Physical Or Virtual Smoothwall

[ascorbic]

I really want to get a smoothwall box up and running to replace my routers. I also have an openfiler box set up for NAS. I am considering combining them on a beefy machine running ESX. And if I am running ESX, I will be making the most of it so I will have a windows and linux server running on there as well. One machine, four hosts.

Here is the setup I am considering:

Case: Casetronic TE-1160 Rackmount Mini-ITX Case http://www.logicsupply.com/products/te_1160

Motherboard: ZOTAC H55ITX-A-E LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Mini ITX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813500043

CPU: Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115214

Memory: I'll start off with a 1x4gig then add a second when prices come down some.

Ohh yeah and a quad port intel pci-express nic. Probably via ebay to keep costs down.

So I will have eight threads to play with and eventually eight gigs of ram for four hosts. Seems like enough, but should I worry being that a core networking service (routing) is virtualized (and virtualized on a box with NAS, windows/linux servers)?

Have any better recommendations?

Edited May 8, 2010 by ascorbic

[Infiltrator]

I really want to get a smoothwall box up and running to replace my routers. I also have an openfiler box set up for NAS. I am considering combining them on a beefy machine running ESX. And if I am running ESX, I will be making the most of it so I will have a windows and linux server running on there as well. One machine, four hosts.

Here is the setup I am considering:

Case: Casetronic TE-1160 Rackmount Mini-ITX Case http://www.logicsupply.com/products/te_1160

Motherboard: ZOTAC H55ITX-A-E LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI Mini ITX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813500043

CPU: Intel Core i7-860 Lynnfield 2.8GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115214

Memory: I'll start off with a 1x4gig then add a second when prices come down some.

Ohh yeah and a quad port intel pci-express nic. Probably via ebay to keep costs down.

So I will have eight threads to play with and eventually eight gigs of ram for four hosts. Seems like enough, but should I worry being that a core networking service (routing) is virtualized (and virtualized on a box with NAS, windows/linux servers)?

Have any better recommendations?

I have a similar project of my own too. My server will have dual processors, 12 to 16 gigs of ram, a couple of SSDs, intel FCOE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) network adapter.

It will be acting as a file server with 4tb of storage capacity in a raid 10 configuration, with a couple of VMs running as well. I also plan to implement other services like web server, ftp server and a database server.

Edited May 8, 2010 by Infiltrator

[Sparda]

For the purposes of security physical separation is always better.

[ascorbic]

I have a similar project of my own too. My server will have dual processors, 12 to 16 gigs of ram, a couple of SSDs, intel FCOE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) network adapter.

It will be acting as a file server with 4tb of storage capacity in a raid 10 configuration, with a couple of VMs running as well. I also plan to implement other services like web server, ftp server and a database server.

Can you give me more hardware details? Links? Server Porn? Sounds like you are doing a real server, I was considering that, but I also want a relatively quiet, low power drawing machine.

For the purposes of security physical separation is always better.

I agree, but so far in practice I haven't seen hacks which were executed solely because of virtualization, have you?

[Sparda]

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/688

Kind of old, but, like all software, virtual machien software will have flaws in it, and ultimately the VM software is running on the host.

[ascorbic]

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/688

Kind of old, but, like all software, virtual machien software will have flaws in it, and ultimately the VM software is running on the host.

ESX hasn't been affected by these types of hacks, I think this is because ESX is a bare OS, nothing much to compromise.

[Matt Lestock]

If you have a virtual machine with enough network interfaces, there's no reason to purchase a whole new machine.

Smoothwall's resource utilization is extremely low, and I've deployed a good number of "virtual routers" on top of esxi.

Otherwise, you can get a barebones solution if you like, but there's no real advantageous reason to.

[Infiltrator]

Can you give me more hardware details? Links? Server Porn? Sounds like you are doing a real server, I was considering that, but I also want a relatively quiet, low power drawing machine.

I agree, but so far in practice I haven't seen hacks which were executed solely because of virtualization, have you?

No porn my friend, it solely for testing, hacking, development these sort of stuff. For the hardware details, below are the specs for my server system.

Motherboard specs can be found at this link

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=k81cpN8uEB01BpQ6

SSDs

http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/index.htm

Raid controller add on card

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/96619/HARD_DIS...oint/RR3530.asp

[h3%5kr3w]

... holy shit it's Matt Lestock. Been a long time man. How's it goin?

On the other (main thread note).

I guess you could say it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't type of thing. Extra cost/thread use on that server for that one extra smoothwall vm, or extra cost for that extra computer.

If you'r that worried about the security side of it, go grab the cheapest dual core atom server you can find and use it for the smoothwall. TBH it's most probably cheaper if you build it yourself, but if you want a prebuilt solution, just newegg search for it. I believe they are in the $300 to $400 price range, (no hdd/ram/front video or dvd/cd ports on the front). If you build it, you could probably kick it well @ around $300 flat for a low power, low memory machine. I mean how much do you really need/want smoothwall to do anyways?

**edit**

here's your Rackmount box for $279.99 + Free Shipping (shit I am really thinking about buying this one myself.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16816101262

Spec:

CPU Type Intel Atom 330 Dual-Core 1.6GHz processor FSB 533MHz Chipset North Bridge Intel 945GC South Bridge ICH7R

Memory Supported: 2 x 240Pin Max Memory Supported 2GB

Memory Type Supported Supports unbuffered, non-ECC DDR2 667*/533/400MHz memory

DIMM Sizes: 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2GB

* Perform up to System Bus speed at 533MHz

Channel Supported Single / Dual Channel

Storage : ATA 1x ATA 33/66/100 Serial ATA 4 x SATA 300 SATA RAID RAID 0/1/5/10

Graphics

GPU/VPU GMA950

First LAN Realtek RTL8111C-GR

Second LAN Realtek RTL8111C-GR

Max. LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps

Power Supply

Max. Power 200W Low Noise AC-DC power supply with PFC

Physical SPEC

Form Factor 1U

Dimensions 17.2" x 9.8" x 1.7"

Weight 10 lbs.

Manufacturer Warranty

Parts 1 year limited

Labor 3 years limited

Edited May 14, 2010 by h3%5kr3w

[ascorbic]

If you have a virtual machine with enough network interfaces, there's no reason to purchase a whole new machine.

Smoothwall's resource utilization is extremely low, and I've deployed a good number of "virtual routers" on top of esxi.

Otherwise, you can get a barebones solution if you like, but there's no real advantageous reason to.

Sweet, thanks, this is the reassurance I was looking for. I am all about consolidation.

No porn my friend, it solely for testing, hacking, development these sort of stuff. For the hardware details, below are the specs for my server system.

Motherboard specs can be found at this link

http://usa.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=k81cpN8uEB01BpQ6

SSDs

http://www.intel.com/design/flash/nand/mainstream/index.htm

Raid controller add on card

http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/96619/HARD_DIS...oint/RR3530.asp

Sweet motherboard

... holy shit it's Matt Lestock. Been a long time man. How's it goin?

On the other (main thread note).

I guess you could say it's a damned if you do, damned if you don't type of thing. Extra cost/thread use on that server for that one extra smoothwall vm, or extra cost for that extra computer.

If you'r that worried about the security side of it, go grab the cheapest dual core atom server you can find and use it for the smoothwall. TBH it's most probably cheaper if you build it yourself, but if you want a prebuilt solution, just newegg search for it. I believe they are in the $300 to $400 price range, (no hdd/ram/front video or dvd/cd ports on the front). If you build it, you could probably kick it well @ around $300 flat for a low power, low memory machine. I mean how much do you really need/want smoothwall to do anyways?

**edit**

here's your Rackmount box for $279.99 + Free Shipping (shit I am really thinking about buying this one myself.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16816101262

Spec:

CPU Type Intel Atom 330 Dual-Core 1.6GHz processor FSB 533MHz Chipset North Bridge Intel 945GC South Bridge ICH7R

Memory Supported: 2 x 240Pin Max Memory Supported 2GB

Memory Type Supported Supports unbuffered, non-ECC DDR2 667*/533/400MHz memory

DIMM Sizes: 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2GB

* Perform up to System Bus speed at 533MHz

Channel Supported Single / Dual Channel

Storage : ATA 1x ATA 33/66/100 Serial ATA 4 x SATA 300 SATA RAID RAID 0/1/5/10

Graphics

GPU/VPU GMA950

First LAN Realtek RTL8111C-GR

Second LAN Realtek RTL8111C-GR

Max. LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps

Power Supply

Max. Power 200W Low Noise AC-DC power supply with PFC

Physical SPEC

Form Factor 1U

Dimensions 17.2" x 9.8" x 1.7"

Weight 10 lbs.

Manufacturer Warranty

Parts 1 year limited

Labor 3 years limited

Nice machine and the price is great, if I was going physical I'd probably do this.