which distro for lan file server?

I burned lubuntu and ubuntu server to disc last night. lubuntu seemed to work as livecd just fine, networking was effective immediately. I am not bothering with saving those files at all, just uploading them here.
View attachment lshw.txt
View attachment lspci.txt

Will be anxious to hear what might be found out due to the hardware.

Many thanks for the time taken to help.

Sul.

 

I think it may have something to do with the LSI controller, and the drivers possibly not being available.

I would try to install the ubuntu server version following the guides online if you are just going to be setting up filesharing etc. the command line is fine, most settinig up of these services are from the terminal anyhow..
The main issue you **may** have is using editors from the terminal ie. vi/vim/nano etc. personal pref of mine is vim, but that is because I use it all the time and know some nifty little shortcuts.

You could always try to install Lubuntu and see if that will fulfill your needs too.

Post what you decide to do and remember that man is your friend. No not that man, from terminal man. ex. man grep

 

Over the years I have always glommed onto different pdf books, such things like "the linux cookbook". Is there a source you might recommend that lays out the most used commands and thier basic syntax?

How would one pipe it out, the usual > or >> ? I don't normally use a printer, but I might think about doing that. I figured at some point I would be using commands in prompt and all, and am not afraid of doing so, other than I don't really know many, and unlike M$ systems, I don't know how to just open a directory (or which one to open) to look for applications that will be pertinent.

Thanks.

Sul.

 

leave out the quotes below when typing in commands

Sul - man is a great tool from from the terminal if there is an entry for it man will spit it out on your screen.
Example say you wanted to read about ls and its uses at a prompt($) just type "man ls" and you will be presented with all its features and you can use the arrow keys, page up, etc. to view. If you are looking for things specifically, such as how to list files recursively using ls, then you can call "man ls" and while the manpage is up in the terminal you can use the forward slash (/) to jump to the instance of recursive and it will highlight all the rest for you.
"/recursive" then enter
To exit a manpage hit q

yes you can pipe out man pages by using the > or >> write/apprend so I will stick with man here:
$man ls > ls_manpage.txt

To change a directory is simple: cd just like windows, only the slases are the opposite directions.
"cd /home/$user/Desktop"

REMEMBER linux is CaSe sensative!

Here is a good site to get your feet wet:
http://www.unixguide.net/linux/linuxshortcuts.shtml

Another thing to note is that linux uses .conf for configuration files, intuative right?
Then you get to the editor portion of the convo again vi/vim/nano/etc. nano and vi are usually defualt and you have to install vim, but it's simpler and easier to use in my opinion than nano or vi. My big issue with nano is the anti-intuitive key combos to save! grr

As for online learning, I like Unixmen and the Ubuntu HotTo's
http://www.unixmen.com/
http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=100

Also, if you are ever stuck and simply cannot find what you are looking for on the all mighty google, try the Arch Linux Wiki it is an amazing resource.


HTH

 

Use BSD or OpenSolaris so that you can get the benefits of ZFS. It's an amazing filesystem developed by Sun that no one else can touch. You can add new storage pools on the fly without even having to restart it. It also does checksumming of all data to ensure integrity and stop "silent corruption" that is a real problem on modern hard disks.

If not and you are concerned about performance, go with a Gentoo stage3 install and compile the system from scratch. This way the software will be as optimized as possible for your hardware and you can select only what you want to install. Use the XFS filesystem if you are going to be storing large files. If not, ext4 is a good choice. And for this box, I would recommend not even installing a desktop environment at all.

 

You want to know what the sad part of your post is, I know squat about *nix, but it actually makes sense to me. I don't know how to implement it, but I understand what you are saying in generic terms.

So perhaps I should screw this idea that I can only dabble in linux and just go "whole hog"? The one thing that most neophytes speak about that I notice is that linux is complicate, because you must use a console. I was hoping to just put something on that would work, but the more you guys who know what you are doing reply, the more it looks like the console is inevitable.

Let me ask a very generic question. Coming from the M$ world, and not being stranger at all to dos days, even pre-dos, even up to the very first apple (a long time ago now), I do not fear computers, nor language syntax. But I don't know the language of linux console.

Just how big is it? Just how much different is it? Not different, as in C is different from VB/VBS/dos/Batch, because those are just nuances in the language. Case sensitivity, using escape characters or alternate characters such as / instead of \. I don't have issues with that.

But really, is the consensus that someone who is no stranger to code etc should be able to hack through it with minimal troubles? Because if that is the consensus, maybe I should do that and forget the gui stuff. I know how to do all that in M$ world, but honestly it is just easier to use the gui for much of it.

Consider me a ripe candidate for becoming a convert, at least on the weekends

Sul.

 

No worries! There are plenty of resources for someone who is seeking it as you are.

In the server aspect of Linux, yes you have to use the console to get to the meat and potatoes just like Windows.

I think you are asking about bash which is the Bourne Again SHell
Here is another link I forgot in my earlier post that is very helpful:
http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/

It still uses C, it also uses a lot of Perl and bash scripts

Yes, if you are fine looking at the guts of programs then you are fine. Have a solid look at the bash link I posted, this will help guide you in the normal day to day commands.

Another thing to note, more than likely you will not have to use the terminal for everyday use as once you are setup you may only have to go in a tweak it. You can go in for fun stuff like looking into log files, system usage, etc. with the exception of running updates but you can schedule those with cron. But once the main setup is done you can just sit back and relax.

Perfect!

HTH

Dan

 

I think the issue with this machine is due to ACPI. Not sure, but that is my guess.

I can install OpenFiler and Turnkey on it, but FreeNAS will not unless in safe mode.

So now a question then, in terms of these 3, assuming I could change a config file in FreeNAS to force non-acpi use, is there any opinions as to which would be better used by a noob?

BTW, after some reading, I don't think linux would be that hard as I first thought. The syntax for command line operation is somewhat more complicated, or maybe there is just more of it, or more options for each command. But I was able to stumble around and do a lot of things that make me believe it would not pose too much problem. I think the thing lacking is the time to devote to daily use with it to become adept.

So thanks for the pointers and tips everyone.

Sul.

 

Openfiler is the one I have experience with, super easy and a decent GUI.

FreeNAS - Which version the 'debian base' or 'BSD base'? If 'debian base' then forcing no acpi is easy. When booting, at the grub menu hit "e" to edit the kernel line and append "acpi=off" to the end and you will then force acpi off. In your situation this would seem to be fine, but in newer computers it is turning into a bad idea.

 

Hmm. I do not recall seing an option for the debian based version. I know the one I tried is BSD based. I will check into that.

OpenFiler installed fine, but it says I am required to logon locally, presumeably to start the network up. I did a GUI install, and set it up, but no worky. Stupid thing though, I try to login as root <password>, and it does not let me. I thought during install the password I made was for root. I also read on the forums you can login as openfiler with the pw being "password", but it errors on that too. Must've missed something, although they want you to pay for the admin guide. Hmm.

Thanks. By grub menu, you are meaning to say that the "install options" is just a menu.lst file for a grub? And the 'e' is modifying what the menu line command would have been. Is this the same as it is done in grub4dos, which I have used quite a bit?

Sul.

 

Hey Sully,

You don't have to be worried about the learning curve of Linux. I don't program very much and I have been running Linux for a couple of years now. I have five desktops and three laptops and I have three dual boot systems. I have one Windows 2000 and the rest run Linux. I even have Slackware on one ancient Laptop. I tried many distros and settled on Unbunu and Mint and I love them both.

As I have a couple more boxes I'm not using, I'm seriously considering a home file server, and if I do I will use Ubuntu 10.14 LTS. I've read a couple "How To" tutorials on setting up home file servers using Linux, including the links below, and I don't think it will be too much of a problem. Go for it!

http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu-home-fileserver
http://www.linuxjournal.com/node/1005985

Jim

 

0.7 is FreeBSD based
0.8 is Debian Linux based -- Looks to be not released yet.. sorry about that. )

Sounds like things have changed since I used it last, my apologies. Last I knew it was libre.

I assume so, I have not used Grub4DOS though.
Yes, at the grub menu(if you don't have it press 'esc' while booting), highlight the kernel you wish to boot, hit 'e', in the kernel line hit 'e' again, I remove quiet splash -- but that is just me, then add acpi=off to the end hit enter the 'b'
If this works well, then add it to your grub menu permanently via the menu.lst in grub1 or grub2 in /etc/default/grub in the subsection GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash acpi=off"
HTH

//edit//
GRUB wiki's:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2
http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB2

//EDIT #2//
With all the BS and releases, dates, etc. what are you looking to do exactly? Setup a music sharing, video NAS or just file storage? I mean if this is all for just the fun of it cool try all you want but if you are looking to have a central backup location that can be accomplished with any modern distribution with relative ease.

 

Well, the idea of trying something different is always inviting....

I have a Synology NAS device, which works absolutely awesome. But, I was given a decent machine with raid capability, dual proc, etc etc. Nothing big and fancy, just a solid machine. I have the ability to put any flavor of windows on it for a simple file server for data, which is the primary use.

But someone (not me thankfully) likes to build webpages, and the thought was that putting up a linux box for the purpose of being able to mimic locally what the real web server might be running. I don't understand it entirely, because I purposefully avoid web design, but my dad is from way back with computers (think mainframes the size of a van ), and he wants to put Apache on it I believe. He builds the pages at work, and I mentioned the prospect of a linux server, and he was getting pretty excited at the thought.

For me, a lesson in something different I could do just as easily in windows. Sounds like a fun time IMO.

Sul.

 

Well to get your Dad started you can get a base system installed and then just install Apache for him. That is quit easy! Then you can mimic a real scenario where you can't wipe a production machine and have to work with what you have. That's a fun time and a challenge

 

Found this and thought of this thread:

Creating a NAS Box Using OpenFiler
http://www.linux-mag.com/id/7785/2/

 

Since I previously posted I have installed Ubuntu Server 10.04 and use it for a Home File Server. I installed Samba and SSH using the online tutorials for instruction. On the Server I use only the command line which I SSH into from my other computers. With the SSH, I use Key Authentication and administer the server from my other computers. I use Samba for both Windows and Linux file sharing.

Now I am not particularly gifted with Linux. I consider myself a routine Linux user but I run Linux on all my machines and now have set up a headless server for home file sharing and all works perfectly.

The reason I say this is to encourage you set up a system using the online tutorials. You can do it! Start with a clean machine and a clean install and follow the online helps.

Jim

 

This is great news that you chose to use Ubuntu file server over other traditional linux server distros. What was your primary reason for chosing Ubuntu over others btw?

 

I chose Ubuntu Server for two reasons:

1) I'm have more experience with Ubuntu than other distros, and,
2) With Ubuntu, I know I can find the help I need. When I take on a new Linux challenge, for me, a large user base can be the difference between success and failure.

Jim

 

Very good points, one of the reasons I am setting this up, its easier for non Linux users to transition into Ubuntu, usually I set it up minus GUI but then its so easy to get a GUI if needed.

 

I have been using turnkey. Not had a lot of extensive play time with console, but the plugins work pretty slick, and the web interface makes it fairly easy to use. Not much different really than openfiler or freenas, except it is perhaps more advanced because of the packages contain more if you want. I have the lamp and fileserver packages, so it does everything so far that it needs.

Ubuntu server is probably the next route I will go if turnkey doesn't pan out for the best. But so far, pretty easy for the novice...

Sul.