Here i go again, Linux what flavour?

LeperousDust · 28-10-2007, 17:42

I've got a PC sat behind me now with specs:
P4C800-E Deluxe
2.8ghz P4C
512mb General 400mz DDR
4 * 400gb hard drives (2 cconnected to motherboard, 2 connected to RocketRAID 1540)
2 * 40gb hard drives (mirrored on the motherboard)
Random samsung (possible intermittantly faulty) DVD
Geforce 3 ti something AGP

Now i need this to serve first and formost as a NAS, i want that space RAIDed and to used for good measure, generally storing media and more importantly backups. If something goes wrong i'd like it recoverable.

I also need this PC to server as a print server, we've got one printer throughout the flat and this is the only PC (everyone uses laptops over wireless) so being able to print from anyones laptop is crucial too, thats all it serves atm running windows with sharing enabled. What linux shizzle should i be looking at?

I want it simple and easy, with a HTTP or some kind of remote interface. Looked at FreeNAS Perfect for the NAS doesn't really seem to do anything with printers? Same for Openfiler. Then i found eBox great as a server but RAID kinda NAS stuff seems thin on the ground there. Apart from installing Ubuntu and doing this the hard way (i'd really don't think i want to do this) what else could i do?

Will · 28-10-2007, 17:50

Purely for ease of installation configuration and the amount of online help available and support you can get for it, I'd say Ubuntu - it does everything other linux distros do, and even if it doesn't you can install software on it that makes it do what you want it to do. I know there are more competent and complex versions out there maybe more specific for server based applications but just trying to save your sanity - well if you're a linux n00b like me anyway I found it easy to get on with!

LeperousDust · 28-10-2007, 17:53

The point is the others out there maybe easier to setup for what i want, for instance freeNAS throw the CD install, and you've got a bare bones NAS only PC, its awesome, i just want a printer tagged onto that too.

Where as ubuntu, i'd have to setup my RAID, set up samba or whatever, and printer share it all, then i've got to set up some kind of remote admin (freeNAS has a HTTP remote admin page) amongst other things i've no doubt forgot too. Ubuntu would be the best solution probably without a doubt but it's more fiddling than i have the time or inclination for unless i HAVE to...

Will · 28-10-2007, 17:57

I've never used FreeNAS but if you think it'll configure better and be better for your use then maybe that's the way to go obviously if it's a role specific version of it. I'm sure the linux boys would be able to help you to setup a printer on it if you had to have it.

LeperousDust · 28-10-2007, 18:18

Thats why i'm hoping garp/daz/burble/mark or whoever will appear in a short while and tell me they'll hold my hand while i do as my told... haha. FreeNAS is great apart the the lack of print server/sharing support...

LeperousDust · 28-10-2007, 18:48

Right since i'm being impatient, i've just thrown Gutsy Gibbon on it, i'll get printer sharing up and running first as thats pretty important. Not sure how easy it is yet, haven't looked into it. Then i'll look at getting some kind of NAS/RAID thing set up and webadmin for it all...

Mark · 28-10-2007, 19:08

For printer sharing with Windows you'll need cups and samba. It's fairly easy to set up once you have the software installed. Also, beware that if your Windows driver has special printing options, you will lose them when printing this way (there might be some solution to that, but I don't know it).

LeperousDust · 28-10-2007, 19:39

I totally forgot you mark, i see so if i set greyscale printing from within windows printing options it will be whatever the ubuntu box sets itself as? I want to set default to greyscale, but give the user (my mates) options to overide in some cases to colour when needed... Is that going to be a pain? Why is everything always full of these little niggling problems...

Dr. Z · 28-10-2007, 20:04

Right, forget trying to use the RocketRAID controller or onboard RAID stuff with Linux - its not worth the time or the hassle when you have mdraid there and available - and its far superior anyway. Those RocketRAID "fakeraid" cards are a complete waste of time, so just use it for what it is, a cheap HDD controller!

Install and configure Samba, perhaps install webmin for this (I dont think its in apt, even with the rest of the repositories enabled) so download the .deb from sourceforge and use dpkg to install it:

Code:

dpkg -i webmin_1.370.deb

for whatever .deb you download.

Webmin is an incredibly lazy way of managing your system and the latest version is a bit buggy (at least with Apache it has been for me, other modules may well be too), but it will save you the hassle of learning the config file syntax and will let you sort out users and stuff with relative ease. I dont use it any more because I hated not seeing what was going on underneath (mainly for when things went wrong!) but for a relative newbie, its spot on.

I cant answer your printing question, but maybe installing VMware and running an nlite stripped out windows 2k or something in it might be the solution for that? If you set it up right, on that hardware you wont notice the VM running

LeperousDust · 28-10-2007, 20:36

I'm only using the RocketRAID as HDD controller, i picked it up cheap for that reason, i actually want to run software RAID only as it should be easier to put together after a nuclear fallout... But i'm already having the usual linux problems, this is why i just can't be arsed...

Installed Ubuntu to one of the sammy drives, but the sammy drives are mirrored with the intel motherboard RAID, Ubuntu won't boot after installing. I've tried swapping both drives over the the promise fasktrak controller mirrored and installing again yet linux still falls over. When i install linux it still sees both drives as separate drives rather than one entitiy. How the hell do i get around that? Thats just for starters, i can get linux installed on one drive without RAID1 but since i have two 40gb (three in fact) i'd like the extra sescurity since there isn't much else i can do with them!

I'm thinking it would be easier to install windows back on here, use the rocketraid card for hardware raid 5 stuff and use the onboard intel or fasktrak as mirrored windows install. Printers will be set up in literally 5 seconds, shared folders will be seen by all with no setup and all still RAID5 (albeit hardware) and that'll do me for now...

//Edit: sammy drives are the two 40gb drives

28-10-2007, 17:42	#1
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	UPDATED - Ubuntu problems: Here i go again, Linux what flavour? I've got a PC sat behind me now with specs: P4C800-E Deluxe 2.8ghz P4C 512mb General 400mz DDR 4 * 400gb hard drives (2 cconnected to motherboard, 2 connected to RocketRAID 1540) 2 * 40gb hard drives (mirrored on the motherboard) Random samsung (possible intermittantly faulty) DVD Geforce 3 ti something AGP Now i need this to serve first and formost as a NAS, i want that space RAIDed and to used for good measure, generally storing media and more importantly backups. If something goes wrong i'd like it recoverable. I also need this PC to server as a print server, we've got one printer throughout the flat and this is the only PC (everyone uses laptops over wireless) so being able to print from anyones laptop is crucial too, thats all it serves atm running windows with sharing enabled. What linux shizzle should i be looking at? I want it simple and easy, with a HTTP or some kind of remote interface. Looked at FreeNAS Perfect for the NAS doesn't really seem to do anything with printers? Same for Openfiler. Then i found eBox great as a server but RAID kinda NAS stuff seems thin on the ground there. Apart from installing Ubuntu and doing this the hard way (i'd really don't think i want to do this) what else could i do? __________________ Last edited by LeperousDust; 17-11-2007 at 03:17.

28-10-2007, 17:50	#2
Will BBx woz 'ere :P Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 2,147,487,208	Purely for ease of installation configuration and the amount of online help available and support you can get for it, I'd say Ubuntu - it does everything other linux distros do, and even if it doesn't you can install software on it that makes it do what you want it to do. I know there are more competent and complex versions out there maybe more specific for server based applications but just trying to save your sanity - well if you're a linux n00b like me anyway I found it easy to get on with! __________________ *No No!*

28-10-2007, 17:53	#3
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	The point is the others out there maybe easier to setup for what i want, for instance freeNAS throw the CD install, and you've got a bare bones NAS only PC, its awesome, i just want a printer tagged onto that too. Where as ubuntu, i'd have to setup my RAID, set up samba or whatever, and printer share it all, then i've got to set up some kind of remote admin (freeNAS has a HTTP remote admin page) amongst other things i've no doubt forgot too. Ubuntu would be the best solution probably without a doubt but it's more fiddling than i have the time or inclination for unless i HAVE to... __________________

28-10-2007, 17:57	#4
Will BBx woz 'ere :P Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 2,147,487,208	I've never used FreeNAS but if you think it'll configure better and be better for your use then maybe that's the way to go obviously if it's a role specific version of it. I'm sure the linux boys would be able to help you to setup a printer on it if you had to have it. __________________ *No No!*

28-10-2007, 18:18	#5
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	Thats why i'm hoping garp/daz/burble/mark or whoever will appear in a short while and tell me they'll hold my hand while i do as my told... haha. FreeNAS is great apart the the lack of print server/sharing support... __________________ Last edited by LeperousDust; 28-10-2007 at 19:39. Reason: forgot mark

28-10-2007, 18:48	#6
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	Right since i'm being impatient, i've just thrown Gutsy Gibbon on it, i'll get printer sharing up and running first as thats pretty important. Not sure how easy it is yet, haven't looked into it. Then i'll look at getting some kind of NAS/RAID thing set up and webadmin for it all... __________________

28-10-2007, 19:08	#7
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	For printer sharing with Windows you'll need cups and samba. It's fairly easy to set up once you have the software installed. Also, beware that if your Windows driver has special printing options, you will lose them when printing this way (there might be some solution to that, but I don't know it).

28-10-2007, 19:39	#8
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	I totally forgot you mark, i see so if i set greyscale printing from within windows printing options it will be whatever the ubuntu box sets itself as? I want to set default to greyscale, but give the user (my mates) options to overide in some cases to colour when needed... Is that going to be a pain? Why is everything always full of these little niggling problems... __________________

28-10-2007, 20:04	#9
Dr. Z I'm going for a scuttle... Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 2,021	Right, forget trying to use the RocketRAID controller or onboard RAID stuff with Linux - its not worth the time or the hassle when you have mdraid there and available - and its far superior anyway. Those RocketRAID "fakeraid" cards are a complete waste of time, so just use it for what it is, a cheap HDD controller! Install and configure Samba, perhaps install webmin for this (I dont think its in apt, even with the rest of the repositories enabled) so download the .deb from sourceforge and use dpkg to install it: Code: dpkg -i webmin_1.370.deb for whatever .deb you download. Webmin is an incredibly lazy way of managing your system and the latest version is a bit buggy (at least with Apache it has been for me, other modules may well be too), but it will save you the hassle of learning the config file syntax and will let you sort out users and stuff with relative ease. I dont use it any more because I hated not seeing what was going on underneath (mainly for when things went wrong!) but for a relative newbie, its spot on. I cant answer your printing question, but maybe installing VMware and running an nlite stripped out windows 2k or something in it might be the solution for that? If you set it up right, on that hardware you wont notice the VM running __________________ Last edited by Dr. Z; 28-10-2007 at 20:06.

28-10-2007, 20:36	#10
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	I'm only using the RocketRAID as HDD controller, i picked it up cheap for that reason, i actually want to run software RAID only as it should be easier to put together after a nuclear fallout... But i'm already having the usual linux problems, this is why i just can't be arsed... Installed Ubuntu to one of the sammy drives, but the sammy drives are mirrored with the intel motherboard RAID, Ubuntu won't boot after installing. I've tried swapping both drives over the the promise fasktrak controller mirrored and installing again yet linux still falls over. When i install linux it still sees both drives as separate drives rather than one entitiy. How the hell do i get around that? Thats just for starters, i can get linux installed on one drive without RAID1 but since i have two 40gb (three in fact) i'd like the extra sescurity since there isn't much else i can do with them! I'm thinking it would be easier to install windows back on here, use the rocketraid card for hardware raid 5 stuff and use the onboard intel or fasktrak as mirrored windows install. Printers will be set up in literally 5 seconds, shared folders will be seen by all with no setup and all still RAID5 (albeit hardware) and that'll do me for now... //Edit: sammy drives are the two 40gb drives __________________ Last edited by LeperousDust; 28-10-2007 at 20:40.

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