Date: Mon, 09 Nov 1998 11:19:11 -0700 From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: Luigi Rizzo <luigi@labinfo.iet.unipi.it> Cc: freebsd-net@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: router/bridge question Message-ID: <3647321F.86509DA7@softweyr.com> References: <199811090700.IAA27388@labinfo.iet.unipi.it>
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Luigi Rizzo wrote: > > > > rest of the internet. I would like to split the inside network into two > > > segments and have the gateway bridge the two inside segments, in addition to > ... > > > Any help/comments/pointers much appriciated. > > > > Buy an inexpensive 4- or 8-port ethernet switch, and put your FreeBSD > > router on a switch port, with each of your two new "subnets" uplinked > > into other switch ports. You won't have to partition your addresses > > or any other silly admin headaches. > > while i agree that given the budget one can use a switch, i want to > point out that: > + the additional cost for the original solution is just one more > ethernet card; > + even by dedicating a full machine to the task, > a real switch (not a hub) might probably cost as much as a > leftover pentium machine with 2-3 ethernet boards; Especially if the original machine in question is already dedicated to the routing role. I thought about this last night after I'd shut down my computer, but was too tired to post my follow-up thoughts. > + most "inexpensive" switches come with UTP connectors, sothe original > poster might have to put in additional UTP<->BNC adapters. Ugh, yeah, thin-net. Ick. > and finally: > > + bridging in FreeBSD is real bridging -- you don't have to partition > addresses or admin/configure anything for the bridging part. > > not to mention that you can make use of firewall and dummynet at the > bridging level. Again, free if the machine in question is already dedicated to the task, or has enough spare CPU cycles. I suppose it's possible if the machine in question has enough CPU you could even run other services on it; a DNS cache-only or forwarding server might be a good service to hang at this point. Other proxies, such as news I wasn't attempting to say FreeBSD isn't a good solution for this problem, just that there may be *simpler* solutions. Networks tend to expand much faster than plans call for, and leaving a few extra ports in each time you grow something is ALWAYS a good idea. If the original poster already has a dedicated FreeBSD machine and wants to add bridging, perhaps buying 2- or 4-port Zynyx (sp?) cards might be a good solution. > > Never use software to solve a hardware problem. ;^) > > and, i hope you are aware that a switch, unlike a hub is not a "pure" > hardware device, but there is software running on it to handle > forwarding, manage queues etc. You obviously haven't looked inside the little 4- and 8-port 10Base-T switches these days. Yeah, I suppose you could call those forwarding chips software, but they certainly look like hardware to me. To the guy who used to sit across the hall from me designing one of them, too. His switch has a tiny little ROM (256 bytes or so) to configure the forwarding chip. That 8-port 10Base-T switch, now known as the Intel InBusiness Switch, sells for $250 at DataComm Warehouse: http://product.warehouse.com/SEARCH/bin/catproduct.DLL?product_id=168477 When it comes to "easy to implement" solutions, these things can't be beat. Most of them have one control: the on/off switch. -- Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket? Wes Peters +1.801.915.2061 Softweyr LLC wes@softweyr.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-net" in the body of the message
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