OK, so i needed a way to increase the performance of a firewall i had in use. The issue was i didn’t have the budget to buy a new firewall.
sound familiar to anyone?
Well i came across a post on Wikipedia that showed a Cisco PIX 506e overclocked and decided to look into the feasibility of doing a little hack job.
( Here is the link for you geeks out there: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cisco_PIX_mod_screen.png )
I also ran across a post detailing a similar adventure. The blog post was titled “Upgrading the Cisco PIX 506E”
i decided i HAD to do this or i would be totally lame.
Here are the highlights:
- I found a 700mhz Pentium III chip with a 100mhz FSB at a local computer store for 10 dollars.
- I found 320mb of pc100 ram laying around and proceeded to install this in my unit.
- I also added some memory heat sinks (2 dollars) to the northbridge to help with cooling.
- I cleaned the heatsink and used Arctic Silver thermal paste instead of the transfer pad. (hey maybe it will help with longevity)
- Finally i drilled a series of holes in the top of the case to allow cool air to enter the chassis.
Here are some quick pictures of the fun!
[cincopa AoMAoXqOKpr1]