Bits Build your own server: Part 2

Not allways does your entire network get compromised. If you keep securing the rest of your workstations (which you should do), then they are equally as hard (maybe a bit less because on a LAN no ports are blocked) to hack. Unless you put the server in a DMZ. No connections from the DMZ to the LAN are allowed, so the LAN is safe.

 

If your worry about security issues, you could always try Nubuntu, which is a networking directed OS with an extremely light wight GUI/Window Manager, Openbox (<3) if i'm not mistaken. If not openbox, its fluxbox or blackbox. If you look into a hierarchy table of linux, the only Ubuntu relation of Nubuntu is the name. I don't remember where Nubuntu originates from tho.

 

I was thinking setting up a system as a desktop which is very hard to setup (asin nothing works straight off) and showing the process of getting various devices working. Myself I recently had trouble getting sound working on an old laptop running DSL... as I had never had sound problems in other distros (always just worked) I didn't know where to start and wasted loads of time. IN the end a very simple solution of using ALSA and an ALSA setup script worked but it was a case of just going through thing after thing for weeks before I hit upon what worked. Just knowing where to start with various problems would be a huge help. I don't know if anything like this is even possible though.

I like package managers but even in ubuntu I was faced with programs that needed compiling to run the latest version or had no package. I just compiled to get things running but I understand that various performance improvenements can be had by compiling yourself?

*at the moment I run two systems:
desktop running XP for gaming and watching films and web browsing and schematic capture
lappy running damm small linux, free dos duel boot for retro gaming and portable web browse/music/work
I also have a ubuntu server thats out of action atm

of those three systems the XP system has never had to compile software thats running on itself, the ubuntu I probobly had to compile about 1/10 of all installed programs and the damm small linux system I probobly compiled half the things it runs as it uses the 2.4 kernal and the mydsl package system has far from everything I need on it. Debian packages are dead slow on such a slow laptop also.

 

If you want small, core, nothing extra, lightweight and fast, I suggest you start reading the Gentoo Handbook. It describes everything you need to know, and a lot more

 

Linux: for people who want to get things done. Gentoo: for people who want to get things done after waiting 2 weeks for it to compile.
Nah, Gentoo's OK. But it can be a real PITA to get configured and compiled.

This post is pointless. Normal thread service will resume shortly.

 

That is a good point, but once webmin is installed they would have no need for the GUI. Webmin could be one of the first things to be installed via the CLI and it would go some way to improve usage for people new to Linux.

 

I remember playing with Gentoo thinking I was all cool... but then I remember it taking me an age to get it up and running properly. I gave up after two weeks - I obviously wasn't cool enough. I'm quite looking forward to having another go with Ubuntu soon though - I don't really want to leave my gaming rig on all day if I'm downloading stuff.

 

Hmm, A gentoo reinstall (+ customization) takes me 2 days... but I must admit, I have a backup routine and can install Gentoo blindfolded with 2 hands tied behind my back, typing with my nose... some facts may be damatised

 

Hehe, that is gentoo's problem. As good as it is it takes far too long to setup.

Reminds me of this:

http://www.cad-comic.com/comic.php?d=20070723

 

A basic install takes about 1.5hours, not too long if you ask me... After that 30 minutes for X, 5 for fluxbox and you have a somewhat working system. Firefox, Thunderbird, GCC and glibC, gtk and certainly OpenOffice take >1hour to compile (OpenOffice is the king of the hill with 6-9hours, depending on compiler, the Sun one being the slowest and Eclipse being the fastest)

It's a matter of planning. If you start in the morning, you have a basic system (Base, X + Flux and Firefox) by noon. By the time you go to bed your system will be nearly complete. Last thing before going to bed is OpenOffice being turned on and let it compile the whole night. Next morning finish I up with the fun stuff (like kMuddy, Wormux,...) and by 4PM I'm done

And while things are compiling you can still use your system

 

I apologize. I went to No-IP and saw "No-IP PLUS" and that it cost $24.95...
And now that i look again, about four items below that is "No-IP Free".
I should learn to read. Sorry for n00bing it up there.
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About the networking thing then:
I have one router that i use to connect to my ISP so that I have broad band in my whole apartment. In order to keep my web server and laptop separate (along with anyone else's laptop that might venture into my apartment) would my best be to buy a second router? This will be my first webserver and I'm not foolish enough to think I'll get it right the first try. Even though its only a personal site and doubt that it'll gain much attention from anyone malicious, I would still like to not have my laptop's safety dependent on my first server experience.

 

No not at all. If you don't expect any attacks (which is most likely) you can just place your server in your LAN, forward some ports on your router to the server (as on the last page of the article) and you'll be set.

If you are a bit more pedantic, place your server in a DMZ (most routers allow at least 1 IP to be DMZ'd). That way no connections can be initiated by the server towards the LAN.

 

Not for me. AMD 3000+ XP and 2.5gb Ram. Takes me AGES to compile the system, even using the new stage 3 preferred route of 2007.0.

X is a b'stard to compile I find. Takes prety much all day to get the base install and X, but with no 'nice' Wm such as Gnome.

 

Okay. I will look into doing that. Thank you very much for your patience.

 

Then you must be doing something wrong (are you following the official guide on the site?)... Have you set your cflags and USE flags correctly? Optimalisations and such? I use a 1.5GHz with 512MB RAM and X (including dependencies) takes up a bit more then 30 minutes. Gnome and KDE are gigantic, that I admit, but I like it minimal and adore Fluxbox of that

 

Yeah I'm following the guide, setting all the optomisations for the CPU etc.

I think the main issue is that my system is fubar'd. It randomly reboots itself when ever it likes and often just dies for days at a time. I can set gentoo up on an old duel CPU 600mhz P3 system faster than I can on my main rig. I'm just going to avoid Gentoo until I can afford to buy a new system (Xmas hopefully). That way I will have it all installed in no time (hopeing to get a Q6600 )

 

it would be nice to get the articles without the GUI dependencies

i know when i was setting up my ubuntu server, it was always going to be CLI, and there were a couple of things you said that i thought were interesting, but because your entire guide is pretty much GUI based, it doesn't translate well

Then again i did manage to do it all myself, and when i get past the P2 at like 200mhz in the box ATM, i should be able to get bittorrent working nicely ^^
Hell the hardest part was getting drivers for the printer to work in Linux without a GUI - damn you epson

oh and although I'm quite fond of Linux, i think this entire article sums up the problem with it
http://apcmag.com/6735/interview_con_kolivas

As with most other places, when only a few people become knowledgeable enough, elitism sets in and everyone gets p***ed off

 

I was wondering what email server package would be the best to use from the package manager. I went looking for it, and google'd it for a couple of hours, (late at night mind you); and to no avail. I saw some things saying to install postfix, and other things along with it to do it, but I was hoping for something with guide, or even just an easy to use manual. I am hoping to have my domain name up and running off of this box, with a webpage site, that includes ftp access for both guests, and pword ftp pages for content I don't want shared to everybody. I would also like to use email with the domain name I registered. I love the idea of being able to tell my family and friends that they can have their own custom email with my domain name; but havn't figured out what to use or how to set it up in linux. I have tried playing around with Freebsd, and PCbsd, but it seems I am also running into some disk errors. All of a sudden I start getting freezes on bootup. After the second install, and about 4 reboots later, it happened again, and now I am waiting on baseball bat to get here for the "retirement" of that particular machine.
For the machine, I was using a 1.3ghz amd, 1.5Gb ram, with a 20Gb drive, and an ati radeon 9000 video card.

 

and hear me is looking forward to giving gentoo a try. lol

 

sweet, now for the next tutorial, I want my server to turn into a beowulf cluster, admin it via tor while running folding@home, control my home lighting, win the prize for the next prime number, record ALL my tv channels simultaneously, run 8 terabyte hdd's in RAID 1+0, and make me toast when I pull into my garage. when do you think Mr. Gypen can get going on this?


Seriously Ken, you are the man! Thanks so much!