9.04 Server install guide?

[StGeorge]

It's strange how masochistic people can be.
I have never successfully installed Ubuntu as a gateway/host for Windows 98/XP client computers.
There are many good people in the Ubuntu community that have tried to help in the past, but to no avail. I just cannot get Ubuntu to see and allow four other windows computers to share folders and allow internet access. Sure the Ubuntu installation can see the client computers, it can use the shared folders but the other way round, never been done by me. As for using a router I would never do it. Why use a router when XP and 98 come with a perfectly good ICS (internet connection sharing), NAT in Linux speak.

It is strange that developers take all the time and effort to write a distro then think lets not bother with installation guides. I mean we all no how to write, operate, do command line in linux don't we. How stupid of me. I must be the only person on the planet that keeps trying to migrate to Linux from windows but just cannot take the leap because of exceptionally poor documentation, poor websites like this one that make you run around in circles trying to find what you need. The menus and navigation here are just amateur. The Ubuntu website needs rewriting. Sure if you are a regular visitor you will have no problem, new to Linux and Ubuntu I advise you to give up now, before you waste your life away.

So why am I back here again?

I have a computer I wish to use as a Server for a couple of my Websites.
It is a Pentium III, 20 GB HD, 256Ram with XP home edition (FAT32).
I need to install a Linux Server.
I installed XAMPP for windows but it will be no use to me as it will not publish Joomla, Drupal or any sites I have already published on hosting that require CHMOD to safeguard the files, these sites will give out SQL errors as the permissions cannot be set under the above windows environment.
I wish to create a partition for a dedicated Linux server that will also contain the web files and folders.
At the moment the internet connection sharing is working on the above computer, (I will not use a router), and all the other four computers in use in this network environment connect through the above computer.
I looked at the Ubuntu Server as I have got Ubuntu as a dual boot on a client machine but rarely use it as it is a mare to network. Basically I just use it as a Jukebox because I like Amarok.

Can I find a Guide to installing the 9.04 Server edition?
Can I be sure that I do not waste days, nay months trying to configure it to allow the other four windows computers internet and server access?
That is why I am here again.
Does anyone know of a Guide?

I wish to keep the XP installation on the above machine and have the linux server on its own partition.

I wish to use VM ware to run the server from the XP installation, (the required disk space to run VM ware from the linux side would be too much).

Basically I need to know how much space would be required to run the Linux server including swap.

So does anyone out there know how to do all the above?

I thank you for any support in advance.

[jerrrys]

you need a guide? thats easy...heres a ton of guides...

http://www.google.com/search?q=installation+guide+9.04+server+edition+ub untu&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a

hard part is doing all that on 20gig drive and a 256 stick...anything is possible? maybe not...

have a look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeNAS and maybe this

http://www.google.com/search?q=freenas&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a


hope thats of some help, best of luck on your project

[Grafixx01]

Jerry,

You mentioned FreeNAS. I'm looking at it now, thanks for the mention. Now I have to figure that one out. I wonder if I can have my Microsoft AND Linux boxes read and write to it, even from remote locations?

[StGeorge]

I must first of all apologize for slating the Ubuntu site, it is just that whenever I try a search here I get frustrated. Like a fool I should have just used google to search for what I was looking for. Ironic as a search for the install guide in the Ubuntu search got me nowhere, yet the Ubuntu guides are easily found by google. I suppose it is because I have spent alot of time optimizing my own website search.

Here is what I plan to do.

At the moment I am getting all unnecessary files out of the XP installation.

Then I will partition the drives to give space for the Ubuntu 9.04 i386 server edition.

I have already downloaded and installed VMware Player.

I have downloaded VMware windows workstation. This is a free 30 day trial but it will install the Ubuntu server for me,(I hope).

See this post:
http://communities.vmware.com/message/1265301

Thanks jerrrys I looked at your suggestion for FreeNAS and may go back to that later, (and the google search).

Will let you know how I get on.

[Grafixx01]

StGeorge,

Look more into VMware, there are a couple of solutions that are totally free instead of VMware Workstation. I haven't tried them but one of the guys I work with uses them all the time and loves them.

He was trying to get me to use them when I did my machine but I told him that I want multiple machines and OSes in the house (got a wife and kid who will use them too) but since I'm going for certifications, it'll be better for me rather than VMware'd stuff. Plus, I'm all about easy...or it may be lazy...

[StGeorge]

Fortunately I have two Gateway Pentium III 500MHZ Computers.
The one with XP on FAT32 as already mentioned and a second with 98se which had 2x256Ram + 1x64RAM, the XP had 2x64Ram and 1x 128Ram.
The obvious solution was to swap the Ram so I now had the 98se with 3x64Ram and the XP with 2x256Ram and 1x128Ram, total 640Ram.

Well I tried VMware.

Initially I downloaded VMware player:
http://www.vmware.com/download/player/download.html

and had a look at FreeNAS:
http://www.freenas.org/index.php?option=com_versions&Itemid=51#FreeNAS%20VMware%20Images

Although all worked fine I need a decent GUI for LAMP, DNS resolution as I use Mysql, PHPAdmin and various other tools I am used to.
FreeNAS might well still be a good solution but my knowledge is limited when it comes to Servers or Linux for that matter and configuration of FreeNAS looked a trifle hard. It is a good suggestion though as it is light.

I then downloaded the trial version, (30 days), of VMware workstation:
http://www.vmware.com/products/ws/

I managed to install Ubuntu server directly from ISO which created the required files that can be used on the VMware player. As I like to work with GUI I also installed that into Ubuntu with Webmin as a browser option, (although it assured me that I could use a browser with it it did not work, possibly because I was in a virtual machine, will look at that another time). The GUI would not come up as the RAM was still too low.

To run VMware you really need 1gb to 2 gb of Ram. It can swap its RAM within VMware and the Guest but really this type of solution is resource intensive.
I did not bother with the VMware server as it requires:
733MHz or faster processor, 512MB of RAM as does Workstation but I did not notice that initially.
Workstation still made the required files I need for Player though which I may well use on the 98se computer when I have upgraded the RAM.

Spec for Player:
"Minimum PC requirements to install and use VMware Player?

For a typical host system, we recommend that you have a 400MHz or faster processor (500MHz recommended) and 512MB RAM minimum (1GB RAM recommended). You must have enough memory to run the host operating system, plus the memory required for each guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest. See your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements. VMware Player requires approximately 150MB of disk space to install the application."

So after putting as much of my XP hard drive as poss onto various laptops and the other Gateway, (total space from that is 130gb, now full as are the laptops and external drives), making backups etc.

So where am I now?

Strangely I am back to the original idea. Use CoLinux.
This is what I have done so far.

I downloaded a Portable Ubuntu 8.04:

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=237407&package_id=288483&release_id=626968

This works right out of the box.
It works within windows because it uses CoLinux and can be run of a USB stick if you wish.
I extracted the 7zip file to a drive, double clicked the 'run_portable_ubuntu.bat' and it is up and running.

I now need to convert it into a server.

So here is the question.

Anyone have any ideas how to do this?
What I would like to do is install all the required packages and then uninstall all the stuff I do not need.

This really is a dream app if I can get it to work as a server.

[StGeorge]

Story So far:
After Visiting and downloading from this link:
http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...ease_id=626968

Also you will require 7-Zip go here for that and many other useful portable apps:
http://winfoes.co.uk/portable_apps.html

Unpack Portable_Ubuntu.exe to the directory or whatever of your choice.

network_daemons_for_portable_ubuntu_UNO.7z unpack to root folder of above.

Run 'run_portable_ubuntu.bat' from the root folder.

When up and running:

System/Administration/Synaptic Package Manager
You will be prompted for the Password: 123456
(This took me an hour to find through various searches, always amazes me that the work people put into a project and they forget to include a Read Me file with the essential information you will require).

In Synaptic Package Manager, click Setting \ Repository

Third Party Software Tab:
Check both boxes.

Updates Tab:
Choose Your Preferences.

Ubuntu Software Tab:
Tick ALL from the 'Downlable from the Internet' options.
Uncheck all Installable from CD-ROM/DVD
In Software Sources Select 'Other' from the Download Sources dropdown.
'Select Best Server' from the Choose a Download Server Window.
Ubuntu will now scan for the best Server location.
'Choose Server'
'Close' Software Sources Window and Reload Synaptic Package Manager.
Let Synaptic Reload.

Exit Synaptic Package Manager.

Go to Applications/Add/Remove to initially remove all the Apps you do not want or need for a Server.

Go back to Synaptic Package Manager to uninstall all the unnecessary Apps, Video and Sound Drivers, Pidgin etc that cannot be uninstalled through Add/Remove.

Click the Status button in left panel and select "Not Installed(Residual config)"

Apply all and delete residual files.

Other Cleaning Methods here:
http://www.ubuntugeek.com/cleaning-up-all-unnecessary-junk-files-in-ubuntu.html

Use all the methods above to clean everything you can.

In Synaptic Package Manager 'Status' Select "Installed (Upgradable)" and apply all updates.

Ran into a problem with the disk image size is not being large enough for updates and upgrades, so I need to expand the image from 1.9 gb to 4gb to get updates and then uninstall unnecessary apps, I will also require 1-2gb for the websites I will be adding to the server. All suggestions I have found seem to indicate Cygwin is required to do this.

NO PROBLEM went to:

http://draptik.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/first-experiences-with-portable-ubuntu-and-upgrading-from-804-to-810/#comment-53

I cheated though, I downloaded a larger image file from:

http://gniarf.nerim.net/colinux/fs/

Followed the guide above.

Now I am off to get the 9.04 Server iso onto this installation.

Will add more later.