everything depends on needs...and probably the price. the switchcard I have in my router was only 30 euros (not ebay or something, regular price). we all can only give suggestions. I didn't say your option is bad either but I guess more expensive.
Holger > -----Original Message----- > From: Jim Thompson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:17 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [pfSense-discussion] Embedded hardware > > > > Understood, but a 1GHz c3 (on the box I showed) is a bit more > CPU than > the 233/266MHz Geode on the Soekris & WRAP boards. > > You'll probably get something approaching similar performance with > either solution. I don't know if you've got the software written to > control VLAN framing, packet filtering, etc with the 4-port > switch card > or not. If not, then pfSense is going to see this as a > single Ethernet > port, and all the traffic that stays "on" the switch will be > invisible > to pfSense. > > By bridging multiple NICs together, you can gain visibility (and > control) off all the traffic that passes through the box. > > I'm not saying that the 4-port switch card is "bad", or that > bridging > multiple NICs together is "better". Each application is different. > > I think a variant of pfSense that supported the 8 port GigE > switch card > that I pointed to would be really cool. > > Holger Bauer wrote: > > >If you bridge NICs and create a switch this way your > throughput will be limited by the bus and the CPU. If you use > a switchcard like I suggested the switch will take care of > the networktraffic between these ports. I get 90 mbit/s with > this card between t > he switchports though the firewall itself is only driven by a > pentium 233MMX. Of course, traffic going to other interfaces > will be limited by cpu speed and bus capacity. The card that > I suggested has 5 autouplink ports. So if a soekris 4801 is > fast enough > for your needs and you only want to have the switch > integrated this is an option to consider. > > > >Holger > > > > > > > >>-----Original Message----- > >>From: Jim Thompson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 10:57 PM > >>To: [email protected] > >>Subject: Re: [pfSense-discussion] Embedded hardware > >> > >> > >>Holger Bauer wrote: > >> > >> > >> > >>>Sorry, the link is in german but you should get the facts: > >>> > >>> > >>http://www.level-one.de/products3.php?sklop=14&id=520056 > >> > >> > >>>it's a NIC with integrated 5 port switch. If you use a > >>> > >>> > >>soekris 4801 you could add such a card to the PCI slot. I use > >>a similiar card with one of my routers ( > >>http://routerdesign.com/routers/36/pic02.jpg , > >>http://routerdesign.com/routers/36/pic04.jpg ). > >> > >> > >>>Holger > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>OK, my error. > >> > >>here is something similar (if not identical, I can't tell if > >>it has the > >>Kendin chip on it or not): http://www.outletpc.com/c3442.html > >> > >>But you could still potentially bridge the 5 (or 6) individual > >>interfaces in pfSense, and get something fairly 'switch > >>like', too. No? > >> > >>Also, using the card you describe, the forwarding rate is > going to be > >>limited when the packets have to pass through over the PCI bus. > >> > >>This is more interesting (especially in light of the recent > >>discussions): > >>http://www.dssnetworks.com/v3/gigabit_pcie_6468.asp > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > >____________ > >Virus checked by G DATA AntiVirusKit > > > > > > ____________ Virus checked by G DATA AntiVirusKit
