setting up a home webserver

Keeks

I want to set up a home webserver and need so advice in doing so.

It will be for general testing of website programming with php, MySql etc. This will have to communicate with a winodws machine and have 'easy' file transfer.

I have a P II 350mhz with 64Mb of ram as a server machine.

Where do I go from here?

dahamsta

Get Linux. Since you don't have to worry about a desktop any distro will do, but it has to be said that the traditional "easy to use" distros do have very good installers. I'd recommend Mandrake or Red Hat -- in fact I've been working (professionally, so Caveat Emptor) with Mandrake a lot recently and I've found it supremely easy to install, so I'd recommend that.

Apache was installed by default on the machines I was working on, but just make sure the package is selected (under servers) when you're installing. Also install "Webmin" (under "Admin/Config AFAICR), and if "Samba" is available, select that too. When you're done with the install, come back and we'll walk you through the next few steps.

(Oh, I don't have any recent distros I'm afraid, but you'll find a load of people willing to burn CDs for you on the Linux website. Under Community I think. If you have any trouble let me know and I'll ask MandrakeSoft Ireland to fire 10 out to me; must get it meself anyway.)

adam

Johnny Versace

This is how I first got started...

http://www.dslwebserver.com/

tuxy

well on a low spec pc like that i would put slackware
but maybe that would be a bit tricky if your new to linux

but not a bad option if your realy interested in learning alot about linux

there are lots of differnt os's you could use just read a bit and see which one sounds good to you

hostyle

Don't be silly. Any distribution of linux will run on a machine of that spec. Window Managers such as KDE and GNOME may not however. If its meant to be a webserver it has no reason to have a GUI, at least not KDE / GNOME - try out lighter ones like blackbox / fluxbox if you like.

I have knoppix hd-install running on a P2 200 w/ 32 Mb RAM. It runs sshd, apache, slimserver and samba perfectly.

Install ssh and (a few web-based config tools if you like) and everything should go swimmingly, even without a GUI.

dahamsta

I agree with hostyle. I'm just about to retire a 300MHz Dell whitebox, which must be a good 7 or 8 years old by now. For the last 4 or 5 years it's acted as my LAN IMAP server, development webserver, and Samba filestore for all of my client's sites and data. It's run nearly every Red Hat distro since 6.2 with zerro boogs, and in all honesty I'm only retiring it because it's kinda ratty lookin' at this stage, and it'll bring down the tone of my new flat.

Course, more RAM never hurt anyone.

adam

niallb

The big flashy installers will not work on a machine with 64M of RAM although the installed system will have no problems.
Debian linux (or an OpenBSD installer :-) ) has an installer which will be much happier on that spec.

Mandrake or coloured hat style distributions usually have a text based alternative installer which should be fine.

NiallB

dahamsta

Originally posted by niallb
The big flashy installers will not work on a machine with 64M of RAM

Admittedly I haven't tried it since Red Hat 7x, but when I first set up the aforementioned machine up as a server it only had 64MB, and although the graphical installer was a bit slow, I didn't have any problems. I don't think the later installers are that much heavier?

adam

Jorinn

For simplicity try clarkconnect linux.

Keeks

Ok, I got Makdrake 10.0 community edition and installed it. You're right about about running, or rather not running KDe or Gnome. 64 mb is not enough. I tried useing one of the other xfree packages but all i got is xclock running in the coner and nothing esle on screen.

so now I have mandrake linux running in shell. So where do I go from here?

zAbbo

Youd be wantng to setup URPMI, search over previous posts in this forum with "mandrake", or google it

Its the software sources/dependencies management thingy for mdk

FreeHost

This is a thread I put up a while ago, the latest version uses RH9.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=92972

The howto was for version was 5.6, however, the new version 6 is has some nice improvements, when you have it setup there is an option in the control panel to link it up to your windows workgroup network, for you can view the file structure through windows explorer.

niallb

Originally posted by Keeks
... You're right about about running, or rather not running KDe or Gnome. 64 mb is not enough. I tried useing one of the other xfree packages but all i got is xclock running in the coner and nothing esle on screen.

so now I have mandrake linux running in shell. So where do I go from here?

This document Unix is a Four Letter Word is a short introduction to a unix shell environment,
and is essential reading even though much of it is 10 years old.

The first step is to get to know a good editor.
Get to know vim.
Accept no substitutes!
Vim is the most advanced form of the vi editor which you will find on every unix system.
You could use a simpler editor, but it will leave you stuck when you most need it.
If you get into it, you will install it on your windows machine too.
Search the web for vilearn. It's a tutorial file in using a vi editor.

Any emacs users out there going to dispute this - for a 64M machine? :-)

NiallB
p.s.
If you must try out an X environment, try running
urpmi xfce from the command line.
It's a good compromise window manager for that amount of RAM.
However, actually running any programs will bring things to a crawl again :-)

hostyle

If vim is too much all at once for you, try nano.

The following is just personal opinion, and not necessarily correct:

The first few things you need to learn are urpmi (for installing software on Mandrake), editting configuration files (using vim or nano) and reading manuals (the "man" command).

Software: For a webserver you need apache (it may already be installed), for network file sharing you need samba. For a remote command-line you need ssh (should already be running). You may want an FTP server, though I generally use scp (which runs over ssh).

Then try and get to grips with configuring, stopping and starting your chosen services.