I tried using a guide online one time to build a linux router/firewall onto a passively-cooled mini-computer that I could leave on a shelf with no I/O connected… basically a replacement for the garbo off-the-shelf wifi routers that die every year. It worked…mostly. The problem is that the random little things that didn’t work right just were insurmountable for a linux noob who was just trying to follow a guide.
I hate that spending money on the best ones you can buy STILL die after a year or two. And now they all require you to login so even more people can inspect all my network traffic.
I’d love to see a guide that’s kept up to date for building a simple router/firewall, with sections like you have above for more information so people can unlock ports for unusual stuff or whatever. I mean, in a perfect world, you install a LTS OS and set it up and forget about it for a few years. Mine was like that except it required manual intervention every time it rebooted. If that wasn’t the case, it would have been perfect and I would be recommeding it to everyone.