On Thu, 20 May 2004 19:36:35 +0100, nospam wrote:
> Hi i would really like a server adding to my 2 station network all
> consisting of xp home and pro.
>
> I have a old pc which i could use as a server.
>
> Is there any server OS prefably free or cheap ones that i could use. i
> would like it so when users logon they logon to the server domain, all
> work is stored centrally on the server and apps for easy backup.
While there are quite a few free OSs which will serve your needs, Linux is
probably your best bet. It is very common and well documented and there
are lots of people on Usenet who can offer assistance.
You will want Samba for the file sharing, included in all common Linux
distros. I suggest that for a 2 PC network you probably don't want to
bother with a domain as such, but just use "security=user" and a
workgroup, and set up the userids on each machine. I assume you don't have
too many. Samba will be a domain controller if you really want one, but
it'll be a bit more complex to set up. We have 3 Windows machines here and
a workgroup serves our needs fine.
There are dozens of backup utilities for Linux but for simple needs good
old "tar", combined with "mkisofs" and "cdrecord" if you're backing up to
CD, should be adequate.
Which Linux distro is best will depend on the spec of the PC. An "old PC"
can mean quite a powerful machine these days. If it's a PII or above with
128MB or more I suggest SuSE or Fedora, if it's a really old crock then
Debian. Debian takes a bit more getting used to and doesn't guide you by
the hand so much but isn't so resource hungry. And is very nice once you
do get used to it.
SuSE is my favourite "heavyweight" distro but has the disadvantage that
you cannot download ISOs or buy it on cheapo CDs (legally). If you know
someone who possesses a copy then copying the CDs is OK as long as no
money changes hands. You can also install it for free by FTP straight off
the Internet but this is only practical with a decent broadband
connection, especially as you're likely to decide to scrap your first
attempt and start again once you get a bit of experience. Hence my
suggestion of Fedora as an alternative, I don't like it as much but it is
available on cheap CDs. If you do go for SuSE you want the "Professional"
version not the cheaper "Personal" one, "Personal" is missing too much of
the server type stuff. You don't need any of the expensive "Server"
versions, these are all about support for corporate users. They don't
really do anything which Professional doesn't.
Mandrake is another possibility, very popular with Linux newbies but I
don't like it at all. I think it tries too hard to be friendly at the
expense of function. Just my opinion really.
See
http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk for the UK's No. 1 source of cheap
Linux CDs. If you have a good broadband connection, see
http://www.linuxiso.org for links to ISO downloads.
Regards, Ian
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