RE: Re: [OT] Free NAS software - useful for media servers?

["UKHA" <mailinglists@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ah, I'm a slowly migrating Windows user, I have no "leet" Linux
"skillz"
either I'm afraid... Most of my 'confidence' with Linux comes from hacking
my Tivo :), but I really needed a NAS to do backups, and it's on a separate
box, so what the heck...

As to admin, I found a package called WebMin, which gives a browser driven
administration interface to the box, I've turned off 90% of the
functionality it provides, left just the user maintenance and a few other
bits and bobs... works a treat...
If anything more serious needs doing, I've got SSH on the NAS (secure
shell - a beefed up version of telnet), and puTTY on the Windows box as the
client, lets me remotely get into the box's command line.

In brief, I downloaded the Fedora CDs, set the machine up, booted the first
CD to a nice GUI driven installer, formatted/partitioned the drives (don't
forget the swap file), unchecked pretty much everything (no X-window GUI
environment in production, just the command line - as all the admin is done
on the web interface) as mine's only a 333MHz, added SAMBA, JOE the editor,
FTP and SSH, set up the network details, added the ports that SAMBA and
WebMin use to the firewall install screen and let it install. The amended
the SAMBA config file as per the unofficial SAMBA faq (very easy), created
some folders on the data drive AND CHMOD'ed THEM :), added some
users/passwords and some Samba users, then using YUM the online installer,
downloaded and installed WebMin. Checked over the box from the web
interface, all was well, the shares appeared on the windows boxes and I
finally have backups... yay!

Lee
-----Original Message-----
From: Matthew Miles [mailto:m_miles@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 24 July 2004 22:17
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Re: [OT] Free NAS software - useful for media servers?


Hi Lee.

The reason I was so interested in this was mainly the web-based
GUI.  I would like to be able to configure it via  secure area on my
website etc.

Failing that a remote desktop would be ok.  How do you configure
yours?  Oh, and do you just install Fedora2 and Samba on inital
setup?

I have been reading up on this for a while, but as I am heavily
reliant on Windows I don't have time to learn a new Os - the web
admin means I don't have to.

Any thoughts?

Regards,

Matt

P.S

Would Novell 5.1 be of any use as I have a copy sitting next to my
desk!

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "UKHA" <mailinglists@v...> wrote:
> Funnily enough, I've been playing at NAS's for the last few weeks,
looking
> for an 'instant' and 'free' NAS solution...
>
> I've found a few but they are all deficient (in my view) of a few
bits, like
> lack of an FTP server, like (in this case) too demanding hardware
(I had a
> Pentium II 333Mhz box I wanted to recycle), etc... so in the end I
decided,
> in true UKHA fashion was just to read up on the subject and do it
myself...
>
> It took about three days to sort out, including a post to UKHA,
however 2.9
> of those days were me being dense and not CHMODing (giving write
access) the
> shared folders... what a plonker...
>
> I'm no Linux expert, and I only vaguely knew of SAMBA, but it's
basically a
> piece of cake, when I was done I even reformated / reinstalled to
make sure
> it hadn't be a fluke and I had understood everything, but it only
took about
> 20-25 mins to sort it all out the second time around. So, old
Pentium II
> 333Mhz, old 128MB SD-RAM, old case, old 100mbit lan card, old 2GB
boot
> drive, old CD drive, 3 downloaded CDs of Fedora Core 2 (the new
community
> Red Hat), and a NEW 120GB harddrive...
>
> Lee
>
>
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: Matthew Miles [mailto:m_miles@b...]
>   Sent: 24 July 2004 15:17
>   To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
>   Subject: [ukha_d] [OT] Free NAS software - useful for media
servers?
>
>
>   Hi all,
>
>   Just found this whilst browsing for a free solution to my lack of
>   NAS.
>
>   http://www.storage.com/cms/view.asp?key=nasred
(for info)
>
>   http://nascom.storage.com/cybernasred/
(to download)
>
>   However, it requires that the installer be competent with RedHat
>   linux (which I am not).  Is it possibel that some kind soul on
this
>   list could either install this onto a PC for me and send me an
image
>   of the hard disk or walk me through a basic installation.
>
>   This does look FAR superior to other offerings...
>
>   Cheers for the help once again.
>
>   Regards,
>
>   Matt
>
>   P.S
>
>   No affilliation etc.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]