Server Distros -- Update

[Condon Thomas A KPWA]

Folks,

Thanks for all the advice.  Even if I did have to read some of it after I
came back.

I thought I'd give a brief description of what happened to my "server" over
the holidays.  Just an informal tour of the problems faced and overcome.

I purchased a copy of KRUD based on a recommendation and the website info.
However, the website only listed 7.3, while I got an email (after Christmas)
asking if I wanted version 7.3 or 8.0 (which was now available).  Due to
other circumstances (I haven't got mail service redirected to the home
server yet), I had to dial in with my laptop to answer and tell them to send
me 8.0 if it wasn't an alpha or beta release.  So it arrived (with $4.00
extra for express shipping) on the 28th.  However, by that time I was busily
working with my new SuSE 8.1 install.

I had SuSE 7.2, 7.3, 8.0 and 8.1 (Professional version of all) at home, so I
chose to try 8.1.  There was something funny about getting it set up
correctly that caused the install to hang a couple of times.  Not the KVM
switch, since I *know* (having learned the hard way) to bypass that while
doing an install.  Anyway, when I partitioned the disk I left a KRUD
partition that I can install later (to check it out).

Once SuSE 8.1 was installed, I had to learn to make it a server.  I've never
done that before, so I went looking for reference books on my shelf.  Let me
say here that I am grateful to this list for suggesting the book I chose --
"Special Edition - Using Linux - 6th Edition", by David Bandel & Robert
Napier.  It is an easy read, that not only told me how, it told me why in a
manner that allowed me to modify a different distro's version than the two
they dealt with (Debian & Caldera).  This book was incredibly helpful in
setting up my server and learning what was going on.

Once I get the DNS setup, and the official domains (condonia.org & 3bnp.com)
pointed there it should work fine (since I can access it through port 80
from my other machines).  I've learned what I need to do to make it a
caching DNS, too, which is the next step.  According to the test site listed
on this list just before the break (we government employees are forced to
take the week off, whether we have leave or not) I've got a good and
effective firewall running on the DSL modem.  I see that SuSE 8.1 has BIND9
(as well as 8 -- with security updates for 8), so I'm pretty safe from
hacking there.

OK, I'm a slow worker at this.  Most of you would have done all this in a
day and wondered what to do with the rest of your vacation.  I had to RTFM,
rest (to recover from an illness that has plagued me all fall), learn about
servers, and spend time training a lab puppy, and do our 2002 budget (we put
it off the entire year).

Now, about SuSE 8.1.  One interesting aspect is that it offers XFS, EXT3 &
ReiserFS right out of the box, along with another JFS (that I didn't
recognize well enough to remember) and the usual Linux and Windows options.
Note that if you select XFS it will give you a serious warning about it
being experimental, but then let you choose to continue or not.  To avoid
problems I chose EXT3.  The YAST2 interface looks slightly different than
the 8.0 on my desktop, but that isn't a problem.  With the DSL connection I
can finally do an automated update without timing out.  Actually, I did it
on both systems at once without timing out, and achieved higher average
speeds on each than I can get on the T1 here at work (with our usual traffic
loads).  Having learned the lesson with the DSL connection on the
workstation, I did all my configuration (except editing the config files)
using YaST2, but that isn't really a problem for the jobs I was doing.  SuSE
has made it fairly simple to set up a web server that way.  I only had to
modify it for virtual domains so I could host more than one on the server,
and "Using Linux" showed me how and SuSE had put an example in the config
file so I knew where.  I do like the improvements to KDE with 3.0.3.  I
haven't tried the CD burner on this system, but it was recognized, so I have
no reason to think I'll have problems with it.  Sharing files via NFS with
my network was as easy as you expect with a decent OS.  The laptop running
windoze will just have to wait until I feel like doing Samba again.

Thanks for all the help this list has offered in the past, recent and
remote.  I consider each day's reading a learning experience.


In Harmony's Way, and In A Chord,

Tom  :-})

Thomas A. Condon
Barbershop Bass Singer
Registered Linux User #154358
A Jester Unemployed