Replacing coastguard with a bigger router, yey

_posts/2017-09-22-replacing-coastguard.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: Replacing Coastguard
+tags:
+- miscellaneous
+- freebsd
+- pfsense
+---
+
+I have tremendous difficulty with decommissioning electronics. I only recently
+stopped using my [Galaxy Nexus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_nexus), an
+almost five year old cell phone. Earlier this year I recycled a 32-bit
+x86-based [Thinkpad T41](http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Category:T41), only
+because its overheating issues made it impractical to continue running
+workloads. And up until today, the lowest powered device actively running a
+Unix in my office, was a 266Mhz AMD Geode-based [Soekris](http://soekris.com/).
+
+The little Soekris, `coastguard`, was given to me by my friend Dave who had
+himself decommissioned it _years_ ago. I cannot exactly remember when I started
+using `coastguard` to act as a FreeBSD-based
+([pfSense](https://www.pfsense.org/)) router, but it was easily over five or
+six years ago.
+
+Unfortunately my traffic requirements have since exceeded the capabilities of
+the little device. Between my inability to discard computers, and more
+electronics sprouting network capabilities, a total of ten devices may be using
+the network at any given time. If that wasn't troubling enough for the little
+tin can, streaming video has become very important. In aggregate those
+ten devices are more frequently maxing out the uplink connection, and fighting
+for traffic priority.
+
+
+In it's stead, I have installed `strawberry`, a **much** more powerful
+[FreeBSD](https://freebsd.org) 11.1 machine which is running a very simple
+gateway and [packet filter](https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/firewalls-pf.html)
+configuration. All said and done, it probably took me about 30 minutes to copy
+and paste the right configurations into place. What makes the "replacement"
+comical to me is that I mentally procrastinated on replacing `coastguard`
+because "pfSense is so easy" and I didn't want to sink a bunch of time
+fiddling with FreeBSD to make it work for my needs.
+
+Either FreeBSD has made things much easier, or I have gotten smarter.
+Regardless, I'm sad to see `coastguard` make it's way into the bin which
+eventually will go to the e-waste recycler.
+
+Based on my performance recently, it is probably going to be a few years before
+I can part with my first generation Raspberry Pis, which now will occupy the
+"slowest computer in use" slot in my home office.