Ok well the title says it all, thats what i am downloading right now, soon to trail run on my backup box here at home. The reason for this is to find an ideal OS for my Atom ITX system. i am i little board of XP, and i want better MCE functions without the hassle of getting Windows MCE. as some may remember my atom ITX system will also be a downloader and web browser, torrents could be handled by Ktorrent, but i shall look further into this in a few days. What my main question is, is about an external HDD. if the external HDD is formated as FAT32 or NTFS will the linux OS reconise it and allow files to be transfered back and forth? say if i download a .avi can i transfer to the HDD and then onto my XP machine? Also is it easy to network Kubuntu box to an XP box? May i point out, i am a complete linux noob and i am looking towards it as its free, i like the idea of it because i am a little sick of windows but i need it for most my apps. thanks
The current version of *buntu (U/Ku/Xu*) includes a driver called ntfs-3g. As you might imagine from the name, this will give you access to NTFS drives, FAT32 having been readable for years already. For sharing drives over a network, you'll need a "Samba" setup, software that allows Linux boxes to speak Windows "Shared Folder" (All the files needed will be in the repositories** once you've installed). However, for MCE functions, you may want to investigate "Mythbuntu", which is Xubuntu with "MythTV" already installed. * Ubuntu = Gnome Window Manager Kubuntu = KDE Window Manager Xubuntu = XFCE Window Manager ** Repositories = Like Windows Update, but for EVERY program on your PC, not just the OS.
thanks for the idea of mythbuntu, i shall look into it. it dose look pretty but i do dislike the naming of everything mythxxx reminds me of Mcdonalds a little... So samba is an application that allows a folder on the linux box to be shared with a windows box, is that correct, much like the shared folder in windows. i have heard that linux can thorw a wobbly with NTFS file system, have you heard of this as well?
Basically, yes. It's a CIFS implementation for Linux, and allows Linux systems to connect to Windows shares and Windows systems to connect to Samba shares. You can also do more impressive things with it, like use it as a Windows NT-style Domain Controller (which is what the system I built at work is.) I can't say I've ever had a problem when using fuse. The only restriction I can remember running in to is that you can read from compressed (i.e. NTFS compressed, rather than ZIP archives or whatever) files but not write to them. I don't know if that's still the case.
Is there anything else people can recommend i look into. running samba will give me a decent backup point for my windows machine aswell which i like the idea off, is there any automation software out there that i can point at a folder and back it up to a specific place at a specific time?
Windows SyncToy should do it. Alternatively, I'd look at implementing rsync - it's a bit more effort, but by George it's worth it.
i just googled both SyncToy and rsync, and i prefer the look of rsync, its got pleanty of infomation backing it up on the web and its open source which i totally agree with. if rsync was on my linux box could i point it at a folder on my windows box in my 'C:/ drive', i.e 'C:/docs/work' and back it up? if so my atom box might get a 1tb HDD
You would need rsync running on both the Linux and Windows boxes - basically, rsync only talks to rsync. But yes - you could schedule a synchronisation to take place on either box (you'd configure it so either the Linux box reads from the Windows box or the Windows box writes to the Linux box). I built a FreeNAS server at work to act as a staging area for backups (it's a lot quicker to restore a file from a hard drive than it is from a tape), and it is configured to rip data from the main file server (running Linux) every night. Because it only transfers the changed data, it's pretty quick.
For ease, just any distro with backuppc... It's set up through a webinterface and can backup everything from AIX to your toaster I use it at home/on my servers and my high schoolstudent computer group also uses it to backup their servers. It can backup over rsync or samba (windows filesharing). At my students house, I backup my laptop to my fileserver with a plain rsync command (rsync over SSH, Gentoo to Debian) Code: rsync -auzv -e "ssh -c blowfish -ax" --delete-after --exclude-from=/root/.rsync/exclude /home/glider/* glider@jupiter:/home/glider/backup/triton/ EDIT: none of the machines runs an rsync daemon
just burnt kubuntu to a DVD-RW and ran it as a live disc, its a little slow but it is off the DVD after all. it comes with Ktorrent so i am smiling! looks like i shall be going linux! so easy! of course i havent hit the small problems of driver issuses yet and other bits and bobs, but i am hopeful!
Well, on a server you generally get spared of driver problems... Who cares that you don't have 3D graphics? Who cares that the 50th onboard firewire port doesn't work? As long as the CPU, RAM, Network and harddrives work all is good BTW, disable everything you don't use in the BIOS, like serial/parallel ports
When it comes to setting up a Samba share I just want to point you to the very good guide Glider has written here on this site. Here is the direct link to the article page about the Samba shares: http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2007/06/05/build_your_own_server/4
You can get it running through Cygwin. However, save yourself the fuss and just use a simple fileshare on Windows, and let backuppc pull in the data through that. (don't mind the gaping default security hole Windows has) A backuppc setup guide, if you need it: http://www.howtoforge.com/linux_backuppc
as soon as you stick your head into linux a whole world of interesting open source applications become aware to you. i mean Compiz Fusion now just from the look of it, its better than vista or even the mac... example.. Trust me there is a whole new world out there, free of microsoft pain!
well i tried to give LinuxMCE a run today, and well it was unstable on its lastest version, not surprised at all (LinuxMCE 8.04). so i downloaded Mythbuntu 8.04 and gave that ago, it was stable. it needs proper setting up as i just installed it, its got pleanty of manuals to read aswell. so i got rid of LinuxMCE i might look into it again one day, but no time soon. so i am going to search out samba and backupPc and see if i can get them working under Mythbuntu. I am not to fussed about HTPC sides of things with this box so i may just revert to Kunbuntu i liked the layout and its got alot of stuff i wanted preloaded. Question is, is the Intel Atom 1.6Ghz 64-bit enabled, i cant seem to find that infomation even on intels website and data sheets!
