...

[[APi]TheMan]

I used to be a computer-router person, until I switched to broadband, and I didn't feel like buying another ethernet card. Plus, I wouldn't be able to serve as a router when my computer was off or playing games, so I opted for the ~$80 LinkSys 1-port router and an 8-port hub.

LinkSys' stuff is great because you can configure it from any node on the network via accessing its web configuration interface, simply point any web browser over to your router's IP address.

I think a hardware router is probably your best option.

I'd say just get a dedicated hardware router. There are a few reasons. First off, like somebody else said, they use a lot less power. Second, and this is more important thing for me, there's less to break. A general rule about networking: If you have to ask, get the one with less parts.

[C.J. Moof]

I once set up a IIci as a router with IPnetrouter, worked great. No performance penalty at all on my 768K DSL, using just the 10b ethernet NuBus card in it for inbound and outbound traffic.


Personally, I think it's cool to get useful service out of a 12 year old computer - challenge your PC friends to do that!

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
<STRONG>I used to be a computer-router person, until I switched to broadband, and I didn't feel like buying another ethernet card. Plus, I wouldn't be able to serve as a router when my computer was off or playing games, so I opted for the ~$80 LinkSys 1-port router and an 8-port hub.

LinkSys' stuff is great because you can configure it from any node on the network via accessing its web configuration interface, simply point any web browser over to your router's IP address.

I think a hardware router is probably your best option. </STRONG>

I have configurations set up in my system so that in a keystroke, more or less, I can set up any "workstation" as the router if the usual router is busy, or off. Right now my 5500 is routing because the G4 is off-network encoding video.

Very simple; about the extra ethernet card also, it isn't necessary. All my systems go into a switch...

[jeromep]

Cipher is correct on many issues, especially flexibility. The SE/30 will work fine, its actuall performance is comprable to a IIci (which I have used as a router also). Not exactly the same the ci had some cache and other benefits, but we won't address that here.

That SCSI to Ethernet adapter might be a breaking point for you. And it is just plain fun to make older hardware work as something new and won't cost you much to experiment with. IPNetRouter had a demo period before you need to purchase it, if I'm not mistaken. And I also think it does DHCP, so you can set it up to hand out IPs to your internal machines rather than doing a manual setup. This makes it easy for folks to come over with their hardware and use your network. By all means, if you try it out and it work, do pay the developer. His product is commercial quality at a real bargain of a price and once you pruchase it there are no strings attached as to the number of users you can have on your network suckeling data from your router.