A silent router, plus some

Got somewhat of a custom application here, and would be interested in feedback
and ideas.

My dad has a DSL connection, and besides his outgoing use of it for business,
I use it to log in and work on his and my mom's computers. Right now, I am
using a linux box as a firewall/sharing server. So, I can ssh in to the
linux box, the use vncviewer to log in to their WIndows boxes: totally secure
vnc. The main problem is the noise. I'd like to replace it with a firewall
appliance, but then I'd lose my disk space, as well as my ability to run
tightvnc, and some other programs on the router.

My current idea is this: The Linksys NSLU2 is proving to be eminently
hackable. Recent reports (http://www.batbox.org/nslu2-linux.html) show that
even Fedora has been ported. Installing vnc and other custom software seems
to be a real possibility (especially since it has usb ports for two external
hard drives, or whatever else you hack it to do). I have a D-Link router
that I got for $10 (Thanks Chris!). I could put the NSLU2 behind the router,
redirect ssh traffic to it, and then once logged into the NSLU2, I could SSH
to my parents' boxen. Best of all: total silence for my dad's office
(besides his computer, which is pretty quiet). One hitch: cost ($80 or so),
and the possibility of having to port tightvnc to the processor if it won't
compile cleanly.

Any other suggestions for a low-cost, rather customizable, silent
router/switch?

Thanks!

j----- k-----

-- 
Joshua Kugler
Assistant Systems Administrator
UAF Department of Mathematical Sciences
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