win network apps

hi i was wondering if anyone that uses windows for some network gateway functions could help me figure out some solutions

i need several diffrent server abilities.
dns/cache server, proxy/cache server, dhcp router/nat, firewall, IDS, port forwarding abilities, http and ftp (possibly on other box).

This will be for a network of between five and ten computers possibly more at times.

i would appreciate any information or suggestions.
so far i have checked out ISA server, and several of the enterprise class versions of windows yet i cant seem to find one supporting all these features without going into thousands upon thousands of dollars using a windows based pc. the cost of ISA server, plus server 2003, plus some IDS free trials pay up later deals. this is 6 thousand or more from what i have seen on the advertisment websites.

 

I think this may work better if you say more detail on what you want to do rather than a shopping list of stuff you need.

For instance, a $150 router switch could probably handle routing/firewall/NAT and a couple other items. Depending on how you will connect to the internet and on whether you need http/ftp on the internet or simply within your network, the other options vary widely.

You may not want Microsoft systems for all of this. It just depends on what you want to do.

 

my solution

well i researched alot and found a very nice solution to my network/gateway needs.

i ended up using a old P1 computer 'freebie' and smoothwall

it handles dns, proxy, dhcp, routing/port forwarding, firewall, nat, dhcp, dynamic dns clients, network intrusion detection, and best of all it was free

Using this pc with a netgear 8 port switch i am able to network 7 pc's
this was low cost adventure for 60 dollars i bought a few cables and the switch.

anybody needing a network should try this out

 

Glad to hear you got a solution and I think it is a good one. I'm generally a M$ fan but there are things that Linux does better and this is one of them.