On the hardware firewall front... After using my Linksys wrt54gs w/ Sveasoft Satori for a few months now, I enthusiastically recommend it as a firewall/router. It's running IPtables, a compact no-hassle appliance, and highly configurable if you want it to be. So why waste a full blown PC running linux?
Because the Sveasoft firmware on Linksys routers, as good and as featureful as it is, does not even come remotely close to offering the same level of protection, configurability, performance, stability, or robustness as a full Linux-based gateway/firewall distribution. At the end of the day, the Linksys, good as it is, is still a home-user grade solution.
That being said, if a person is unwilling or unable to dedicate the time/space/hardware to do things right, equipment such as the Linksys WRT54G w/ 3rd-party firmware is an acceptable second alternative.
Greg
