DEBRIS.COMgood for a laugh, or possibly an aneurysm

I need a new firewall. The one I’m using now works fine, which is a real credit to Linux, for the hardware is about 15 years old. It’s an IBM PS/ValuePoint, originally equipped with a 66 MHz 486. I’ve added a second disk, more RAM, and upgraded the processor, but the thing is still loud, slow, and ugly. It weighs about 50 lbs and makes enough noise to be easily heard over my office stereo, even though it sits 12' away.

The replacement is a Mini-ITX system, which is tiny, quiet, and cutting-edge. Here’s a complete hardware list:

• VIA EPIA ME-6000 mainboard and CPU
• 40 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 disk drive (p/n ST340014A)
• Mitsumi slim CD-ROM drive (p/n SR244W1)
• Morex Cubid / Casetronic 2699R case
• Mushkin “blue line” 512MB PC2100 DIMM (p/n 990856)
• additional flat internal IDE cable
• ps/2 mouse and keyboard

Total cost, shipped: $475. Sources: Shentech, iDot, Mushkin

The Mini-ITX mainboard is the heart of this system. VIA has managed to put a 600 MHz processor, 10/100 Ethernet, soundcard, video card, and no CPU fan onto a board about six inches square. See the Mini-ITX website’ projects page for all sorts of unusual applications.

My needs are much more pedestrian, so I opted for a standard case rather than a plush toy or motorcycle helmet. The finished machine provides USB 2.0, FireWire, CD-ROM, 40 GB storage, and fast ethernet in a box 11 inches square.

The system came together quickly. If you’re building your own, the following notes might help:

• Mini-ITX.com’s review of the (older) 2677R case serves as a helpful assembly guide.
• The Mitsumi CD-ROM drive I purchased came with the laptop-IDE-to-desktop-IDE converter preinstalled. This is fortunate because the 2699R case did not come with this converter, in contrast to what Mini-ITX.com’s store claims. For more info: notebook IDE converters
• The mainboard kit includes one internal IDE cable, which will not reach both the CD-ROM drive and a disk drive. You’ll have to supply a second IDE cable. Get a flat one; the round ones are too thick and inflexible to work well inside this small case.
• There’s probably a trick I don’t know, but I managed to get all the case connectors reversed. They were mounted to the right pins, but rotated 180°, so that the switches and LEDs didn’t work. If you find an LED or switch failing, try reversing its connector.
• When you order RAM, make sure the DIMM is 30MM or less in height. The helpful folks at Mushkin actually measured their PC100 DIMMs for me so that they could suggest one that would fit (see part number above). If you’re not adding a CD or DVD drive, though, DIMM height is irrelevant.
• The iDot store claims that the 2699R case’s power supply cannot simultaneously power a 3.5'' disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, and an M-series ITX mainboard. This is incorrect. The 2699R was designed for that combination of components, and I’ve had one running that way for over a week now.

The ME-6000 board is fanless and therefore silent. The 2699 case has two small fans that I attached to the mainboard’s SYSFAN connector. I have not verified this but I believe the power to this connector is regulated, so that the fan spins faster when the CPU is working harder. [Update 2005-07-19: it appears the sysfan header supplies constant, not variable power.]

The 7200.7 drive is fairly quiet. Apparently the 7200.7’s predecessor, the Barracuda IV, is even quieter. There appears to be a tradeoff: noise vs. performance.

In any event, the assembled system is very quiet. It’s not silent, but significantly quieter than that train-wreck 486 it will replace.

The software is taking longer to configure… more on that later.