14 thoughts on - Mini PCs

• I would take something similar to this:
  https://www.zotac.com/product/mini_pcs/zbox-ci323-nano
  (for this zbox I can tell you, that it works with CentOS, as I have one configured as firewall/router)

• Hello Walter,

  This might become off-topic with my reply, but I’m curious: is there any specific software you’re running from CentOS on your zbox in order to manage the rooter features?

  I currently use, between my xDSL box and my LAN machines, an ATX-format box running a pretty old GNU/Linux system with a Jay’s Firewall setup but I’d like to replace it w/ a fanless small barebone like the Zotac CI327: minimum hardware and cost but it has 2 LAN connectors – that’s my point for rooting at home: WAN <-> xDSL modem <-> rooter-linux-box <->
  LAN <-> local machines.

  Regards,

• SSH?

  this zbox has in comparison to the CI323 a different CPU, which I don’t know if this is supported by CentOS
  (I didn’t mention, that I use CentOS 6 …)

• Hello Walter,

  I think I’ve been unclear, sorry about that! I wanted to ask if you use something, any helper installed on this rooter box, on top of firewalld/iptables, in order to setup and administrate the NAT/rooting
  (and eventually proxy) rules?

  That’s a good point to check, you’re right, support for this CPU in either CentOS6 or 7.

  Regards,

• I’ve configured it quite simple …

  /etc/sysconfig/network_scripts:
  ifcfg-eth0 and ifcfg-wlan0 have this: BRIDGE=br0
  ifcfg-br0 is LAN (Dual-Stack)
  ifcfg-eth1 is WAN (IPv4only)
  ifcfg-sit1 is an HE IPv6 tunnel (IPv6only)

  /etc/hostapd/hostapd.conf has this:
  interface=wlan0
  bridge=br0

  /etc/sysconfig/ip(6)tables have at the last lines this:

  # Log all other
  -A INPUT -j LOG –log-prefix “IP(v6)[IN]: ” –log-level 7
  -A FORWARD -j LOG –log-prefix “IP(v6)[FWD]: ” –log-level 7
  -A OUTPUT -j LOG –log-prefix “IP(v6)[OUT]: ” –log-level 7

  there runs a cronjob every hour, which sends an email like this:
  dmesg |grep -e “IP(v6)\[” |timefltr.pl

  for DNS a BIND is configured as caching DNS, and as authoritative master for my domain …

  an Apache is configured only for some status pages like output of
  ‘ifconfig’, ‘df’, ‘free’, ‘ip(6)tables -L -n -v’, ‘uptime’

  I programmed some simple network diagnostic:
  – traceroute(6) and ping(6) to a given dns/ip-host
  – nslookup of a given dns-name

  this is only reachable from LAN side; as I have a VM that runs a squid with SSL-interception, I made a mini-CA, the root is installed on my computers, one intermediate CA is used by squid, the other intermediate CA is used for signing a SSL certificate which I use on LAN side of my zbox or on my intranet (e.g. squirrel)

  to reach my squirrel, the apache does proxying …

  when there is the need of changing firewall rules, I manually edit the files and reload ip(6)tables …

  it is somewhat very individual, I’m thinking of sending SMS messages on special situations, e.g. the WAN IP address has changed (this happens about 2-3 times in a year)

  that’s all

• Hi,

  I have this and happy with it, I believe it ticks all your boxes (+ built-in IR port).

  http://www.intel.co.uk/content/www/uk/en/nuc/nuc-kit-dn2820fykh.html

• Thanks, Nux!.

  But a few hours late. I just purchased:

  http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZOTAC-ZBOX-NANO-Plus-Mini-PC-ZBOXNANO-AD12-PLUS-2GB-320GB-with-Power-Supply-56/382042194064?_trksid=p2045573.c100033.m2042&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D41376%26meid%3Deae770f22d504a9b8366eb0c02dd20d6%26pid%3D100033%26rk%3D7%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D152356229748

  Zotac has been in the mini/nano PC business for a number of years, and this is a good price for the AD12.

  I will probably swap the 320Gb drive out for my 1Tb drive, but as the unit comes with eSATA, I have to decide to perhaps get an eSATA adapter for the 1TB or what. My backup drive is USB, but I have had some I/O
  problems with it (my earlier post), so I may switch my backup drive to eSATA.

  I will post power and other numbers here when I get the unit.

  Bob

• Hi looked it up,

  this AMD CPU has a thermal design power of 18 W

  Greetings, Walter

• The data I have found shows it varying from 10W idle to 26W under load.

  Once I get it up, I will put it on my kill-a-watt and get a reading and average consumption.

  The HP dc7600 pulls 84W idle. So at $0.165/KWH, I am forecasting a 12mo ROI (paid $100 refurbished).

  Plus the lower heat and thus summer cooling.

  Plus the longer run time on my UPS, if needed.

• If it had two (or more) network ports, I’d be all over it. A single gigabit nic is a bit limiting for me.

• Then check out:

  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/NEW-Mini-pc-X86-4-Lan-Qotom-Q190G4N-with-celeron-J1900-quad-core-4-usb-VGA/32785346279.html

  or

  https://www.zotac.com/product/mini_pcs/zbox_r_series

  I am only putting up a Samba server, so only want/need one LAN.

  Bob

• I was fed up with Intel NUC’s, and after one of them died ultimately, I
  replaced it with:

  https://www.amazon.com/Shuttle-DS81-Haswell-chipset-Heatpipe/dp/B00IXFFD4W/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid95117096&sr=8-3&keywords=shuttle+pc

  Admittedly, it somewhat bigger, somewhat heavier, but it is built like tank, it has more than one ethernet port, has room inside for 2.5 inch drive/SSD, and has two mini-PCI slots (can accept mSATA drives). And I am happy about that box ever since.

  Valeri

  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
  Valeri Galtsev Sr System Administrator Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics University of Chicago Phone: 773-702-4247
  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

• The Nano AD12 arrived today. Swapped out the 320GB drive for my 1TB
  drive, plugged it into my kill-a-watt and booted up to do the install.

  On idle I am seeing 10W. So far, disk I/O (plus whatever processes run for the install) did not push it past 15W.

  So my power goal seems to be met by this unit.

  Will see how it goes.

• Hello Walter,

  Thanks for all this! That will help for sure :-)!

  Regards,