...i'm thinking about getting a linux box (inexpensive suggestions welcome!) & setting up a small webspace. i've a broadband connection & the box will be behind a personal hardware firewall... there's so much information on this site about apache that i really don't know where to start, so i would greatly appreciate if someone gave me a heads-up on where a reasonable start would be - even if it's simply something like "read this thread (pls include link if possible! ) first. TIA

Hello,

You are diving into system administration here. You will need to decide what flavor of Linux to work with (I am a RedHat/Fedora fan) and then decide what you are going to install, how you are going to partition, and what you want to enhance your web experience with.

Also think about backups, and consider growth. Do you have a UPS?

I think you should lay out your thoughts here, so that we can help you along with what to think about and consider.

Christian

thx 4 the reply kc0arf; yes, i would go with RedHat myself. This is just going to be a website that myself and family members that are spread across the country can access. mostly it'll have jpg's, mov's & mpg's, but nothing too fancy - well, at least not to start off with. yes, i realize i do, & will, need to address back-up issues - more likely than not i'll back the files up to a different machine entirely. no, i don't have a ups, which is a good idea; i probably won't get one until i make the site interactive with whiteboarding, chat or bulletin board s/w. i have an old Compaq 450, 450Mhz PII w/96 MB RAM & and a brand-new-in-the box 80G HDD from a couple of years ago that i would probably use as the Linux box - sound like a suitable donnor?

gee ppl, don't just don't fall all over yourselvs with helpful posts! geesh.

Hello,

Please be careful with the attitude here. Everyone on DaniWeb is a volunteer, and posts can fall off the radar screen... all depends on how people use the site. Attitude will chase people away very quickly.
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You wrote:

i have an old Compaq 450, 450Mhz PII w/96 MB RAM & and a brand-new-in-the box 80G HDD from a couple of years ago that i would probably use as the Linux box - sound like a suitable donnor?

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I would argue that the memory is too light, unless you go with an older distrobution, and do not plan on running X-windows on the computer itself. The newer distributions are liking 128 minimum, 256 MB recommended as requirements (I do not know each *minimum* for each distro... there is a difference between bare minimum, and what is actually functional) If the computer is going to be a headless webserver, it will do it with your 96 available... just do not plan on running X-Windows and surfing.

80 GB is more than enough. I would partition it accordingly so that your log files do not threaten your system. For most of my servers, I partition the drive into 5 or 6 partitions, one having a particular role in the server's happiness.

Let me know if you would like more info on partitioning. Feel free to nudge me via an email.

Christian

thx for the info & offer of additional support kc0arf, & my comments most certainly weren't directed at you as i'm well aware that the moderators "work" on a volunteer basis & appreciate ur assistance.

I would suggest for your first install, install a distro without apache.Install it as a server and then install xammp;
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
You will be busy enough getting use to the networking stuff at least you won't have to worry about apache2,php and mysql.You will have to configure it but at least it will work.

You could try running with gentoo (about as light and extensible as it comes).

But realiticly for hosting downloads you might be better off milking a cheap hosting account from somewhere in the WWW.

I believe ASmallOrange has some good pure bandwidth plans that will allow you to host static content (html pages) and files, that are on the inexpensive side

I would make a humble suggestion of trying FreeBSD. Best of luck with your adventure.

vark

I know this is an old thread, but I'm reviewing my "recent" posts today, and trying to tie up any loose ends. My situation changed considerably after I started this thread and I wound up not going into business for myself, and as such no longer needed to toy with the idea of eventually setting up a biz www, after learning the fundametals with a personal www. I actually wound up relocating from NY to AZ and am attending college, and with studying and all I lost track of this thread, my apologies. I do want to thank the four of you for replying; I'm not sure all of that would have helped me make a decision, but that would have been on my hoof anyway. You all offerred your opinions, which is what I sought to begin with, and I very much appreciate your replies. Thanks again.