dedicated router?

[mistafeesh]

I was advised to use separate computers for desktop use and firewall/routing. Presumably for security?

If I had a PC acting as a firewall/router, would it hurt to stick apache (and MySQL & PHP) on it too, and run it as a webserver, thereby freeing up my desktop linux box entirely for other stuff.

I could easily set it up to webserve from the same SMB mount the other linux box does at the moment. That'd mean it could access some files one the network - is this a bad idea? How bad? Could I get away with it without endangering my files?

(I started a new thread because the subject matter had changed a bit, and no-one seemed to be answering)

[ph34r]

You should still separate them, if possible. I don't... but then my router is one of those linksys specials.

You could maybe use UserMode Linux to run the servers, etc. on the router machine. Give some of the benefits of multiple machines...

[mistafeesh]

what's the benefit of keeping the webserver and router/firewall on separate machines?

[Hayl]

Originally posted by mistafeesh
what's the benefit of keeping the webserver and router/firewall on separate machines?

it is generally poor security to keep any data on a box that is a router or a firewall.

if you want to get into specifics as to why then i suggest reading "Real World Linx Security" by Bob Toxen.