In my previous articles, I discussed how to install and setup OpenWRT on the WRT54GL, and how to setup Shorewall as a firewall solution. Today I will be discussing how to install, setup, and use VPNC to connect to a Cisco VPN 3000 Concentrator, as well as how to configure Shorewall to allow VPN communication through the firewall.
Continue reading VPNC with Shorewall on OpenWRT »

In continuation of my previous article on installing OpenWRT on a Linksys WRT54GL, I discuss how to set some of the more advanced network configurations of the router, and how to setup a firewall with traffic shaping.
Continue reading OpenWRT Advanced Firewall »

Linksys really hit a niche when they created the WRT54G line of wireless routers, although unintentional. These particular routers were originally written using Linux which, due to the GPL, requires Linksys to release the source code. Since then, many open source groups have gotten ahold of this code and hacked it to bits. As such, there are many different open source firmwares available for the WRT54G line of routers that you can install. (Warranty voiding of course)

One of the most popular third-party firmware available is OpenWRT. This firmware is essentially a stripped-down embedded Linux operation system with addon packages to allow it to be a wireless router. It’s small, simple, and powerful; though not for the light of geek, as any configuration must be done by CLI.

I recently got a WRT54GL wireless router, which is the same as a WRT54G v4 router. (Linksys changed the model number since v5 does not use Linux and will not run custom firmwares.) In only a few hours, I was able to install OpenWRT and setup a powerful router/firewall for my home network. Here’s how you can too…
Continue reading Installing OpenWRT on the Linksys WRT54GL »

I was looking for a good traffic analyzer for my website when I came across AWStats. It looked good compared to other log analyzers, so I decided to give it a try. I’m a fan of the Debian operating system, which I use on most of my servers. So, like any typical Debian user, I used the package management system (APT) to install AWStats. Normally the Debian packages are pretty good for doing everything automatically for you, but not so with the AWStats package - which required some setting up. For those wanting to go this route, this is how you get AWStats’ Debian package to work with Apache.
Continue reading AWStats on Debian »