FREESCO
Encyclopedia
FREESCO is a free replacement for commercial routers supporting up to 10 Ethernet
/ARCnet
/Token ring/Arlan
network cards and up to .
based router, which means that the entire system will run from a 1.44 MB floppy disk. It is also possible to run it entirely from RAM
, in which case no disk activity occurs after startup. FREESCO works on any IBM
compatible PC
(i386 compatible spec or higher) and can be optionally installed to a hard disk
. In practice this means Intel 80486SX
or better, with 12 MByte. Preferably more than 16 MByte to enable servers.
The software is based on Linux
, using a 2.0.39 Linux kernel
(or 2.0.40).
The first major version of FREESCO was v0.2.7, originally made by Serguei Storozhevykh and continuously improved by Lewis 'Lightning' Baughman. Since then, the software has improved substantially and comes with many server programs, but many more can be downloaded and installed. Configuration is designed to be simple enough for those with minimal networking knowledge, but also very flexible.
The current version is v0.4.3
The configuration system is designed to be very easy to understand and use, without being restrictive; FREESCO's setup utility uses a system of informative menus and prompts, with almost no need for the manual editing of configuration files. All the above listed features can be easily enabled, disabled and configured through the setup utility, and are included on the floppy disk (with a small amount of room to spare).
Additionally, FREESCO comes with a package management utility similar to Debian
(pkg -i ...), allowing the installation of software packages (those designed specifically for FREESCO only). Many such packages are available; for example it is possible to install the Apache HTTP Server
, mail servers such as exim
and the Windows Networking server "Samba
".
FREESCO can mount partitions that use the FAT/FAT32 and Linux ext2 filesystems, and in conjunction with HTTP/FTP/Samba servers can be used as a robust file server.
FREESCO comes with drivers for several popular network and modem cards (both ISA and PCI), and extra drivers are available for many other cards.
FREESCO does not at present support load-balancing.
FREESCO does not support USB.
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
/ARCnet
ARCNET
ARCNET is a local area network protocol, similar in purpose to Ethernet or Token Ring. ARCNET was the first widely available networking system for microcomputers and became popular in the 1980s for office automation tasks...
/Token ring/Arlan
Aironet ARLAN
ARLAN is a family of both proprietary non-802.11 and 802.11-compliant wireless networking technologies developed and marketed by Aironet Wireless Communications in the 1990s prior to Aironet's acquisition by Cisco Systems. Operating in the 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz ISM bands and offering a nominal 2.0...
network cards and up to .
General description
FREESCO is a floppy diskFloppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
based router, which means that the entire system will run from a 1.44 MB floppy disk. It is also possible to run it entirely from RAM
Ram
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
, in which case no disk activity occurs after startup. FREESCO works on any IBM
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
compatible PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
(i386 compatible spec or higher) and can be optionally installed to a hard disk
Hard disk
A hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
. In practice this means Intel 80486SX
Intel 80486SX
The Intel's i486SX was a modified Intel 486DX microprocessor with its floating-point unit disconnected. All early 486SX chips were actually i486DX chips with a defective FPU...
or better, with 12 MByte. Preferably more than 16 MByte to enable servers.
The software is based on Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, using a 2.0.39 Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
(or 2.0.40).
The first major version of FREESCO was v0.2.7, originally made by Serguei Storozhevykh and continuously improved by Lewis 'Lightning' Baughman. Since then, the software has improved substantially and comes with many server programs, but many more can be downloaded and installed. Configuration is designed to be simple enough for those with minimal networking knowledge, but also very flexible.
The current version is v0.4.3
Features
At present FREESCO allows the following out of the box:- Ethernet bridging
- Ethernet routing
- Internet connection sharing (through NATNetwork address translationIn computer networking, network address translation is the process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device....
) of:- Dialup connections
- DSL connections (including PPPoE and PPtP)
- Leased lineLeased lineA leased line is a service contract between a provider and a customer, whereby the provider agrees to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two or more locations in exchange for a monthly rent . It is sometimes known as a 'Private Circuit' or 'Data Line' in the UK or as CDN in Italy...
connections
- Firewall
- Dial-in server
- HTTPHypertext Transfer ProtocolThe Hypertext Transfer Protocol is a networking protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web....
and FTPFile Transfer ProtocolFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
servers - DNSDomain name systemThe Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
and DHCPDynamic Host Configuration ProtocolThe Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a network configuration protocol for hosts on Internet Protocol networks. Computers that are connected to IP networks must be configured before they can communicate with other hosts. The most essential information needed is an IP address, and a default...
servers - SSHSecure ShellSecure Shell is a network protocol for secure data communication, remote shell services or command execution and other secure network services between two networked computers that it connects via a secure channel over an insecure network: a server and a client...
server - Time serverNetwork Time ProtocolThe Network Time Protocol is a protocol and software implementation for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. Originally designed by David L...
- Print serverLine Printer Daemon protocolThe Line Printer Daemon protocol/Line Printer Remote protocol is a network protocol for submitting print jobs to a remote printer. The original implementation of LPD was in the Berkeley printing system in the BSD UNIX operating system; the LPRng project also supports that protocol...
(LPD)
The configuration system is designed to be very easy to understand and use, without being restrictive; FREESCO's setup utility uses a system of informative menus and prompts, with almost no need for the manual editing of configuration files. All the above listed features can be easily enabled, disabled and configured through the setup utility, and are included on the floppy disk (with a small amount of room to spare).
Additionally, FREESCO comes with a package management utility similar to Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
(pkg -i ...), allowing the installation of software packages (those designed specifically for FREESCO only). Many such packages are available; for example it is possible to install the Apache HTTP Server
Apache HTTP Server
The Apache HTTP Server, commonly referred to as Apache , is web server software notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. In 2009 it became the first web server software to surpass the 100 million website milestone...
, mail servers such as exim
Exim
Exim is a mail transfer agent used on Unix-like operating systems. Exim is free software distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License, and it aims to be a general and flexible mailer with extensive facilities for checking incoming e-mail....
and the Windows Networking server "Samba
Samba (software)
Samba is a free software re-implementation, originally developed by Andrew Tridgell, of the SMB/CIFS networking protocol. As of version 3, Samba provides file and print services for various Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Windows Server domain, either as a Primary Domain...
".
FREESCO can mount partitions that use the FAT/FAT32 and Linux ext2 filesystems, and in conjunction with HTTP/FTP/Samba servers can be used as a robust file server.
FREESCO comes with drivers for several popular network and modem cards (both ISA and PCI), and extra drivers are available for many other cards.
Limitations
More recent versions of Linux software (e.g. Apache 2) are often not available for FREESCO because they are not compatible with FREESCO's kernel. Also, newer hardware (such as Gigabit Ethernet cards) may not be usable under FREESCO due to an absence of their drivers for the 2.0.x Linux kernel.FREESCO does not at present support load-balancing.
FREESCO does not support USB.