Smoothwall vs M0n0wall: A comparison

When it comes to a firewall, most people are fine with a consumer grade solution like a Linksys, Netgear or D-Link “router,” but I find these devices lacking in features that I want and speed that I need. Instead, I use a retired server that my boss gave me. With a Pentium II 200MHz processor and 1GB of RAM, this machine is way more powerful than the standard cable/dsl router you might pick up from Circuit City or Best Buy, and thanks to Free software, has features those other devices can only dream about. Here, I’ll look at two prominent solutions, Smoothwall Express 3.0 and M0n0wall 1.231.