Re: OT: File Server at home

FreeBSD is more difficult to set up than some of the Linux distros. Try Mandrake, it is easy to use and has wizards just like windows to get you going. By demiliterized I mean that it is isolated from your local network, so that if it is hacked, it can't be used as a back door into your other computers. I hacked into a buddies ftp server once and got all the way into his wife's laptop running a VNC server on windows -- just for fun :)

God Bless America, ßill O|||||||Omailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com

hi, im not sure if any of this has been addressed already because i havent read the entire thread, but perhaps i can help a little here.

im currently running a half dozen websites, an IRC chat server, my own email server, and a file server out of my home on my qwest 1.5/896 DSL backbone. qwest has the most awesome TOS ive ever read so if theyre available in your area i highly recommend them. bottom line, they dont care _what_ you do with your bandwidth so long as you arent violating any laws. they dont care if you run websites or file servers from your home. they dont care if you run commercial sites from your home. just stay within the law and pay your bill and youll never hear from qwest on anything you do.

ive set up a small tutorial that explains the process of setting up a server to operate from your home. this is done using a Windows 2000 Server server and a linksys befsr41 home DSL/Cable router/switch. ive since upgraded to their wireless setup but its all basically the same. see

for that tutorial. if you need furtherhelp please feel free to contact me privately. you _could_ have local loopback issues depending upon the cable/dsl modem issued by your broadband provider. some modems are able to pass internal requests and others arent. basically that means that everyone outside your LAN will be able to access your servers but you wont. if this happens, a simple HOSTS file edit (in notepad) will fix it. for example, my crappy DLS modem does not support local loopback. for me to access my sites from within my LAN i must add this line to my HOSTS file:

192.168.1.18 7slotgrille.com

that tells the computer im using to resolve to my local IP instead of through DNS. the only downside to this is that youll never know if your server access is down due to DNS issues but thats rare anyway.

btw, will you be using DNS or direct IP access?

L.W.(ßill) Hughes III proclaimed:

Symantec still selling that stuff? Cracker bait. Might as well install Terminal Services or Remote Desktop server...

if remote access is needed ive found nothing simpler to configure or use than VNC. see

for more info.

Geez, HomeBrewer... You ask a simple question and you get a bunch of geeks spouting off about linux. This thread will be here for an eternity and no one asked you a few simple questions:

#1 what is your level of expertise in networking and windows (assuming your machines are windows based)? What OS are you running? Do you have the "Windows 2000 Server" software or some such ar do you want to set up a PC to just act as a server?

#2 You've indicated: "for me to access from work...." I'm assuming that this is for your use only and you won't want access granted by the "superhackers" that are currently in a debate in this thread. Please clarify.

#3 Please describe your home network from layer 1 throught 3. Please include your type of internet connectivity and speed, and the brand of hardware you're using for layer 2 and 3 connectivity.

I do this $H1t for a living. Perhaps I can help you. If you're located in the DC metro area, maybe I can pay a visit and show you first hand.

Regards,

John

I think as a rule DSL providers tend to care less about what you do with your connection than cable, because you're not affecting other users in your neighborhood with DSL.

but with qwest you get almost 900k to play with. most DSL providers give you

128k up, and then sell you a 256k upgrade. i used to run my sites off a 400k cable upstream on a dynamic IP and it was ok. they upgraded to 500k and that was nice, but the 900k gives me more than i need so long as i distribute the load of the videos.

MontanaJeeper proclaimed:

We've used VNC, but the Microsoft remote desktop stuff is really easy as long as you never need to have a local user on the server at the same time as a remote client. Nothing beats Citrix.... or VMware.

Is this the Qwest MSN DSL?

qwest sells you the DSL, and then gives you several choices for your actual ISP. i decided to also use qwest as my ISP (like $6 a month) but MSN was an option.

i agree and i dont. MS remote access is easy for folks like you and me, but for someone in need of help to set up a simple MS server i think they would find the MS configurations much more difficult than VNC.

Gald to hear you're getting some help. I would listen carefully to what Nathan said. After all, he hosts a pretty nice website of his own.

I would seriously consider letting your ISP do the heavy lifting here unless you'd care to make some substantial investment. Use the PC to store your goodies and transfer it in and out of the (your) website space provided by the ISP. Does your Router support VPN? If so, client software is cheap and can be installed across multiple platforms. I'm sure it offers some sort of firewall protection at the very least. Another option is GRE tunneling but not a lot of ISP's will support it wholesale.

A quick note: Be sure your security is as tight as you can on the wireless side. Use WEP or some type of encryption whenever possible. A laptop with NetStumbler can locate your network from the street and cause all kinds of problems or use your bandwidth for "questionable" web surfing... Or so I've heard ;-)

John

I second the Qwest choice - and for a couple bucks more you get nationwide dialup for those road trips. Up/down throughput is much better than MSN. I tried them for a month but switched to Qwest.

BTW, Nathan, did they supply you with that ActionTec modem/router/AP box? There are some interesting things that can be done with the Linux system inside the box, especially since the source is available.

Great, I might give them a shot then as the upload on cable kills.

On the topic of open source, have a URL for these interesting things? Also, I assume the ActionTec handles the PPPoE or does the client need to do this?

With the exception of the ICA protocol from Citrix, RDP is the fastest from what I've seen.

PPPoA, and the actointec handles it.