In the Usenet newsgroup alt.os.linux.gentoo, in article
<dhj0hg$3pj$1@nemesis.news.tpi.pl>, Mack Maverick wrote:

>I have a compact machine, which can be physically equipped with only one
>ethernet controler (no usb-ethernet possible since it doesn't support
>usb. I'm thinking about converting it into a "home-use router/web
>testing server" becouse it consumes the same amount of power as a
>lightbulb :P

I have light bulbs from 4 Watts to 250 Watts in normal use, and there is
a 400 Watt security light that is occasionally used. That's a pretty
large spread. ;-)

Look at the newsgroup 'comp.os.linux.networking' for a thread titled
"Router Recommendations" where we discuss the relative costs. Briefly,
I use an old 386SX-16 that was once a laptop, without a display or
keyboard, and it takes about 30 VA. For a year, that's 263 KWH, and
costs about US$19.30 a year. If you have a 150 Watt desktop, the
consumption would be five times higher - 1315 KWH and in my case
US$96.50.

>The question is - can I route the signal from my ISP using this machine
>with one ethernet controller, a switch and miles of the ethernet cable?

From a security standpoint, the key is the switch. This will separate
the local packets from those for the ISP at only a minor loss of
bandwidth. The drawback is that the broadcast packets may still make
it through the switch, and seeing this traffic may annoy the ISP.
It would be better to use two NICs, but this can work. At the same time,
as a personal opinion - I do not like to run anything except the firewall
code on the firewall. Extra code running is extra code that _could_ be
exploited.

Old guy