Guides for a linux newbie - networking

[NotAGolf]

Hi all.

So I got hold of an old pc and I want to have a play with it to learn a bit more about linux. I've installed Fedora 13 on it and got all the software up-to-date so I think I should be ready to go.

Basically what I want to do is understand networking a bit better, because I have an extremely limited knowledge of networking in windows let alone linux (only been using linux for a few weeks - just getting to grips with CLI for example).

My end goal is to setup the linux box to be a file server for the other computers in the house, and also to setup remote access to it (from my windows xp machine) so I can have a play with other linux related stuff when I need to.

Anyone know of any good guides for any of these aspects? I've had a quick google but they often assume prior knowledge, are very generic to encompass all distro's, or are very exact and give you all the settings so there's not really much to learn.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Ash-Lee]

As a relatively newbie to Linux myself i understand what you mean.

Most guides like you say require you to have previous knowledge and most the time i am lost after the 1st paragraph and end up copying commands into the terminal in the hope they work.

 

[Roland0]

what is it you want to lean? what do you want to be able to do?

 

[zinc]

My end goal is to setup the linux box to be a file server for the other computers in the house, and also to setup remote access to it (from my windows xp machine) so I can have a play with other linux related stuff when I need to.

If these are your end goals this is very easy to do and you do not need to use a command line interface. I don't know how you do it in fedora but to share files on a network for sharing between linux and windows machines in ubuntu you simply right click a folder and there is a sharing option and you just enable it and all other machines can view and stream everything in that folder. Think it appears in network places in windows. This is all based on samba.

For remote access there should be a program already installed in fedora to do this. In ubuntu its called remote desktop. I use it to control my ubuntu box with my iphone

 

[NotAGolf]

what is it you want to lean? what do you want to be able to do?

Essentially I just want to learn more about linux as it's something that would be useful both for me personally and professionally, and networking is one thing I know naff all about. I appreciate that is very vague so feel free to suggest guides about any random stuff that may vaguely relate to any of this!

One thing in specific I want to learn is to setup a file server to other computers on the network and to be able to connect to it wirelessly like I mentioned in my OP. But this is just because this is something I wan't to accomplish. My goal is not just to setup these things and then leave it alone, I want to learn things along the way, and when I've implemented these there'll probably more things I want to implement in the future.

I'd probably quite like to stick to CLI as well over GUI as I believe that way you're doing more of the work yourself and thus understand it better. I may setup something like remote-desktop or VNC so I can connect fully just in case, but I'd prefer not to unless there's a good reason to.

Thanks again.

 

[whitecrook]

your problem is that networking is just a means to an end - you need a 'task' within which you can apply networking skills. You can't just 'learn networking'.

Some things I'd suggest you do. (and i'd suggest using the command line in all instances)

1. get machine on network and configured with a static ip
2. set up file sharing (samba and nfs )
3. setup ftp server
4. setup webserver
5. setup email server
6. setup squid server
7. set up rtorrrent with shares /watch folders/ drop boxes
8. set up local dns (bind)


just some things there, and you can go even further by configuring separate accounts and privs on each thing.

The only thing you should need is openssh and connect in using putty on your windows pc.

 

[mcompute]

If you want a dedicated file server you can go with FreeNAS.

As for a Linux based file server, you could use FTP and for rdp, TightVNC.