Advice on a network, or, I'm an idiot ...

[RoyGBiv]

I think I must be channeling Admiral Adama from Battlestar Galactica 'cause I have stubbornly maintained a strong resistance to home networks and so don't have the knowledge I should. I have managed to set up a box that serves as a firewall and file server, but I only did it. I don't actually use it. So, anyway, here's the deal. I'm going to help a friend network her house. I know the theory. I know the lingo. I have consulted a schematic of sorts. But, my mind just isn't wrapping around everything I need to do.

Not asking for a blow by blow. Not really sure what I'm asking, but given the following details, if anyone could offer thoughts, I'd be most appreciative.

Setup:

Four computers.

1) PC that will act as a file server and, I think, run SAMBA and some flavor of Linux. Also would be ideal if it served as a control point for Internet access so that filtering could be done. This system will not really be used as a desktop, rather sit there and serve its files, etc. This system should also allow another system (mine) from the outside world to login remotely and administer it.

2) Standard desktop running a dual-boot configuration of Linux/Windows

3) Same as above.

4) Laptop running Windows Vista Home Premium

Internet access is through a cable connection. System #1 will be hardwired. Systems 2-4 will be wireless and should have access to system one's files and the Internet through it.

As mentioned, I know the basic idea here. Any thoughts on the flavor of Linux to use for System #1 and what issues I will need to address in the Windows portions of systems 2-4.

[JPettus]

1. Just some thoughts

There are a lot of possibilities:

Are you using the Linux server as your router? Two NIC cards, one going in and out and perhaps acting as a firewall?

Are you running DHCP or are you running static IP's?

Just some thoughts: if you want simplicity, go with a regular wireless router connected to your DSL or cable connection. The router will have have a port connection you can hardwire to any or all of the computers. They will also simplify doing LAN filtering on MAC addresses to help keep neighbors and other potential wifi leeches from "borrowing" the bandwidth or having access to the machines on the network. They even make them now with built-in hardware firewalls you can use either in conjunction with or without software firewalls on the boxes themselves.

DHCP is simpler and MAC filtering is recommended.

First edit: I left out the server question: SAMBA seems to work with most of the Linux distros out there so whichever distro you feel most comfortable with. I'm biased but I run Ubuntu Server 7.10 because I found their LAMP set up wizard to be very easy to do. I keep it running in my room and can play with server setup programs to teach myself things like Nagios. I also installed the Kubuntu desktop on it and can run the desktop when my other computer is busy with a resource-intensive process.

Geez, I think I'm studying to be a geek. ;-)

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Try either...

Clark Connect Free or Mandriva Powerpack. I recommend Clark Connect because it pretty well has everything you are looking for. I recommend Mandriva because it has everything you are looking for and its dead easy to administer.

But Clark should be your first choice for #1.

[RoyGBiv]

5. Thanks ...

Clark Connect seems to be just what I was looking for.

[MyNameGoesHere]

3. Simplify.

Your cable with off the shelf router is going to handle all the tasks of Linux router including MAC filtering, fire walling and DHCP. Most of these routers run a version of Squid and have pretty good fire wall capabilities. And the desktop all have some kind of fire wall at that level also. Also why add another potential headache with a file server. How about a Home SAN? Could be wireless or hardwired. Some of them run Samba natively also.

[RoyGBiv]

4. Thanks for the insights ...

To attempt to address some of the questions, let me explain some of the reasons for the setup, or at least what led me there. I'll certainly defer to the knowledge of others, but this isn't the kind of arrangement to which I am accustomed.

The reason for the file server is more complicated to explain than the situation is, but I'll try to summarize.

The person I'm doing this for is a single mother with three kids who is also a PhD candidate working on her dissertation.

Purpose 1) Without going into all the details of why, my friend wants a common library of files (music, video, etc.) from which the kids can draw without everything devolving into a fight over who gets to use what computer where that *one* file they want is located. Neither of the two desktops "belong" to any of the kids. One is located in an office, the other in the dining room area, and they all three switch between them. It would greatly reduce the amount of time she spends breaking apart needless fights to have "a" folder for documents, music, etc. the kids could access no matter which machine they are using, sort of like some companies do with their documents. The reason the idea occurred to me at all was because of how this was all arranged when I worked at Cox and how it is *not* arranged where I work now. With Cox, I could be in any office anywhere and access my files and my home office's files, etc. Where I am now, with no central file serving mechanism, I have to carry around a USB stick.

If there's a simpler way to do this, I would certainly be open to it. To set up the file server, I'm having to paste together a machine for it from my old parts.

Purpose 2) Related to the above concerns, but somewhat different. As I said, she's working on her dissertation. I am, for all intents and purposes, her editor. I read what she does, offer suggestions, fact check, etc. We had a situation arise recently where I needed an older version of a document she had never sent me to look up some reference that was in it. She was in her office at school, and I was at home, so I couldn't get to it. I would like to be able to access the machine remotely and access a directory where all this gets stored.

It's a HUGE project, and organization along with centralization is the point here.

Firewall/Filtering

The firewall isn't so much the issue as the kids and filtering some of the content they access during the times when she can't be at home when they are. I know how to do what I want to do with a combination of openDNS and IPtables, but getting it done on both machines *and* making sure there are no holes in it via both Windows and Linux is a headache I'd rather not tackle *if* I can do it on one machine through which the other machines access the Internet.

If that makes any sense...

[MyNameGoesHere]

6. Got it.

For every problem in the computer world there are literally hundreds of ideas to resolve it. I am sure that you will find a great solution. Have you considered a media extender for the kids? It can give access to the Music, Videos and Photos with no computer needed. Then the mom could pretty much keep whatever she wants on her system and lock it down.

[RoyGBiv]

7. Interesting idea ...

I'll look into that.

None of this is set in stone at the moment, which is why I'm asking now and not in the midst of putting the thing together. We just talked about it the other day, and I'm searching for ideas.

[Lowell]

8. My Home Server

is set up with Debian Sarge LAMP and a DHCP server. I've limited each of the users by their level of "interest" to different areas. All connect to the internet through it and I've eliminated the need for a router. It is rock solid and we've been running on it for several years now. I use cron to backup each individual's machine to a specific area on the server and no one looses any of their work.

I like Sarge better than some of the newer versions for the ease of setup and maintenance.

[DavidMS]

10. How about this?

Get a router that can be Flashed with DD-WRT, use Open DNS for Filtering and for storage use a Decent NAS box (http://www.freenas.org/, Windows Home Server, etc). I recomend one that runs Linux, has two drives (for mirroring) and has decent performance over a gigabit link. Also check out http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/ there is plenty of product reviews there.

Good Luck!

[trotsky]

9. I am using FreeBSD with Squid and Dansguardian to filter for the kids.

You just lock their browser's proxy server into that, and they ain't getting anywhere you don't approve of. :) Both Squid and dansguardian are in the ports tree, so they're ultra-easy to install and upgrade.

Your other boxes should have no problem sharing files via Samba. And I assume you know that the latest versions of Samba can now emulate Windows domain controllers, so you could build a Windows domain and make sharing/permissions consistent across the whole network.