Quoting Jason Louie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Problem: > 1. Trying to set up a home network with Linux boxes, Windows boxes.
NP samba will allow all the machines to talk to each other. I use it at home and at work to share files and printers. I also setup ssh on my machines at home so I can use the other computers on the network. This is good for the times that I want to use the desktop but my GF is checking her e-mail. This setup also allows you to spread the load of many tasks accross the network. For example you could have one machine doing all the processing yet saving all it's data to another machine with a larger and faster HD. I would also look into a program called XManager for Windows which will allow you to use your Linux boxes via ssh over the network (including exporting X displays). VNC also works well if you want to use multiples machines from a single terminal, and it's cross platform. > 2. I would like all computers to have internet access and have the whole > system more secure than just having my Win2k machine sitting on Shaw all > the > time turned on. I am willing to buy a router but what type should I get? > I > know a linux router box can be set up but with these old machines I think > it > would consume more power. I think that buying a router is the easiest way to go. I have a Sohoware router at home and it has worked great for me. It will also act as a firewall, and it is relitavely cheap. This way you could also get rid of your hub, since you can connect 4 machines to the router. > 3. I would like to avoid having duel boots systems and need Windows 2000, > (for my family,) Windows 98, (Gaming,) and Linux boxes. Have you considered running Windows in an emulator ie. VMWare, Win4Lin, Bochs? > 4. I would like a FTP-site and a web-site on the system that can be > accessed > from outside, also, all machines must be able to share files, (so Samba > would be installed.) Just use the port forwarding feature on the router to connect to your server machines. > 5. Which distros I should use. One Linux box should be somewhat user > friendly and the other as a server, (FTP, www). Whatever you like the best. You may want to play around with a number of them before you settle on one. Any distro. can be used as either a desktop system or a server. I use Mandrake and SuSE on the desktop, but I also like RedHat which is also used in many server applications. > 6. An idea on how the system should be set up. > > WWW (Shaw) > => Router/Firewall > => Terminal 1 (Windows 2000) > => Terminal 2 (Windows 98) > => Terminal 3 (Linux) > => Terminal 4 (Linux) Looks good. > Background: > I have about 4 years users experience with Unix/Linux during my > years at the UofC, (this means I have no admin. experience in Linux,) and > miss my Linux platform. I currently have one computer running Windows 2000 > as my ftp-site, web-site. And now you can move your servers over to Linux :-) Good Luck, Jesse
