Hey…hi…this is my 1st post as a user…i have NEVER used a linux OS before so i am a bit of a novice.
anywas,
we are in the process if setting up a small LAN in our new office to cater for around 8 computers and 3 network printers. Windows server software was WAY beyond our budget reach:O and we wondered if it was possible to use openSUSE 11 as a server for our client machines.5 of which run on xp and 3 on vista.what would we need to get and do in order to make it the openSUSE 11 a viable server and compatible with windows?
we will be connected to the internet and will have a wireless router as well.will the wireless router need special configuration?
3.will the server(openSUSE 11…if its possible) act as a DNS and have something similar to Active Directory to manage users and accs?
Many thanks to ANY possible solutions and by the way,we are currently based in Germany…so dont hesitate to reply in german;)
Basically you need to install the samba server which is included. Samba can act as file server, print server and DC as Windows NT.
The router doesn’t need any special configuration. Leave it as it is. Well, I hope you made it as secure as possible.
If a *nix can act as DNS server? That question sounds a bit like “Is Mercedes Benz a car?” The DNS server is named bind.
What do you want to do with he active directory? This is linux. So you don’t have to buy the whole cow to drink a glass milk. So what do you want to use the AD for? I’m sure that everything it can do can be done with Linux too. For user managment you can use e. g. a MySQL-Database or LDAP. Also for a shared address book.
So the question is not “Can we do this with Linux?” but “Which problem should be resolved with Linux?”
thankxxx heaps Eric…the only thing is i HAVE NEVER encountered a Linux OS b4 much less USED 1…what i forgot to add in and would like to know is if i need to know command lines or stuff like that to set up and maintain the server…or is its GUI simple enough to handle?
Thankss again for the reply…
rite u are Chrys…but that still dont solve ma problem…hahah…thanks for brightening up ma day…so…jst to deviate a lil…every1 says its possible to do use openSUSE 11 as a server for Windows clients…the question i have for u is… what do i need to know,how hard is it to accomplish,how long is it likely to take…and if u foresee any problems with regards to using mail services such as Outlook and other windows software…?..thanks again
If you start from complete scratch without knowing anything about the OS, I would say it’ll take you a few days to setup everything properly if someone gives you a hand.
And by a few days I mean ironing out some of the issues that may or may not appear.
Hmmmm, you can setup the whole thing with the GUI if you want to but you don’t want it. Don’t fear the command line to much. It is not that difficult as it looks like at the first view.
Well, setting up a new server I also use the GUI because it is a bit easier. After that I do the tuning with the console and after the server is set up it runs in runlevel 3 which means without GUI. The GUI normally is not needed on a server and costs you only performance. So why start it?
The time you need to set it up will be a few days anyway not knowing about the server system. Just the same if it was Windows 2003 or Linux. I know both very well and in my point of view there is no difference. Well, for a Windows user the Server 2003 at first view is a bit easier as Linux and for a Linux user that will be easier to understand.
In my professional view in both cases I would recommend to look for professional help. Mostly it is cheaper for the company to pay an external admin than using the time of an internal employee who has to learn the system first.
Bye
Erik
P.S.: Originally Mercedes was the alias of the famous sports car driver Jellinek. After that it was used for the motors of his cars and after that the car itself was named like this.
ohh crap…it seems i hav been handed this task 2 do…and they dont seem 2 wanna look anywea else …but humour me…hw mush is it gonna cost to hire someone?..coz if its a bit 2 much…i mite jst tell these guys to get Windows server 2003…shhhhhhesh…thanks Erick
Well you can always ask here - most of the things can be achieved by you (by reading some documentation) and having some patience in learning new things.
Thankxx Chrys…i think am rili gonna need all the help i can get as soon as i implement this thing…now heres a kupla question…
1.if i have the network alredi setup in a workgroup, what are the steps i need to take to implement the opensuse 11 as a server?
2.how to i add users to my opensSUSE 11 server?
sorri …i know it sounds like i am a total zero-linux person.:|.but i am…and if u think i am n idiot.:X.hmm…i mite b in line 4 dat job title to…
lol
Thankss heaps 4 ANY advice or comments
His instructions are incredibly easy to follow and I think he covers most of the topics you’d need to get up and running with a small linux/xp/vista network like you describe.
Since you’re completely new to linux, why don’t you run a live-cd to get familiar with it for a bit, and then check out the “SAMBA browsing and sharing” section of the swerdna site?
sorri …i know it sounds like i am a total zero-linux person…but i am…and if u think i am n idiot…hmm…i mite b in line 4 dat job title to…
lol
Thankss heaps 4 ANY advice or comments
Ok, first you have to have in mind that Linux is different from Windows, you will need to learn some commands, sometimes I forgot the commands so I have a paper with the most important ones on it, mainly because I use the command line seldom.
I you need a file server you can start by installing samba.
Go to yast, software, install software, select patterns and check file server.
you will have to create a local user for each pc in the network and then enter this command
smbpasswd -a user1
where user1 is the user name, this for each user.
IMPORTANT: in the Linux world there are comunities in each country, this means that you can have the support closer than you think, investigate if in your area exist a local openSUSE comunity and contact them to see how can they help
Ah - it’s also very special to someone who drives one! -;
Back to the topic.
If you want support that goes beyond just installation support, have a look at suse linux enterprise server.
Similar cost to a full version of M$ Vista but works as a server.
It has, I think, better gui support than opensuse for server tasks.
You can get an evaluation version from the novell/suse site.
Also, have a look at: Deploying Suse Linux Enterprise Server - pcc-services.com.
You can buy the pdf book for under £15 and it should guide you through most of the setup.
The DNS server is named bind.