I've also been playing with Linux recently...
I picked up a network switch, but because it's a switch and not a router, I opted to build a linux firewall in front of it, to do the DCHP function.
I was all set to use LEAF (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall) because it has a great set of features, but the documentation and help is hopelessly out of date.
I'm checking out M0n0wall, IPCop, and... Ubuntu server configured as a firewall. I got M0n0wall up and running in less than an hour, but it isn't very stable on my old computer (an old Compaq Deskpro, P2 350 w/256mb ram). IPCop only runs off a CD and/or floppy, so it looks like I'm going to go for the Ubuntu Server firewall.
Details:
http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu6.06_firewall_gateway
I'm setting up another Compaq box as a basic server, for a bunch of things I want to try. I might use Ubunto again, but I really liked using SUSE server. Then again, I might just try Red Hat, or even better get a couple more computers, and compare the lot.
If I get my hands on three or more of these old machines, I might give this a try:
MySQL Cluster
http://www.linux-mag.com/id/1801/
My poor cable internet connection has lousy upload speed, so running a web server would be severely limited, but I figure that a database
could allow a lot of data to be processed and displayed more easily. The cluster thing is just something to play with
