FC4 as business-class router

[Scot L. Harris]

On Tue, 2006-01-17 at 14:10, Aaron O'Hara wrote:
> I have a client who has an office of 100 users who mostly use the
> network to access the Internet.  The number of users is expected to grow
> 30% each year and they want to add VPN functionality.  Their current
> router (Linksys) keeps requiring to be reset and I think it's time they
> upgrade to a business-class router, akin to the Cisco 1841 or something
> from SonicWall.  
> 
> After looking that the prices for these appliances, I was wondering if a
> PC-based router running FC4 (or similar, like CentOS) would be just as
> good/better/worse than the appliance?
> 
> My fear with a PC based router is that there are more chances for
> hardware failure given the increased number of parts.  Do people on this
> list have experience running PC-based routers serving 100-200 users for
> shared Internet and VPN?

Spend the money on a Cisco or similar router.  If price is a concern
check ebay.  In the long run you will have fewer headaches supporting a
dedicated device designed for the task.  

If you do go the PC route you will need to sort out the right equipment
to maintain the data rates you need for the device.  And most likely any
of that hardware you choose will be less reliable than a dedicated
appliance.