router and Intel quad port server adaptor

[rasputinnovgorod]

Gentlemen:

I'm building a new router for my home. I have a pci-x motherboard
with two network connections on the motherboard, SUSE 11.

I intended to use one network connection for the external zone
and the other for the Internal zone, (the internal port going
to a four port switch).

Recently, a friend gave me an
"Intel PRO 1000 MT PCI-X Quad-Port Adapter C32199"
which will plug into my motherboard, presumably
giving me a total of 6 (4+2) network connections.

1) Can it be as simple as setting one network connection to
"external zone" and the other five to "Internal zone", and
plug my other computers into the internal zone connectors,
eliminating the need for a switch?

2) There seem to be a lot of these QUAD server adapters on
Ebay; how where they originally used?

3) Can I dedicate one internal net-port for some exclusive traffic
(e.g. all mail, going to network connector 3, connected to the
mail server)? IPtable rules?

Sincerely
/blair

[coopstah13]

network load balancing, in one particular use case, say you have a machine hosting 4 VM's, now each can have a dedicated NIC to use

[joaquin386]

If you want a routing protocol for your router you can get it from:
Quagga Software Routing Suite

You need later to know the syntax of CISCO

As Coopstah13 says you can even have different VM (even one with a Firewall IpCop.org)