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Message-ID: <397A6DC6.AD7DAEFF@soekris.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2000 21:00:06 -0700
From: Soren Kristensen <soren@soekris.com>
Organization: Soekris Engineering
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To: norami@unlimited.net, freebsd-small@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: Smallest footprint box?? where to get one?
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Hi Everybody,

I've been following some of the FreeBSD mailinglists for some time (I'm using
FreeBSD on my own DSL server/nat/firewall), and would like to introduce myself.

I'm a freelance hardware designer, and have done a lots of embedded PC design,
and actually did a tiny prototype MPC850 communication controller based firewall
for linux. (Linux runs on the MPC850, a 50-80 Mhz PowrPC....)

See http://www.soekris.com/fw1000.jpg
and http://www.inside.dk/news/Photos/586GXm-plus.JPG

That little pcb of my own (3.0" x 4.1") has 2 10mbit ethernet ports, serial
port, 16-64 Mbyte DRAM, 1-4 Mbyte flash plus a compactflash socket. Projected
volume cost incl box: <80$.

After those cheap nat boxes came out I kind of put the project aside, but keep
thinking about making one optimized for FreeBSD instead.

If there is several people interested in that, I would be willing to make a
design and manufacture them in medium volumes, a little like OEM hardware.
I was thinking about using maybe a AMD SC520 (133 mhz 486), 2 or 3 ethernet
ports, 8-32 Mbyte dram, boot/bios flash and compact flash socket. If people
wants VPN, I could make room for a hardware crypto chip.

If we need more power, a NatSemi Geode GX1 (200-300 mhz 486+) could also be a
possibiliy. That's the processor used on the other board, a customer design. Or
even a K6-2+, but I would prefer to keep power and cost down.


Let me know if there is any interest.


Regards,


Soren Kristensen

Morgan Hill, CA.


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