Xref: utzoo comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc:318 comp.protocols.tcp-ip:2587
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!hplabs!hp-pcd!uoregon!jqj
From: jqj@uoregon.UUCP (JQ Johnson)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.ibmpc,comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: KA9Q as an IP router?
Message-ID: <1585@uoregon.UUCP>
Date: 19 Feb 88 15:12:50 GMT
Reply-To: jqj@drizzle.UUCP (JQ Johnson)
Organization: University of Oregon, Computer Science, Eugene OR
Lines: 23
Summary: looking for experience with cheap routers

Has anyone made any serious effort to use a PC with two Ethernet
interfaces as an IP router?  My impression is that the KA9Q code
is about 95% there to make this possible.  Such a beast would be
very nice if possible, since current commercial routers (CISCO,
Proteon, Bridge, etc.) all cost in the $9K or more range; one
could configure a 12MHz PC-AT clone with disk, memory, 2 Ethernets,
etc. for substantially under $2K.  One would not expect performance
to be comparable to that of a P4200 or CISCO, but for some
applications that would not be a problem.

My questions:
1/ is anyone actually doing this?  What sorts of packet forwarding
   rates do you get on what hardware?
2/ what are the current limitations on the KA9Q code that make
   this idea unfeasible?  I haven't looked at KA9Q in a while;
   does a current version have (1) support for any Ethernet I/F
   except 3C501?  (2) packet frag/reassembly?  (3) support for
   a range of routing protocols (RIP, HELO, EGP)?  (4) all the
   other things RFC1009 says a gateway has to do properly?
3/ has anyone considered doing this based on one of the other
   IP implementations for the PC?
4/ Is there any commercial product I've missed that provides a
   cheap (under $5K) moderate-performance IP router?