Project OutPost ..:: Linux Router ::.. Updated 7/16

Hey guys, I'm a long time reader of Bit-Tech and a first time log poster so go easy on me!

Concept

So I have wanted to post a project log on BT for a long time and I decided to start with a small project and work my way up. The whole concept behind Project OutPost is to make a linux router with a small footprint and lots of features. I plan on using the latest release of IPCop which has a secure web interface and the most functionality out of the router distributions. I've tried them all and feel that IPCop is the cat's pajamas.

In the beginning...

I have an old P133 with 32mb RAM sitting in my closet in a gigantic AT case just begging to become a small form-factor router that sits neatly on my shelf. I gutted the PC to find that the motherboard is slightly larger than a mini-itx board but the power supply is still a monster. So I decided it was time to go case hunting. Obviously there are no cool AT cases on the market these days so I found my way to Wal-Mart. Low and behold I found my enclosure:

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For all those interested it's a Brinks File-Box Model 4050. Now I admit it looks cheesy compared to some of the magnificent cases built by other BT members but it's housing a P133 so I'm not going to go crazy with designing an aluminum cube, etc. etc.

So I test fit the components (sorry, no pics) and everything just barely squeezes inside the File-Box. I took some time and made sure all my measurements and layout would work well and starting marking for the power switch, LED's and reset switch. I decided to mount these on the top lid of the box and have the power supply facing out the right side so I could have the router stand up or lay on its side with no problems. By the way I am using painters tape to mark off the switches in the pictures.

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After marking off the front panel I decided to mark off the power supply hole for the side. Lucky for me I had my trusty Antec 1080 Server Case nearby because there is a mount plate for the power supply so marking it accurately was an easy chore. Here's what I ended up with: (on the right side of the box)

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I needed to mount my motherboard on a piece of square plexiglass so I cut my piece and used motherboard mounts to secure the board to the tray. The motherboard is just an old Intel board with three PCI slots. One slot for the graphics card (S3 Virge 2mb), and two slots for the NICs (3Com and Realtek). Here's a pic of the motherboard and tray sitting on top of the Brinks box:

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That's all I have for my first post. After work today I plan on cutting and mounting the switches, LED's and power supply. I'm going to velcro the motherboard tray to the inside so there are no unsightly screws hanging out of the case. I also have some plans to cover the "Brinks Home Security" logo with Tux, Lock and Key, etc. to give it some flare.

I'd appreciate any feedback regarding any part of the project. I'd like ideas on what decal to use on the front of the box.

 

wow, This is going to be interesting cant eait to see it

 

I think it looks sweet! especially for something you bought @ walmart.

looking forward to seeing progress on this!

 

Got a really 'sturdy' look to it. The case looks like it'll be the cat's pyjamas too .

 

Project OutPost - Part II

Time for an update. I started cutting last night and it was unreal how loud the sound was reverberating through the case. After an hour of cutting I was able to mount the power supply on the side of the case and it turned out nice.

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Unfortunately my dremel cutting wheel got so hot that it melted some of the paint off the edges of my cuts. So I used a Sharpie to color in the bad spots and dug around in my closet and found some mesh to take care of the problem:

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The screws look funny but that's how they are lined up on the power supply and I already had the holes drilled so that's how it gonna stay! I also mounted the motherboard on the plexiglass tray and put in the video card and NICs. The backplates on the PCI cards hung down too far so I unscrewed them and left 'em naked in the box.

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I'm going to tackle the front plate next but I'm not sure how to mount the two ethernet jacks that will be on the lid. I was thinking about getting a 2 port wall plate and screwing it to the underside of the lid and cutting square holes for the plugs. I also will mount an HD LED, Power LED and the AT style switch.

That's it for now and thanks for the great feedback!

 

wow this is a really interesting mod. dont u think u have a little to much mesh over the powersupply though?

 

Maybe internalize that PSU mesh (and cut off the PSUs fan grill, it gets redundant!).

I like it... if I didn't already have a dlink router then I'd definately go for something like this.

 

Haha, I knew I'd get a comment about the mesh, my roommates said the exact same thing. I was trying to get a little mesh theme going by using it in two other places on the case but I'll try it internally and see how it looks. I'll have a pic tomorrow of the mesh I'm going to put over the LED's and Power Switch and yall can tell me what looks better.

 

Very interesting project; have you chosen the Linux distro yet? Are you using a standard HD, a laptop HD or a CF?

Waiting for updates!

 

Looks great!

All it needs now is some bl00....

I also agree with the comments that the mesh should be internalised because it would look much more slick and stylish.

 

Hes using IPCop

 

Get some flat black screws; they'll be a lot less obtrusive on the outside of the case.

I actually quite like the "case," cheap or no!

 

Look lovely, I've got an IPTables Firewall/Routing script if you want it.

This sould be good, im thinking of doing something to mine at some point... Effort tho

 

So with this sort of setup, would you just plug a modem into the router box (via rj45) then attach a hub or switch to the other NIC, then attach the other PCs to the hub and setup a sort of DHCP program on the router box?

I'm just wondering cause I've got my fileserver running and I could save myself a lot of money on a router by doing something like this.

 

As far as the linux distro I have decided to use IPCop v.1.3.0 for now. I would like to get a small install of Slackware 10 and get familiar with iptables but that'll be in the future. As far as HD, I am using the 3gig standard hard drive that came with the P133 I bought from a friend.

I am looking for some good black case screws at the moment. I haven't decided on just painting the regular ones black or ordering black screws. Do you have a website I could look at?

Yes! I would really appreciate that! I thought about writing my own script but if I had a base to build on that'd be awesome. If you have time, e-mail the script (addy is in profile). Thanks!

That's exactly right, and IPCop has cool features like assigning IP's based off MAC addresses, so one computer could have a certain address reserved. IPCop also has a web interface so it's secure and very easy to setup. In your example you would plug an RJ45 from your internet connection to the RED NIC on the IPCop box, and plug your hub/switch into your GREEN NIC. All the other firewall distro's can do this as well, I just think IPCop does it better.

To give you an idea on the network, this is how mine is setup:

Internet
|
|
IPCop Box
|
|
16 port Switch
|
|
File Server (Slackware w/ Samba, SSH) | Main Box | 2nd Slack Box​

As far as updates go I have finished all the cuts for the case and I will have pictures up soon. I'll show more of my idea on the mesh theme and see what everyone thinks. Thanks for all the comments guys, it really keeps me motivated on the project. I'll post updates soon!

 

mmmmm very good idea,i love the "Brinks" case, adds so much to the design

 

I never thought of doing somthing like this. Yet another idea to steal .

 

Project OutPost - Part III

Hey guys, I have a little update on the project. Sorry about some of the pictures, I had to take them in 10 minutes in order to get to work on time. So here we go...

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Here's all my hardware and that HUGE PSU running in the corner of my room.

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This is a pic of the wall plate I used to mount the ethernet jack flush on the sidewall of the box. I know I could have done it different but this was the easiest and cleanest way I thought of to mount it. Also you can see the cable that leads to the big AT power switch that's mounted on the lid. And I've been using the box as a toolbox until the hardware is mounted in there for good.

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Here's the side of the box with the ethernet jack mounted. I know it WAY CROOKED!! It's just temporarily placed there until I can go crazy with a ruler and drill the holes. You can kinda see what I want to do with the mesh now.

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Here's what I meant with the mesh theme. This is the top lid with the hard drive led and power led along with the switch. Is there another switch I could use in place of the funky AT one?? This is a terrible picture, and yes the box is still black, it's just the horrible lighting! Another thing is that the LED's and switch look way off center but the handle on the case slides from side to side so it's just an optical illusion.. whoo-ooo

That's all the updates for now. Hopefully in Part IV I will have the box finished and it looking sharp. Until then, keep on modding!

 

Looks great apart from the mesh at an odd angle, but nevermind.

You could use an illuminated switch from Bulgin. Just google for bulgin switches and it's the first link that comes up (from google.co.uk anyway). They're good quality and reasonably cheap.

 

Seconded; a vandal-resistant switch would look really good, though it might not quite fit with the mesh theme you've got. They're pretty sleek-looking.

Maybe something a little chunky and old-school? For some reason a fuse-box switch comes to mind (something like one of these, maybe).