Being a Linux/network newbie I was wondering is it possible to run a Linux web server on a 2 PC network and connect to it from the other PC via telnet, etc just as if the web server was a dedicated server hosted in a NOC?

I would like to learn how to manage/configure a dedicated server so that when/if the time should come that I get a dedicated server from a Host then I would like to be able to use and run it properly:)

Should this be a possiblilty what version of Redhat Linux is usually installed on dedicated servers? i.e. the basic Redhat or the specific server version?

Finally would it be possible to dual boot with Redhat and FreeBSD on my test machine so that I could learn the 2 main server applications that everyone seems to use?

Thanks in advance for your replies:)

sure you can.. do you have your network setup already?? if you do, load linux or the server OS you want to use. Load apache on it... us your computers ip address to connect to it..

this is offcourse not very descriptive.. but once you tell us about how your network is setup, i could be of more help..

Thanks kunal:)

I haven't got the test machine running yet, waiting for the GeForce3 for my main PC to arrive so I can put my current GF2 into the test machine:)

As I said i'm a newbie with networks as well:( so all I can tell you at the moment is that both machnes will have a 10/100 NIC connected via a CAT5 cable:)

Main PC has Windows 2000 installed.

I have one computer running W2k with a Linksys Cable/DSL Router using Mediaone RR. The other computer is a RH 6.2 system. I haven't been able to get the RH system to recognize the network, i'm not sure how the IP setup works between the LAN and WAN and how exactly I should set this on RH.

well, here is what you guys have to do to setup the lan...


assign ips to each machine..

the linux box : 192.168.1.2
the win2k box : 192.168.1.3

now, once your done with that, try pinging either machine.. if they ping each other.. your all set to load samba, apache and all the other goodies.. if they dont... its time to trouble shoot..


make sure there sub net masks are the same.. your cable is crimped correctly.. etc etc..


do this, and keep us posted on the happenings so that we can help you ..

I'm still having the "Network is unreachable" message.

I'll keep trying other ideas, there are a lot of settings where i'm just not sure what to use. It may not even be detecting the Network card properly. I'm a real newbie with getting Linux going.

are you sure the subnets on the 2 machines are correct??


type ifconfig and enter on the linux command line.. this will show you if your nic has been detected...

it should show you 2 things, one is local loopback, and the other will be eth0 [ 99.99% ].

if it hasnt, type kudzu and enter.. this should detect all new hardware...

which nic is it?

all I can tell you at the moment is that both machnes will have a 10/100 NIC connected via a CAT5 cable

Is it a crossover cable? You need a crossover cable (not straight-wired) to connect two machines directly without a hub/switch.

You can tell by holding the two ends of the cable together, both facing the same angle. If the colored wires inside are in the same order on both ends, it is not a crossover cable.

Also, if it's not the right cable, the LEDs won't come on when the cable is plugged into the NIC in most cases.

Personally I'd recommend getting a small hub, in case you later want to add more PCs... plus it's easier to troubleshoot network problems when you can, at a glance, see the LEDs for each machine...

I seem to be making some progress.

I was running RH 6.2, but ended up switching to Caldera OpenLinux. It just seems to work better as a desktop system. I just compiled the drivers for the NIC and can now ping the W2k computer and reach the Router control panel. I just can't get anything outside these computers.

The wk2 box is on 192.168.1.3
I have another windows computer on 192.168.1.2

well, one step at a time :)

to which computer is your internet connected to?? i recommend using your linux box for that..

you will have to write yourself a lil firewall :) or you could just leave everything open to the outside by typing the following :

rmmod iptables
rmmod ipchains


that should disable all default firewall settings and allow packets to go in and out of your network.

I currently have it connected through the Win2k computer. I think i'll try and swap that over later.

I'm stuck again though, I seem to have lost everything that I had working. I had restarted Linux and after that it would not detect the card anywhere. I tried compiled the drivers again, but now it seems to be missing the file "tulip.o". After hours of reading through news groups and other sites, I can see a lot of people had this problem. I'm still working on getting past this one.

...And I felt that I was so close!
Maybe l should grab the latest Redhat distribution and try that.

Okay, this is cause for celebration... I am making my first post using Linux! :party:

I swapped the NIC with an old 3Com NIC, reinstalled RH and it worked on the first boot!
As to why it scrolls a sea of never ending 1's and 0's when I don't use a boot disk is another issue, but for now I have a whole new world to explore :D

Hahaa, I feel like such a newbie geek! :D ;) :)

welcome to the newbie club :)

glad the linux box is working for you.. it can be a pain to start with .. but once you get the hang of it.. its fun fun fun! :)

It's working nice, but now i'm going to have to do some serious upgrading. Right now it's all running on a AMD K6 300mhz with 288mb's RAM, 2.1gb drive and a 14" monitor. I just want to try an alternative to Windows and see Linux for what it's worth rather than a remote connection in an SSH client.

You should not upgrade that box. I'll tell you why.

1) that box is almost perfect as a mail server or as your firewall to your home network. also old systems are great testbeds for just about everything.

2) for about $ 700.00 you could get one hell of a pc (referb) from dell or gateway.

3) what you should update is your monitor. Your eyes are the most important thing a coder needs. A bad monitor get's you to tired, and when your tired you make errors in your coding that could take days to find.

-michael

Good idea, i'm just going to start putting a new one together. Looking at some good prices for a 1.4ghz Athlon, Motherboard combo. Maybe if I get daring i'll put a dual cpu setup in. I'm starting to like this more than Windows, already swapped the monitor over so I can see a lot better and reinstalled on a 10 gig drive that was originally a backup on the other computer.