Bare-bones file server?

Sorry if this has been asked before:
Can someone point me at a bare-bones file server distro to run on an intel
pentium 120 with 16MB of Ram?
I have a Libretto 50CT (mini laptop) wich I want to use as a file server on
a wired LAN. I have used it for that purpose running Win95B successfully,
but would like to dip my toes into *nix territory.
I suspect it can be done much more efficiently without a GUI (not required)
and have jsut purchased a 40GB drive which Windows can't access completely
in the Libretto (8GB limit).
I need to be able to access the files from Windows machines on the LAN and
save/erase/edit them there as well from Windows apps on the LAN PCs. Nothing
more required.
In summary, I need an OS capable of accessing a 40GB drive, network drivers
for my Xircom 10/100 ethenet card. SMB (Samba?) file access software, and
some way to load the lot: driver for a Libretto (PCMCIA) floppy disk or
parallel port CD ROM drive I have. Alternatively, I could copy the
installation files to the hard drive on my (WinXP) PC using rawrite or
something like it and install it from there (if that's possible in *nix).
My last excursions into Linux were disasters - couldn't get anything to work
in any way that I could use or make sense of..... but very familiar and
comfortable with DOS and all flavours of Windows (ver 1 to 2003).
Thanks.
Joe

Joe in Bendigo wrote:

> Sorry if this has been asked before:
> Can someone point me at a bare-bones file server distro to run on an intel
> pentium 120 with 16MB of Ram?

I have used Freesco as a file and print server. http://www.freesco.org/

--
Phil Frisbie, Jr.
Hawk Software
http://www.hawksoft.com

Joe in Bendigo wrote:

> Sorry if this has been asked before:
> Can someone point me at a bare-bones file server distro to run on an intel
> pentium 120 with 16MB of Ram?
> I have a Libretto 50CT (mini laptop) wich I want to use as a file server
> on a wired LAN. I have used it for that purpose running Win95B
> successfully, but would like to dip my toes into *nix territory.
> I suspect it can be done much more efficiently without a GUI (not
> required) and have jsut purchased a 40GB drive which Windows can't access
> completely in the Libretto (8GB limit).
> I need to be able to access the files from Windows machines on the LAN and
> save/erase/edit them there as well from Windows apps on the LAN PCs.
> Nothing more required.
> In summary, I need an OS capable of accessing a 40GB drive, network
> drivers for my Xircom 10/100 ethenet card. SMB (Samba?) file access
> software, and some way to load the lot: driver for a Libretto (PCMCIA)
> floppy disk or parallel port CD ROM drive I have. Alternatively, I could
> copy the installation files to the hard drive on my (WinXP) PC using
> rawrite or something like it and install it from there (if that's possible
> in *nix). My last excursions into Linux were disasters - couldn't get
> anything to work in any way that I could use or make sense of..... but
> very familiar and comfortable with DOS and all flavours of Windows (ver 1
> to 2003). Thanks.
> Joe

You might also want to look at NASlite+ from www.serverelements.com which
runs very well on low-end hardware.

Bob

Thanks, Bob and Phil!
I've downloaded both and read the documentation: exactly what I'm looking
for!
I'll try them b oth over the next few days and report back.
Cheers,
Joe

"bobmct" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3vFlg.1$_(E-Mail Removed)...
> Joe in Bendigo wrote:
>
> > Sorry if this has been asked before:
> > Can someone point me at a bare-bones file server distro to run on an
intel
> > pentium 120 with 16MB of Ram?
> > I have a Libretto 50CT (mini laptop) wich I want to use as a file server
> > on a wired LAN. I have used it for that purpose running Win95B
> > successfully, but would like to dip my toes into *nix territory.
> > I suspect it can be done much more efficiently without a GUI (not
> > required) and have jsut purchased a 40GB drive which Windows can't
access
> > completely in the Libretto (8GB limit).
> > I need to be able to access the files from Windows machines on the LAN
and
> > save/erase/edit them there as well from Windows apps on the LAN PCs.
> > Nothing more required.
> > In summary, I need an OS capable of accessing a 40GB drive, network
> > drivers for my Xircom 10/100 ethenet card. SMB (Samba?) file access
> > software, and some way to load the lot: driver for a Libretto (PCMCIA)
> > floppy disk or parallel port CD ROM drive I have. Alternatively, I could
> > copy the installation files to the hard drive on my (WinXP) PC using
> > rawrite or something like it and install it from there (if that's
possible
> > in *nix). My last excursions into Linux were disasters - couldn't get
> > anything to work in any way that I could use or make sense of..... but
> > very familiar and comfortable with DOS and all flavours of Windows (ver
1
> > to 2003). Thanks.
> > Joe
>
> You might also want to look at NASlite+ from www.serverelements.com which
> runs very well on low-end hardware.
>
> Bob

Joe H;

You might find that the BIOS limit is 8 GB on that machine. A 40 GB drive
may not ever be seen without an overlay.

Doug

"JoeH" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:YSQng.16853$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Thanks, Bob and Phil!
> I've downloaded both and read the documentation: exactly what I'm looking
> for!
> I'll try them b oth over the next few days and report back.
> Cheers,
> Joe
>
> "bobmct" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:3vFlg.1$_(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Joe in Bendigo wrote:
>>
>> > Sorry if this has been asked before:
>> > Can someone point me at a bare-bones file server distro to run on an
> intel
>> > pentium 120 with 16MB of Ram?
>> > I have a Libretto 50CT (mini laptop) wich I want to use as a file
>> > server
>> > on a wired LAN. I have used it for that purpose running Win95B
>> > successfully, but would like to dip my toes into *nix territory.
>> > I suspect it can be done much more efficiently without a GUI (not
>> > required) and have jsut purchased a 40GB drive which Windows can't
> access
>> > completely in the Libretto (8GB limit).
>> > I need to be able to access the files from Windows machines on the LAN
> and
>> > save/erase/edit them there as well from Windows apps on the LAN PCs.
>> > Nothing more required.
>> > In summary, I need an OS capable of accessing a 40GB drive, network
>> > drivers for my Xircom 10/100 ethenet card. SMB (Samba?) file access
>> > software, and some way to load the lot: driver for a Libretto (PCMCIA)
>> > floppy disk or parallel port CD ROM drive I have. Alternatively, I
>> > could
>> > copy the installation files to the hard drive on my (WinXP) PC using
>> > rawrite or something like it and install it from there (if that's
> possible
>> > in *nix). My last excursions into Linux were disasters - couldn't get
>> > anything to work in any way that I could use or make sense of..... but
>> > very familiar and comfortable with DOS and all flavours of Windows (ver
> 1
>> > to 2003). Thanks.
>> > Joe
>>
>> You might also want to look at NASlite+ from www.serverelements.com which
>> runs very well on low-end hardware.
>>
>> Bob
>
>

Doug Holtz wrote:

> Joe H;
>
> You might find that the BIOS limit is 8 GB on that machine. A 40 GB drive
> may not ever be seen without an overlay.

Linux does not use the BIOS to access an IDE hard drive, so that is not a
problem. I have actually done that: I put a large drive in an old '486 computer
that did not support larger than 8 GB drives and it worked fine.

--
Phil Frisbie, Jr.
Hawk Software
http://www.hawksoft.com

Phil Frisbie, Jr. wrote:
> Doug Holtz wrote:
>
>> Joe H;
>>
>> You might find that the BIOS limit is 8 GB on that machine. A 40 GB
>> drive may not ever be seen without an overlay.
>
> Linux does not use the BIOS to access an IDE hard drive, so that is not
> a problem. I have actually done that: I put a large drive in an old '486
> computer that did not support larger than 8 GB drives and it worked fine.
>

If the BIOS cannot read the entire disk, you do have to be careful in the placement of the files in
/boot as the BIOS must be able to read the second part of the bootstrap. One way is to make a small
partition (200 MB or so) as the very first one on the disk and mount it as /boot. Once the kernel is
loaded, the entire disk will then be available.

Larry