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I want to build a linux based Firewall/Router/WAP from a PC that I have.

Here is what I want.

  1. Act as a firewall where I can deny all incoming traffic except what I want
  2. Allow me to run servers with public IP's and also have a private subnet for my internal machines.
  3. Act as my DNS
  4. Put in a Wireless card and use it to give wireless to my apartment.
  5. Put in a few large hard drives for storage, but not have it accessible to the outside, just private IP's
  6. This box can also host a few very small web domains
  7. Host a small amount of e-mail serving.
  8. Maybe do some Load Balancing

7 and 8 are optional. I know it is not the best idea to run all of this on a single box, but my apartment is small and my wife wont tolerate a server rack. I can have a few boxes (which I have 2 already that host some sites.)

Can any provide a tutorial. I know how to do some of this and I know the box needs multiple NIC's, etc. I know more about CentOS than any other distro.

What sort of specs RAM wise would be OK? The box I have goes up to 4GB.

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There doesn't exist a tutorial that happens to cover everything you require, however there are tutorials for each of the aspects you need. Google would be the best place to start, then return with more specific questions. – Paul Nov 24 '11 at 0:09
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To add a little bit more to Paul's comment, each point is pretty much a completely different program and configuration within whatever linux distro you choose, meaning each is a different tutorial/walkthrough. There also are dozens of programs out there that can do those things. If you want recommendations for each program, you should have a separate question that iterates exactly what you are looking for in each case, such as the features you need for DNS, or the types of load balancing you want to do. – MaQleod Nov 24 '11 at 0:53
You might also consider moving a few of these to another box, such as the email serving and NAS storage. In my opinion, it is best to let your router just route and have a second server setup for email and storage. – MaQleod Nov 24 '11 at 0:53
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FollowUp to above texts. Situation even worse: for best results different jobs may want different distros or maybe OSes! For router-NAT-Firewall I'll select Vyatta, NAS will build with FreeNAS8 (FreeBSD), common-usage server have wider choice (for me): CentOS|Fedora|Gentoo|Ubuntu Server|ALT Linux 6.0 Centaurus (very personal preference) – Lazy Badger Nov 24 '11 at 10:33

closed as not a real question by Paul, Sathya♦ Nov 24 '11 at 13:42

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.