Astaro Security Linux turns any PC with the right hardware in to a dedicated firewall and router system with minimal fuss. Other dedicated firewall systems tend to focus on reusing older PC hardware, but Astaro's aim is to build high-performance router systems with more features than high-priced enterprise hardware routers.

Installing Astaro is a snap -- just boot from the CD and work through the prompts. Because it's designed for dedicated machines, the installer automatically partitions and formats your entire hard drive. After the install is complete and the machine is booted for the first time, you can log in via the web interface (which is SSL-protected -- a nice touch) and configure the system as required for your network. Everything can be configured from this one easy-to-use interface, so no Linux skills are required.

As well as the routing and firewalling features you'd expect, Astaro includes proxies for various protocols, including the popular Squid web proxy that can speed downloads and reduce bandwidth usage across your network. Mail and web traffic can also be passed through a content filter that can automatically remove viruses, ActiveX components, and other potential nasties.

Other impressive enterprise-level features include support for IPSec and PPTP VPNs, intrusion detection, network monitoring, and automated fail-over. Extensive reporting and logging tools are also on offer.

Version 6 brings the ability to run as a transparent firewall. Routers are usually used to join two seperate networks, like a LAN and the Internet, but Astaro now supports a bridged mode that lets you sit it between two segments of a single network, filtering packets without needing to use different address ranges on either side.

Home users should stick with low-cost hardware solutions, but for a small-to-medium business firewall with a very impressive set of features, Astaro Security Linux is an option that's well worth considering.