Member Avatar for John007

Hello,

I am new here, and this web site looks great!

I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time, I just had a couple questions relating to networking Linux and using a Unix OS called OpenBSD.

Is there a best Linux recommended to use for file servers? I have an old computer that could be put to use as a home server, so any tips would be appreciated. Preferably it would be an easy-to-use distribution. I have experimented with Mandrake Linux and Yoper with KDE on a desktop computer, although I never have really understood how they work under the hood, so to speak, and I know nothing about using Linux for servers.

My second question is, can the operating system called OpenBSD be run with a desktop environment like KDE? I will be going to college next year, and probably take computer science, so by using OpenBSD I hope to learn about Unix and computer security better.

Finally, what is samba? I'm sorry, I know I must sound very ignorant, but I'm new to all this stuff and want to learn more about computers.

Again, I hope I'm not being irritating with these newbie questions.
Thanks for your time,
John

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by frrossk

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As pointed out, almost any Linux distribution can act as a file server; the practical choice is a stable, minimal install that matches the hardware. For an old PC, pick a small-footprint OS (minimal Debian or a BSD base install), run it headless and manage it over SSH, and keep user data on a separate partition or disk (e.g. mounted at /srv or /data) so upgrades won’t touch personal files.

Samba is the open-source implementation of the SMB/CIFS protocol used by Windows for file and printer sharing; it’s the usual bridge between Windows clients and Linux/Unix servers. For a simple home share the typical flow is: install the Samba package, create a share directory, set filesystem ownership/group and permissions, add Samba users, and open the service ports in the firewall. Minimal example smb.conf share:

[global]
   workgroup = WORKGROUP
   security = user

[shared]
   path = /srv/share
   browseable = yes
   read only = no
   create mask = 0660
   directory mask = 2770
   valid users = @smbusers

Add a group smbusers, assign ownership (e.g. chown root:smbusers /srv/share), and add Samba users with smbpasswd -a username. Use testparm to validate the config and smbclient/Windows Map Network Drive to test access. When Windows clients can’t see shares, check firewall rules, SELinux/AppArmor policies, filesystem permissions, and Samba logs.

About OpenBSD vs FreeBSD: OpenBSD can run KDE/X11 but is security-focused and conservative about third-party stacks; FreeBSD historically has broader hardware support and fuller beginner documentation, which many find easier for learning system internals. A safe learning path is to experiment in virtual machines (snapshots make recovery trivial), practice configuring services and the OpenBSD pf firewall, and read the system handbooks and manpages as primary references. Basic ops to remember: keep backups (rsync), monitor disk health (S.M.A.R.T.), and keep remote access limited to SSH keys and non-root accounts.

Member Avatar for frrossk

>>Is there a best Linux recommended to use for file servers?
No; almost every Linux distro can be used as a file server, but I'd recommend to use a stable release of a solid distibution like Slackware/Debian/etc...
>>can the operating system called OpenBSD be run with a desktop environment like KDE?
Yes, it can...
>>what is samba?
http://us4.samba.org/samba/what_is_samba.html
>>so by using OpenBSD I hope to learn about Unix and computer security better.
I'd also recommend to try first FreeBSD, since this OS seems to be better documented, and start with the handbook

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