[SOLVED] Cheap Box that meets requirements

[rubantin]

I am a newb here, but have been impressed by what I see.

I have setup firewalls for several of the schools I have worked at using IPCop. I used minimal old xp thinclients to do the job. I am now doing contract repair work on the side and want to replace a sonicwall unit with one that has OPNsense on it. The business has 7 workstations and a Windows 2008 server.

I am looking for a recommendation for an inexpensive good looking box to install OPNsense on for the business.

Any Recommendations?

[jschellevis]

It does depends on what you call cheap, but take a look at these:

Cheapest with Gbit ports we offer:
https://www.applianceshop.eu/opnsense-small-ghz.html

Dutch Design, High Quality with Intel Gbit ports:
https://www.applianceshop.eu/opnsense-a10-dual-core-desktop.html

Alternatively you can alway convert an old pc to OPNsense ;-)

Cheers,

JOs

[rubantin]

unfortunately that is about twice as much as I was hoping to spend :(

I am fine with a box with no OS and installing and configuring myself...

[HrvojeS]

Hello rubantin,

Here are at least three posts discussing hardware suitable for OPNsense:

https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=1502.msg4566#msg4566
https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=260.msg955#msg955
https://forum.opnsense.org/index.php?topic=673.msg2033#msg2033

If you use the search function, you may find a lot more. I personally have a Biostar Viotech 3100+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138187) that I picked up a long time ago for USD$90. My choice in this was because of Via Padlock which gave OpenVPN access to hardware AES encryption to reduce CPU usage. Along with the case it was under $150.

You'll find a lot of basic options for under $200 if you just dig a little. Hope this helps. Best regards,

Hrv

[rubantin]

Thanks. I am working with a small business with 7 workstations, the only access to the internet is for surfing and updates. The dental software resides on the server and has no interaction off site. I would be using the appliance between the server and the modem. With this being the case, what kind of hard drive space and CPU power would I really need?

[HrvojeS]

Hello rubantin,

I am a newb here too (less than 10 days) and also am impressed at what I see. I have been using pfSense as my home firewall since 2008 (1.2.1) and am currently testing OPNsense in VMs as a permanent replacement. I'm here because my requirements include multi-wan functionality and OpenVPN implementation on edge.

For possibly cheapest embedded solution you should look here: http://pcengines.ch/apu1d4.htm

Even though I'd like to, I do not own any of their products. I don't think you'll find anything cheaper than that. If you want cheaper, you should look for used old Linksys routers, or even any generic computer store off-the-shelf routers will do, as OPNsense may be an overkill for your simple implementation.

Hope this helps. Best regards,

Hrv

[franco]

A warm welcome to both of you. :)

You can also get away with older workstation (or set-top boxes) PCs and a PCI(e) card extension like the Intel 1000/PRO to bring the ethernet port count to two or three total. Make sure they have 1 GB of RAM (that requirement comes with our FreeBSD base system setup), everything else should be ok on any 5-8 yo hardware.

[rubantin]

Why is a 40 gigabyte SSD a minimum requirement? How important is 40 gigabyte, and how important is the speed of a SSD? Would a 16 gigabyte SD card be sufficient?

[franco]

40 GB SSD for proxy caching, logs and other things in larger setups. You can get a away with 2 GB if needed.

If you can, try to use the USB installer to bring the system onto the SD card on the target system itself. If not, the Nano image has a preinstalled system for direct flashing. With the Nano image, the RAM can be as low as 512 MB for normal operation, because it skips the installer. :)

[rubantin]

So. memory speed is not really an issue for a small business? Keep in mind that this business only uses the internet for backups, updates, email and surfing.

[franco]

If we are talking 100M and below that's no issue. :)

[rubantin]

i just ordered this:



Order Placed: November 6, 2015
Amazon.com order
Order Total: $238.17

1 of: PicoPSU-90, Cyncronix 90W 12V DC-DC ATX mini-ITX                         
$28.94

1 of: ADATA USA Premier Pro SP600 2.5-Inch 64 GB SATA III Synchronous NAND SSD ASP600S3-64GM-C
$38.99

1 of: Kingston HyperX Impact Black 4GB 1600MHz DDR3L CL9 SODIMM 1.35V Laptop Memory (HX316LS9IB/4)
$22.99

1 of: Gigabyte Built-In Intel Celeron J1900 (2.0 GHz) Dual LAN Mini ITX DDR3 1333 NA Motherboard GA-J1900N-D3V
$89.99

1 of: Kastar LCD AC Adapter 12V 6A with 3-Prong Power Cord Power Supply for LCD Monitor and LCD TV
Sold by: LE Tech (seller profile)
$8.50

1 of: M350 Universal Mini-ITX PC enclosure PicoPSU compatible;
$44.50


Payment information
Item(s) Subtotal:   $233.91
Shipping & Handling:   $0.00
   -----
Total before tax:   $233.91
Estimated tax to be collected:   $4.26
   -----
Grand Total:   $238.17

[franco]

Looks promising, let us know how it performs. :)

[rubantin]

What do you all think of this option for future referece?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TD8MTFY?refRID=JKASFWPB77V21VCEE237&ref_=pd_lutyp_simh_2_4

[jmvelez]

This unit is $215 and very good quality.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/BAS-High-Performance-Core-Router-Intel-D525-1-8Ghz-dual-core-support-ROS-Mikrotik-PFSense-Panabit/2053826581.html