[svlug] firewall - pet project

[Ivan Sergio Borgonovo]

I'm looking for comments on my pet project, does it sound reasonable?

I've bought a new box so I'll be able to convert one more of my old 
one to Linux.

I would like to turn my Linux workstation P120, 16Mb RAM, 3Gb HD into 
a gateway/firewall based on kernel 2.4.
This box should also run Samba to share a couple of directories, 
Roaring Penguin PPPoE and eventually sendmail.

Before I start and I understand in the middle, my plan has something 
so terribly wrong I'll have to redo everything from the ground, I'm 
asking for opinions.

I've some doubts that my target is reasonable.

I'm not looking for extra-strong security but I've heard it is a 
really bad thing to run Samba on a firewall. How much is it a bad 
thing?

How can I compile the kernel on a P120??? will it take months?
Is it really a good idea to use kernel 2.4? I would like to start 
with ipfilters inspite of learning ipchains first.

I'm going to convert a PII 233 MHz to a Linux workstation, could I 
compile the kernel there or is it better I just let the P120 compile 
its own kernel?

Which step will make me cry, when I'll find myself without a GUI, a 
comfortable editor, with a half compiled kernel or some library 
missing.... etc...???

I can start from a RH 6.0 CD (or a Suse 7.0 CD soon) but I could also 
burn an iso image of any other flavour available on the net.

I kindly admit my relationships with linux boxes have always been 
mediated by Gnome and some pretty user friendly configuration tools 
(or at least XEmacs) with really few exceptions.

Am I missing any non obvious HOW-TO?

*BSD is not in my schedule currently.

I hope my questions sound stupid just cos I'm a newbie ;)
Any attempt to just improve the quality of the questions will be 
appreciated as any long generous encyclopedic answer.

TIA
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Ivan Sergio Borgonovo mail at gorilla.it
Webmaster Gorilla.it http://www.gorilla.it
Tel. +39 2 26149225/26149008 Fax. +39 2 26149657
Via d'Apulia 11, 20125 Milano, Italy
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