Hardware

[EDIT]Dont think its safe enough, even if it works, to run routersoftware in a virtual machine under windows....just feels wrong. So dont bother with it unless you are bored [/EDIT]

My small ALIX burned today, dont know how much is damaged, but I feel maybe these small pc's aren't as reliable as a real pc. Maybe I was just unlucky (friday 13th and all), but I've almost never had a real pc breakdown of all pc's I've had during the years.

So, I dont want to spend money on another stupid mini-pc that will burn up and you have to go over the process of spending hour after hour finding all compatible parts and where to order and cardwriters and all the mess....I would like to have my XP fileserver with a few extra NIC's and a wireless AP as the router.

Would it be possible you think? Its a 3000+ acting fileserver, so for sure it should have the power, I just dont know if its possible or practical installing m0n0wall virtually under lets say virtualpc or some other similar program.
Cause of course it will not work installing as is just as a application in windows...that would kind of be to easy

Could probably have some software on my OpenBSD webserver also, but dont like the idea of having webserver and router on same machine....also its to tight to fit more NIC's in it.

Anyone?

Or maybe I could ditch the OpenBSD webserver, move it to a virtual OpenBSD (virtualpc maybe) in my XP fileserver, and use the VIA Mini-ITX as a router with m0n0 or ipcop or similar.
THAT would at least work, and probably still be pretty secure....probably better than trying to run a router in XP. Only downside is the VIA webserver only has two interfaces, and no place to put in a wireless....unless you can get a USB wireless that can act as an AP on its own interface.....hmm.....

EDIT: Or just buy a AP and plug into a VLAN-protected port in my 8-port switch.
Just wonder if a virtual OpenBSD webserver in Virtualpc might be a security risk for the  hosting XP fileserver....really dont want that machine to be compromised, but if I install OpenBSD all default and dont care about php, just open port 80 for it and have html on it, it should be like impossible to hack I guess...specially if I put another NIC in the fileserver and have VirtualPC use just that on its own VLAN network.