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Thread ID: 14525	2002-01-11 06:51:00	Home internet server (linux/windows) and what I need.	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
30742	2002-01-11 06:51:00	Hey there, I'm slowly acquiring a lot of fairly old PC stuff, and plan on putting it together to make a server for our network. I've never made a server, or even used one. I don't really understand a fair amount of how they work. I know I want one that'll be low maintenance, and perhaps even remotely controlled over the network (perhaps like XP's Remote desktop Connection feature), but what do I need? Where do Domain's come into all of this, and where do I draw the line of having a specialised 'net computer' between calling it a peer to peer network (as it is now, with my computer serving the internet), and a server? Obviously the server will need to be able to DHCP the other computers IP's, allow using most internet apps (WWW, ICQ, MSN, IRC, etc), and be remotely controlled. I know XP will be easier, and possibly best, but that isn't really a server is it(sounds peer-to-peer-ish to me)? and Linux - that'll be harder definitely, but possibly better?. Overall, I'm confused, can someone please clear it up for me? :) My hardware, as I say, won't be too powerful, it'll be a Pentium 2-266, reasonable amount of RAM (probably 128mb), crap video, possibly sound, 100mb NIC, CD, Floppy, 56k modem (until I get something better), etc - would my easiest option be XP with it's remote desktop connection providing me with the remote connection I want (so I can stick the computer in the shed and forget about it :)) Thanks alot and Thanks in advance, Jonathan Giles	Guest (0)
30743	2002-01-11 10:11:00	Server, Client and Peer-to-Peer are just words that describe functions not the physicality of the computer. A server... serves things, to be a server, a computer just needs to offer services to other computers. If you share C: on the computer, it is a file server, if you plug in a printer and share that, it is a print server, if you run a proxy server on it, it can become an Internet server. Right now the compuer you have serving the Internet, is an Internet server, well done, you have it working well. Server-Client is more a description of each connection on a network. One computer provides a service to another, and is the Server, the other is a client.	Guest (0)
30744	2002-01-11 20:03:00	hi Jonathan, this product will likely do everything you want: http://www.smoothwall.org It's a free linux based firewall with Web browser based administration tools. The security is good, though the Slashdot community had a moan about it recently (usually they moan about MS so it was a good change).	Guest (0)
30745	2002-01-11 22:30:00	Thanks alot, another question or two: 1) what could we use to make this linux server dial-up to the ISP? 2) Would Mandrake 8.1 be ok? Jonathan Giles	Guest (0)
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