I want to build a simple PC with lots of ethernet ports

[0scarjr]

Hi, I have an old 24-port Gigabit switch and i would like to make use of its switchports as a regular NIC. I would like know if there is a way to make my old gigabit switch work as a mini pc running on a linux with under minimal settings allowing all of its switchports detected as eth ports

 

[Lutfij]

It's always advised to leave the devices the way they were designed for since they were designed to pull of their tasks as is. I would suggest you leave the Gigabit switch intact as the unit itself is a HUB for networking. That being said depending on your switch's make and model, you're not going to be able to pull off your proposed endeavor primarily due to the fact that you'd need to factor in a storage device to install your copy of Linux/Ubuntu.

On current router's its possible but you'll need to make sure you have support for DD-WRT.