[kwlug-disc] IPCop (and friends) vs hardware router

[Andrew Kohlsmith (Mailing List Account)]

On June 19, 2009 09:34:12 am john at netdirect.ca wrote:
> It was often used to suggest that it was better than a "software" version.
> The only hardware firewall I can think of was designed to prevent the
> spread of fire.

Actually there was a specific hardware device (I believe) called an airgap 
router... it quite literally disconnected the WAN side when speaking to the 
LAN side, and vice-versa.

Totally useless, but such a thing did exist.  :-)

> I think the terms "consumer firewall", "consumer router" or "Internet
> gateway device" are more self-descriptive.

Totally agreed, although there is some significant hardware assistance on the 
high-end stuff.  Custom ASICs that partially decode the frames and route them 
without the CPU knowing, and so on.

-A.