Some hardware advice needed
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Depends on your packages.
Some people have managed this, others have a working full install on CF and some of us have found working Microdrives and use those.
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I would really be interested on the full install with cf.
If necessary I could use a usb stick for writable filesystem.
Any pointers on howtos for that? -
Just do the full install. If you're using a cheap (domestic) grade CF then it'll fail after some unknown amount of time ;)
Better to try to find a compatible Microdrive - if you search the forum you'll find many threads.
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Ok then I just bought a 4 gig hitachi microdrive.
According to some threads here they are known to work so good luck to me :P
Another question I wanted to ask is regarding the install procedure.
Should I use a usb cdrom and boot from the install cd or is there some other way?
I am asking because I am not sure whether alix boards actually support booting from cd. -
You can either boot from USB CD (if the board supports it) or put the Microdrive into a CF adapter on another host and install there.
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Does it matter what kind of cf-ide adapter to choose?
Also after I have the OS installed I guess the boot needs to be changed to accomodate the device change right?
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Yes. If you pay peanuts you'll get cheap and nasty. Some of the cheap and nasty adapters don't work well (I've seen problems with them not supporting booting - for any OS).
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The boot order of the BIOS yes. The boot order on the OS maybe.
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Well I don't actually need to be able to boot from the cf-ide adapter.
All I need is to have it recognize my microdrive and let me install the OS from bootable cd.
Then I remove the microdrive and install it on the ALIX board.
That means all I need is to make sure the microdrive is recognized right? -
Yes, even a USB-CF adapter should do.
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I run a 40g 2.5" drive inside the standard ALIX case with a full install of pfSense including squidGuard. The ALIX has plenty of power for web filtering in a small office. The hard drive is fastened to the case top with double sided thermal tape, and a 6" 44 pin ide cable connects the drive.(no separate power required) If you want to see pictures they are available here: http://www.geardiary.com/2008/02/17/a-open-source-router…with-more-power-the-lx800-40-review/
On an ALIX, a full install of pfSense uses less than 10 watts of power, with the cost of electricity these days it will pay for itself in about 18 months. If you don't want to enjoy the fun of doing it yourself you can buy a pre-assembled firewall at http://nw-ds.com/products/firewall/lx800-40.html For those that enjoy assembling hardware, instructions for setting up pfSense on an ALIX with an IDE drive are available at http://forum.pfsense.org/index.php/topic,13509.0.html
