[plug] E-Smith and server setup - comments?

[Nathan D]

Hi all,

I have toyed with linux on and off over the years and have been very happy 
since replacing my Win95/NAT box with SmoothWall.  (Some will say SW is 
limited in use, but it is a firewall only and for that is works great).  My 
next step now is to have a login/mail/games/etc server for my little 
network.  From what I have read E-smith seems to be a popular "already 
rolled" solution.  Any comments on pros and cons?
Some documentation I have read refers to having a network setup so all 
traffic travels in/out of the firewall, then thru the server, and then to 
the rest of the internal network.  Is such a requirement necessary for a 
small home network?
I am setting up a machine for my son and am wondering about some sort of 
internet access control ie certain times only, or being able to isolate if 
required?  Presumably I would have to use the firewall -> server -> network 
setup as mentioned above to have this control?

All comments appreciated.

regards,
   Nathan

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