Although as a result of the minimum requirements for IPCop it is very tempting to put it on an old workstation or out-of-date PC, it is worth taking a step back to consider how we use it. In a home environment or in a very small office, an old PC may provide the requisite level of reliability, but it might not if internet access is critical, and especially if we use more complex functionality in IPCop such as VPNs or complex firewall rules, which are harder to duplicate, the damage caused by a hardware failure may be critical, even if we have backups.

A slightly more reliable, newer host therefore may be worth considering. There are also considerations based on the environment the firewall will be in. In a home or small office environment in which the firewall may not be in a server room or comms cupboard, the noise of an older PSU, while minimal, may be annoying. The power usage by such a server may also be a consideration—removing some unnecessary components...