which LINUX OS should i use

[GilbertsGrape]

ok i want to set up a small homw network

my server will be
PII 400 Mhz
52x cd rom (on the way)
NIC (on the way)
40gb HD
2gb HD
12gb HD
8mb Vid card
128 mb ram (PC 100)
nic
15" monitor


i will have 2 workstation connectin go this net
through a 8 port hub (on the way)

what os shoulf I use on my server

curently i have Windows XP Pro on the soon to be server

I have available to me
Mandrake 8.x
Red Hat 6.0
Caldera open linux 2.2
Windows XP Pro

and what is the best way to configure the server? Because i will be using a dialup connection on the Workstations

[coleslaw]

Use the distro that you are most familiar with. If you aren't familiar with any of them, Mandrake is probably the "easiest" to configure.

Also, look into FreeBSD (http://www.freebsd.org). :thumb:

[mojo]

any of those 'nixes would be fairly easy to install. and i agree w/slaw on the freebsd thing too.

me...i'd be partial to redhat because i have the most experience with it. i'd use either 6.1 or 7.1 before i used 6.0 on it. i'd even use 8.0.

anyhow, any of the "major" distros should be easy enough to install and use. it may depend on what sort of package manager you want to use. if you wanna use rpm, a few distros use that. then again if you don't need that, then it opens it up to a lot of other possibilities.

you might also check out suse. but redhat or mandrake should be fine, too.

[GilbertsGrape]

so is mandrake my best bet. which one is best for file shareing with WIN XP

[coleslaw]

None of them are "best" for a fundamental feature such as file sharing. It's really your choice of package management, ease of configuration and what not. It all boils down to which distro YOU like to use - and, if you have no idea, just use one of them and go with it. Just remember to patch up. :)

[mojo]

when you do your first load of a major linux distro, you'll prolly go with all the default options...which is pretty safe to do. then you'll end up with this huuuuuuge OS that takes up like over a gig of hard drive space and you'll be all "wow, linux takes up a lot of space." but that's just because you installed all of the packages...which is not a bad way to go, because you can do almost anything you'd want from there. so it would be like if you had windows plus a few toys and programs. anyhow...the point is that after you get used to using it, you'll notice that you only use certain things. aside from compilers and other things you'll want for new packages you install, you won't really need a whole lot from the install routine and you can do it again and select fewer options. you'd end up with an OS a lot smaller...like maybe 700mb or so (in my case) and still everything you need to get going.

anyhow, since it's your first install...the moral of the story is...you should just go for it and see what you like and don't like. and don't judge it by the learning curve...cuz if you took windows classes...this ain't no windows...so at least take some linux classes before you decide it's crap or whatever :P (which wouldn't happen if you took the classes ;) )

if you wanted to know what i use, it's redhat all the way. but what i use may not suit you. so pick one and dive in. you can install another later and it'll be easier each consecutive time. and when you get comfortable with a distro, the install could last you forever, since you really just have to get a new kernel to technically upgrade :) (a new kernel and maybe a few packages, can make an ancient distro current ;) )

[GilbertsGrape]

once i get this up and running what are some recomended apps. also i haven't seen any Virus Scanners for Mandrake. or linux. what's the deal with that?

[GilbertsGrape]

ok another thing. will a NETODRAGON 56K PCI FAX modem work with Mandrake? i have tried mandrake for a day or two a while back and i was unable to find a driver for my old PC TEL modem but i have a new modem on the way it is a NETODRAGON 56K PCI FAX and i wondered if it would work. and if not is it possable to sare my connection an a win xp pro box with a mandrake box?

[mojo]

most virii are written for winders boxes. that's not to say that you can't get a 'nix worm. but file permissions are funny in that user-level access just allows a certain amount of access...so you can't really trash a whole lot by accidentally downloading something as a user and having it automatically spawn a bunch of stuff you didn't want. to do real damage, they gotta trick you into logging in as root, who has more opportunity to really trash the place. but chances are that if you know what's up, you spend very little time logged in as root...and when you're root, you just download stuff from trusted sources.

like...do you always scan everything from sources that you trust? maybe you do, but often you don't need to.

as for apps, you gotta love www.freshmeat.net for all your newest stuff. also www.tucows.com has some stuff, but i use freshmeat cuz i seldom have to look any further.



as far as your particular modem...i dunno if it'll work or not. if it's a winmodem, then i know there are tweaks to get them to work. most modems do work if you know the chipset.

[qmanchu]

Once you get your modem, you might want to take a look at the following web sites to see if they help:

Linmodems.org (http://www.linmodems.org/)

Smartlink web page at Modemsite (http://808hi.com/56k/smartlink.asp)

However, if you have broadband and a network, it just might be better to setup some type of proxy server (or equivalent) on the Windows XP Pro box so you could share your Internet connection.

Good luck. :)

[GilbertsGrape]

mojo are you the Linux god or godes what ever your gender details.

you are a wealth of knowledge. well when get this modem i will try to round up some drivers.

thx mojo

[GilbertsGrape]

qmanchu: Interesting links i will check this out when i get my new modem in

[rajatQ2]

i am a mandrake fan for a first install. chances are, you will probably hose your installation in the near future. I did it repeatedly. Linux is not reperable in the same ways as windows is.

About the file sharing, Mandrake has an awesome Samba (for file sharing) GUI configurator. I'd highly recommend Mandrake 9.

File sharing between linux and windows has been a little tricky on my network. Be prepared to batch some tasks on your windows machines :)
net use is your friend.
and use this linky to search for your hardware compatability: http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/hardware.php3

Good luck!

[mojo]

well, i'm not so sure about the whole hosing the install thing. if you do the base install of one of the major distros and stick with the defaults it should be fine. after that you might look at the partitioning scheme and take notes.

one way to hose the install is to do the partitioning scheme wrong. with redhat it won't happen if you let it tell you what the scheme should be. you can add other partitions such as a /home partition and stuff (you'll learn as you do it)...but as long as you don't make your swap partition too small you should be fine. also remember that if you make your own partitions, they should be a type that your system will recognize.

again, if you have it do it for you and you take notes, it should be fine. the basic partitions will be a boot partition, a root partition, and a swap partition. most ppl will want a home partition, but it's not necessary. the size of the partitioning is automatic when you let it decide for you, and as you get familiar with the system you'll see why you want certain things to be certain sizes. as a rule, you'll want your swap to be twice the size of the amount of ram you have. your home will be for anything you download or want to save, and your root will be for your OS and stuff.

after you install everything, you'll want to make at least one user account. when you log in as a user, you can't mess up the system at all. you can mess up your own account tho...which is kinda cool, but can be a pain if you manage to do it. the worst that can happen is you'll delete the account and recreate it.

when you log in as root just be mindful of the things you do...pretty much like when you're in windows anyways. if you're not sure of stuff, then read the how-tos and the man pages. there's a lot of documentation available for stuff, and you pretty much find more and more as you go.

[rajatQ2]

Its not that hard to hose your install. Admittedly, i've done some stupid things. I'm a programmer and spend a lot of time using solaris and working on a linux cluster, so i got a little overconfident and tried to rebuild X within a week of my first install :) that's one quick way to lose your installation!!!

But, there are a lot of mistakes you can make. A book is very helpful. I would recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0596002726/qid=1048007704/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-9623814-0392629?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

There are other books out there, but this one is pretty darn good for a newbie. Books are nice because it gives you some time to take your eyes away from readign man pages on the monitor :)

[GilbertsGrape]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0072121645.01.LZZZZZZZ.gif


i have this book now. it is a little dated i believe but i bought it because i have the Complete referance for a few progrming languages and they wher epretty good books

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/textbooks/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?sourceid=00316670666995518894&ISBN=0072121645&bfdate=03-18-2003+15:42:17