What opensource Router Software is closest to an "enterprise" Router

Good day all,

I am trying to learn more about networking and wanted to become framilliar with some Enterprise networking stuff, However i lack the money to buy a really high end router to set up an "enterprise" grade network in my house. So I am thinking that i can make one with an old PC and some cheap(ish) NIC's.

What Software should i use for this learning Project? Ive seen The video on PF sense, and dont know of any other options to put onto an old PC. Thanks!

I use pfsense at my work. So an enterprise environment.

HQ has 2 pfsense installed on some old hp servers. They are in a CARP cluster(means if one fails the other picks up the work load)

Then I have that firewall connect via a VPN to our NY HQ, so we are all on the same internal network(kinda).

2 Likes

You could get packet tracer to simulate a network or GNS3 and download IOS's and create a full blown virtual environment and not spend any money

1 Like

Thats no fun, I dont want to do a Virtual network i want to do a real life network so i can do the whole package, i plan to use my brothers 24 port switch he got for the house as well.

Also GNS3 has been buggy as shit for me under both Linux and Windows

try figuring out the kinks in it. GNS3 is actually used in real world networking so its really really valuable to master and know. i like to run it in a vm and have a copy of a production network running so i can implement things and see if it will break the network. next best thing is see if you can get a cheap ccna lab

Start with pfSense and go from there. There is A LOT you can learn and do with it. Many of the businesses I have done work for use it for their routers. Another I have used a lot is Untangle. Untangle is really really easy to use and setup... however it is a bit too packaged and polished for my taste. Hence why I really love pfSense.
You could also start playing with stuff like DD-WRT or Open-WRT for your wireless routers and access points. Pretty powerful open source software that isn't necessarily "Enterprise" but I have seen it being used in enterprise settings a lot.
It really depends on the size of the enterprise. Small businesses love to utilize open source and custom built stuff due to lower cost. It's really not until you start getting much bigger you get into the really crazy complex stuff. But the way I look at it, if you can't handle pfSense on a smaller scale then you are going to have way more trouble with the bigger boys.

pfSense will teach you concepts, but there is a world of difference in working with pfSense versus a Cisco router or enterprise switch command line. If you are serious about learning enterprise gear, it might be best to try and locate a used router and/or switch to practice with.

Were I hiring, if there were two candidates available, one who only had pfSense experience and one who had worked with both Cisco and pfSense in a home lab, which do you think I would hire?

< ack - I necro'd >

Truck question. Neither. You'd go for the Indian at 2 dollars an hour whose face you never had to see.

1 Like