Linux File Server – Starting with Linux (Ubuntu) File Server for Windows Admins

file-serverlinux

I work strictly with Windows machines only (save for the one small aix unix box that was just replaced). In the past, in an attempt to self-educate in Linux, I have installed various versions of Ubuntu desktop/sever and Fedora only to realize that I dont have the time to teach myself.

The time has come for me to replace a home file/ftp/http server that previously ran Windows. I have all of the files on a separate NTFS drive and will be installing the OS on a smaller drive.

I have downloaded the latest version of Unubtu Server, but havent installed it yet. I want to use this home server as my Linux-starter-kit and start off right, but very simple. Once the install is complete I want to begin by setting up a SIMPLE file server for home use in order to become proficient enough to replace a small file server at work. This will eventually lead to less Microsoft at work.

I am looking for advice on starting out simple: home-file-server to work-file-server over a period of time. Ideally this machine will not have a monitor/keyboard/mouse and will be accessible remotely only.

Best Answer

Download Ubuntu Server edition.

Installation guide:

Ubuntu Server Guide - Chapter 2. Installation
Ubuntu Server Guide - Wiki

That's all you need, these tutorials are very easy to follow.

Look at sections: Samba File Server, HTTPD - Apache2 Web Server

Related Solutions

Linux – Copy large file from one Linux server to another

Sneakernet Anyone?

Assuming this is a one time copy, I don't suppose its possible to just copy the file to a CD (or other media) and overnight it to the destination is there?

That might actually be your fastest option as a file transfer of that size, over that connection, might not copy correctly... in which case you get to start all over again.

rsync

My second choice/attempt would be rsync as it detects failed transfers, partial transfers, etc. and can pick up from where it left off.

rsync --progress file1 file2 user@remotemachine:/destination/directory

The --progress flag will give you some feedback instead of just sitting there and leaving you to second guess yourself. :-)

Vuze (bittorrent)

Third choice would probably be to try and use Vuze as a torrent server and then have your remote location use a standard bitorrent client to download it. I know of others who have done this but you know... by the time they got it all set up running, etc... I could have overnighted the data...

Depends on your situation I guess.

Good luck!

UPDATE:

You know, I got thinking about your problem a little more. Why does the file have to be a single huge tarball? Tar is perfectly capable of splitting large files into smaller ones (to span media for example) so why not split that huge tarball into more managable pieces and then transfer the pieces over instead?

Linux Email – How to Receive Email Alerts from Linux File Server

I use esmtp, which is a send-only MTA, for that purpose. It is very simple to set up. It has sendmail-compatible command-line options (some ignored). It's in the repositories.

Here is a simple example:

echo -e "To: Recipient Name <person@example.com>\n\
    From: Me Myself and I <me@gmail.com>\n\
    Subject: Here is the example I promised\n\n\
    $(<somefile)" | /usr/bin/esmtp -t

This sends the contents of the file named "somefile".

There is a very simple configuration file, /etc/esmtprc, that contains the hostname, username and password for your upstream email provider (I'm assuming yours is gmail).

Instructions for setting it up for Gmail are here.

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