AES Upgrade Project
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So, my currently little pfSense J1900 (non-AES) box is coming up for involuntary redundancy soon and I was looking to replace it with something that has AES support and that involves at least a modicum of tinkering/building, rather then an all-in-one-box solution.
I have looked through many different builds and options including:
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Qotom - v small, but old cpu/hardware and not very "tinkerable",
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netgate - same on the "tinkerable" score and more expensive, but better support
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Local PC shops using ITX gear - HUGE size compared to other options (7litre+ cases) and lack of ITX options in Australia (esp the Western side) means expensive options, but it IS very "tinkerable".
So I have finally come across an option which seems to be the best compromise of size, cost, tinkering and availability (for me) and I'll like to hear anyone else's opinion/suggestions on the choice.
So, my current choice is a:
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Shuttle DH110 XPC - has both an i211 and i219 port, is only 1.7litres, takes most Kaby Lake and Skylake CPUs, and is barebones enough to let me tinker/build. (Note this is NOT the DH110SE, which supports DDR4, but only 1 LAN port)
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A G3900 CPU - it is cheap, available and Skylake (Kaby Lake is only supported via a firmware upgrade… which you need a cpu to ) complete....
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It supports the DDR3 SODIMM RAM in my current pfSense box, so I can just swap it over
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And I can also use my current SSD.
The cost comes in at about AU$360 all up delivered to my door, which compares very favourably with every other option I have looked at.
On the plus side, it is upgradable if I ever wish to do so in the future, on the down side it has 2 fans, so it is not completely silent like the fanless options.
Has any one gotten their hands on a DH110 recently? I'd love to confirm the firmware they ship with, Shuttle Tech Support is a little… quiet.
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