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Date:      Wed, 02 Jun 1999 12:40:20 -0400 (EDT)
From:      "Bill O'Connell" <woconnel@bellatlantic.net>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD as a Dedicated Router
Message-ID:  <XFMail.990602124020.woconnel@bellatlantic.net>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.4.10.9906020901080.285-100000@schizo.cdsnet.net>

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Thanks for all the feedback on this. I've been running several NetWare MPRs
for a few years so I'm familiar with the potential limitations of PC-based
routers. I was more concerned with the non-compliance issues. Haven't seen
anything in the replies that would dissuade me from replacing the MPRs
w/FreeBSD given that this is not an Internet core implementation.


On 02-Jun-99 Jaye Mathisen wrote:
> 
> Well, yes and no.  I just ordered one of these flash based IDE hard drives
> to test booting FreeBSD.
> 
> On the assumption that it works like it's advertised, then except for PS
> fans, which can be addressed via dual power supplies, I should have no
> moving parts.
> 
> Which should get me pretty close to equivalent reliability.  Heck, I have
> FreeBSD boxes that have been up for almost 18  months under heavy use, and
> my longest running Cisco is only at 70 some days, after crashing... :)
> 
> On Wed, 2 Jun 1999, Stephen Fisher wrote:
> 
>> 
>> Other reasons why people don't like to use PCs as routers are things
>> like the fact that they have moving parts inside them like hard drives
>> which can fail and bring the entire thing down.
>> 
>> Jaye Mathisen wrote:
>> > 
>> > On 1 Jun 1999, Lowell Gilbert wrote:
>> > 
>> > > Doug White <dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu> writes:
>> > >
>> > > > I wouldn't suggest it for a core router, but for a small office router
>> > > > on
>> > > > up it should be OK.
>> > >
>> > > Good summary of the performance issues.  In my own opinion, I don't
>> > > think anything that does its forwarding in software is fast enough for
>> > > the Internet core.  But then again, I work on stuff that *is* meant
>> > > for the core.
>> > >
>> > 
>> > Well, like anything, it all depends on your definition of core/load, but
>> > FreeBSD using ET's T1 cards, and 4 portt ethernet cards from Znyx is
>> > handling significantly higher than "small office router" loads, trivially,
>> > with 3-4% CPU usage, including firewalling.
>> > 
>> > I'm only using P6-200's on supermicro MB's, but I see no reason to believe
>> > that this won't scale to 12 T1's and 4-8 ethernet ports easily.
>> > 
>> > PCI bandwidth may be an issue, but that's all I can think of.
>> > 
>> > (Your other issues of compliancy are valid, but I suspect non-issues in
>> > the current world, generally speaking).
>> 
> 
> 
> 
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