Hi Folks. Firstly, thanks to those who advised on using NetBEUI. I wasn't looking to share the CM, just see the desktop's hard disk. Anyway, the goalposts have shifted and my server build has commenced. I'm at the stage of putting the hardware together and would appreciate comments on my game plan as it stands thus far.
Partitions: The disk is 40gig and the motherboard can take 2gig of ram in total (starting at 256meg). Is a partition split of 8/2/30 (system/swap/data) about right as a fairly future-proof proposition (Mandrake 8.1)? Although my intention is still to work mostly at the command line (and via webmin), this box will be fast enough to do gui and I'll probably want to try the gui options at some point. The main features of the eventual system are something like... File server to windows and linux clients on LAN. Internet gateway via cable modem. Firewall. Print server. Web server. Remote login and access to user data. Some questions... File service to Win clients by Samba, yes? How about to the laptop when it's running linux? Do I mount a network drive or something? The cable modem will be accommodated using a second LAN card in the server. How do I get it to sort out an IP/lease with the CM company? Tell it to use DHCP in the network/NIC setup in linuxconf? How do I set up the gateway for the LAN? (Is it a config thing, or do I need to install a prog?) Is there a built in firewall? If not, what's on the MD CDs that I should I use? Can I install/config the firewall before moving the CM to the server? Will the firewall prompt for approval when a Win prog wants to access the net for the first time, or do I have to config each thing manually? What's the scoop with setting up a print server? What do I have to install? Web server is, I assume, Apache. Is the CGI back-endy stuff part of the standard install? What do I need to be able to generate and send forms-based email? What ways are there to handle remote access? I'd like the data partition to appear in Network Wossname in Windows Explorer - the more draggy-droppy, the better. It has to be based on a user account on the server - I'm not into, say, an FTP server that requires separate account setup. Will Samba do this over the CM? How about doing this over a direct dial-up to my server, rather than via the internet? TIA! Wally
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