Server help needed

[TandyMan100]

I have an AMD K6-2 300MHz and an AMD 800MHz, both with <100MB RAM. What would be a good linux-based server distro that would work on these machines, and is easy enough for a totally networking n00b to set up?

[Chuck(G)]

It would help focus the discussion a bit if you described the type of server you require. (e.g. Mail server, file server (linux or windows?), web server, etc.)

My first linux mailserver was a P1 75 (or something very close) and it ran an ancient version of Red Hat. The current one is an 800MHz P3 running Debian. Both performed also as routers and firewalls.

Before that, I ran an NT4 server for mail that dialed up periodically and picked up mail via UUCP, I think it was on a 486 box.

[linuxlove]

I'd recommend you get Debian 3.1 "Sarge". I have it on my Toshiba and it works great. Just head over to Mike Chamber's IRC server if you need help setting it up. As for networking, use Intel cards, cause Linux has drivers for Intel stuff.

[TandyMan100]

HTML server, sorry for being vauge.

[Jorg]

Depends on how much you want to 'play around' with it.

If you just want a working server, Clarkconnect (now ClearOS) should do that nicely.
Or on older version of a SLAMMP livecd. Or a router optimised distribution.

If you want to more yourself, yes, Debian, NetBSD, FreeBSD.

[TNC]

I would recommend you the latest version of Debian. Without X you can install it easily to one of that machines. Please do NOT install any outdated stuff, if you want to connect it to the internet. For example for security reasons. If you are not familiar you could use webmin for adminstration. It is a web- frontend for your administration. :)

[TandyMan100]

Okay, cool. How do i go about wiring this into my existing network? Here's an ASCII diagram:

Wall----Modem----Wireless Router-----Computers

Where and how do I wire in my server(s) so that they can be accessed from the internet?

[barythrin]

Ok so, once you've applied the latest updates and patches to your linux box (remember, if it's available via the net it'll have lots of bored bots scanning for common vulnerabilities to try and take ownership of your box and the rest of the systems on your internal network).

So that said what you'd do is on your router you'll either set up your webserver to be in the DMZ (this opens it up to the outside world but separates it from your inside network which is (mostly) good). Or you do port forwarding and would forward only port 80 or whatever port you want to host the web traffic on to the IP of your internal linux server. That way someone on the net that goes to your public IP on port 80 will end up on your internal system's port 80 instead of your router (which would end up dropping the packet since it's obviously not hosting an internet server to the world).

Most routers you can do this through the GUI but there should be a plethora of how-to articles out there for most routers.

[TandyMan100]

Okay, everybody. Thanks for the help! I'll get to downloading a version of Debien, and figure out the port-forwarding on my dad's router (belkin wireless). I should have my site up in about a month. I'll have rants, file downloads, a blog, photos, and random cheese.

EDIT: HOLD THE PHONE!!! What if I want to host multiple sites with their own IPs on this machine? Can I do that with Debien and (i'm guessing) apache?

I hit another snag: downloading debien. It would take AGES to download the full images, so I choose the "small image suitable for floppy (goody, don't have a working cdrom drive availiable) and then installation from internet". When I go into that directory, I have NO idea what to download that is a floppy image. aurgh.

[Dreamcast270mhz]

Try freeNAS too.

[barythrin]

You'll be fine with one linux server and Apache. In the apache config file (httpd.conf) you'll end up setting up a vhost entry. http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/vhosts/examples.html has the info. Basically your server gets the http request from the client for "www.example.org" or whatever and Apache parses it's config file to figure out what local directory to show the client (then it reads that index.whatever file).

The debian install, I dunno about. Maybe someone else has a better idea or a search out there will let ya know which one to grab.

[TNC]

The latest release of Debian 5 "Lenny" doesnt provide floppyimages anymore. The Kernel is grown to big to fit onto floppy. If you have no way to boot of the network, you could use the Debian 4 "Etch" install a minimal base system and then upgrade to lenny.

If you can find a working cdrom, this is a minimalist lenny boot cd (typically around 40 MB) and all the other files will be loaded from the net:

http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/5.0.3/i386/iso-cd/debian-503-i386-businesscard.iso

[TandyMan100]

The latest release of Debian 5 "Lenny" doesnt provide floppyimages anymore. The Kernel is grown to big to fit onto floppy. If you have no way to boot of the network, you could use the Debian 4 "Etch" install a minimal base system and then upgrade to lenny.

If you can find a working cdrom, this is a minimalist lenny boot cd (typically around 40 MB) and all the other files will be loaded from the net:

http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/5.0.3/i386/iso-cd/debian-503-i386-businesscard.iso
WONDERFULL! Tanks a bunch!

You'll be fine with one linux server and Apache. In the apache config file (httpd.conf) you'll end up setting up a vhost entry. http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.0/vhosts/examples.html has the info. Basically your server gets the http request from the client for "www.example.org" or whatever and Apache parses it's config file to figure out what local directory to show the client (then it reads that index.whatever file).

The debian install, I dunno about. Maybe someone else has a better idea or a search out there will let ya know which one to grab.
Okay dokey. That's great!

[TandyMan100]

Last night, I tried to install Debian. It didn't recognise my network hardware. Ubuntu kept crashing, and Turnkey LAMP disk got a kernal panic during the installtion. The ONLY operating system that has even gotten close to installing fully (am installing it now) is TinyXP pro SP3 O_o. I guess before this all I hade 98SE and ReactOS (pretty cool, but froze/bluescreened during a lot of apps). Well.... Is there Apache for Windows?

[linuxlove]

yes there is. there are other HTTPd's that i know of that are smaller and faster than Apache on older systems. Mike C. wrote an HTTPd for windows in Visual Basic 6 called Rockstar. Dunno where it's at; you'll have to ask him. Then there's LigHTTPd, which i know runs in linux but dunno about a windows port.

[TandyMan100]

I'll try apache first (install is still going after 5+hours. Ghawd) because of it's large userbase, then I'll try Mike's client (Mike likes to write server software lol). I am *this* close to having a working server. Right now I'm working on the hardware for my backup server.

EDIT: Install failed. "Not enough system resources to complete operation". Something about trying to create the security subsystem. I'm gonna re-try Windows 98 again, last time I kept getting errors. Apache *should* run on 98SE, but I'm worried about the security...

[barythrin]

It's not mainstream but I used TurboLinux in the past to get around a lot of these newer distros needing more hardware than I had available (a 486 with 64MB RAM). This was .. eesh.. like 12 years ago but I had problems with most newer distros requiring a Pentium processor and all the files being way too bloated to run on the older ware.

I think the first one I got to work was actually Debian though but I was closer to your age and wasn't a linux admin yet heh so all I heard was "Debian is a geeks linux" which scared me off at that time (I think it's much friendlier now).

The trick will be getting the right "modules" (drivers) for your NIC installed (insmod modulename). It's certainly more difficult without a cd-rom, that's why you're not getting many built-in drivers, it's because they need to keep things small for the floppy installs.

You could also try running NT 4.x or something and just patch it up to sp6a and run Apache on there. It should be pretty cheap or free if you look around, don't think many people are caring about obsolete server OS cds yet.

[offensive_Jerk]

I believe the floppy version has to download more of the distrubution anyway, so you may as well download the cd.

I don't know who your internet service provider is, but I know some (charter) block port 80, so you would have to setup your webserver to use a different port.

[Jorg]

Oh, don't forget my favorite http://www.freesco.info/ :F

[TandyMan100]

I just got XP installed sucessfully, will need to wait untill Wednesday or so to get a PS/2 mouse, 'cause this computer doesn't work with USB (d'oh). What services should I disable on startup, and still be left with a useable system that can run apache?