[KLUG Members] Meeting 2004-01-27 - freeSCO

[members@kalamazoolinux.org]

FREESCO (stands for FREE ciSCO) is a free replacement for commercial
routers supporting up to 3 ethernet/arcnet/token_ring/arlan network
cards and up to 2 modems. Why should you use Freesco? * Ease of use -
it's insanely easy to set up * Thoroughly documented - it's more or less
self contained, read one doc and you're off and running. * Like most
players in this field, it runs off one floppy * Freesco runs in as
little as 6 Mb RAM. * Unique Web Control Panel Freesco was developed in
the open source tradition as an alternative to routing products offered
by Cisco, 3-Com, Accend, Nortel etc. All of these companies offer
products that are well made, but they are also both proprietary and
expensive. Between the cost of the equipment and support, you'll spend a
great deal and only address one or two of your networking needs.
Additionally, by being closed source (proprietary), many of these
products restrict the user from modifying the source software to better
suit their needs and easily fix problems that arise. Freesco is based on
the Linux operating system and incorporates many of the features of a
full operating system into software that fits on a single 1.44 meg
floppy diskette. With Freesco, you can make: * a simple bridge with up
to 3 Ethernet segments * a router with up to 3 Ethernet segments * a
dialup line router * a leased line router * an Ethernet router * a
dial-in server with up to 2 modems * a time server * a dhcp server * a
http server * a print server (requires TCP/IP printing client software)
Freesco also incorporates firewalling and NAT which are resident within
the Linux kernel to help protect you and your network. All of these
features can be used in conjunction with each other or individually.
Some technical info: * Linux 2.0.38 + IP masqueradr * DHCP server
(Internet Software Consortium) * DNS server (Internet Software
Consortium BIND v4) * Web server (ACME Labs thttpd) * Time server
(proprietary) * Print server (Steve Flynn) * dial-in server * up to 3
ethernet cards (most cards supported by linux) * up to 2 modems Control
via: telnet, web, console. 


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Coming to three meetings qualifies you as a full member of KLUG, meaning 
that you can participate in the process of making formal decisions, including 
voting for officers.

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Our meeting place, THIS TUESDAY at 7 PM is:

The Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce in beautiful downtown Kalamazoo.

Maps and directions can be found at
http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/meetings/maps.php3

All are welcome.

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The KLUG web site is:

    http://www.kalamazoolinux.org/