Home LAN w/ Dedicated server -- questions about how/why

[PSUlion01]

Hey all...not a newbie to computers but I've just started to dabble with Linux and setting up small LANs (did one at my house in college and one at home primarily to share a cable modem). Got the internet sharing done but always had issues getting computers to see each other in the network neighborhood, etc.

Questions are this... What's the main purpose for a server in a small (4-5 computer) home LAN? Would this be used to share the cable modem/store files (mp3s, downloads, etc) and that's about all? Basically never touch the thing, just have it for storage? I do have a network of sorts running now, but I want to redo the thing right. My current setup is as follows:

PC I'm on now (highest usage) has cable modem hooked up directly and 2 NICs to faciltate internet sharing. second NIC routes to a HUB where other computers are connected. No firewalls (bad!) and no games are played on the network as the computers are all too old for the cool stuff that's out now.

How can I re-design things to make it more efficient, secure, and true to form? Basically i'm hoping there's a step by step guide to building such a LAN.

As for a server, what OS should be run and what should the servers sole purpose be?

I'll leave it at that for now... thanks in advance. I always felt pretty savy with computers but some of you guys are total gurus!

Thx
Mike

 

[skyking]

my two cents.....
Get a regular out-of-the-box router, and use that for your connection sharing. Cheap and easy to implement.
Set up a slow computer with your favorite flavor of linux, and set up samba, using a sufficiently large disk or disks.
Get in the habit of storing most everything on the server, and then enjoy the benefits of being able to ssh into your stuff from virtually anywhere.

 

[Mucman]

You say 4-5 computers? Here's how I would set that up :

1 - slowest computer | OpenBSD | PF (firewall) also doing nat
2 - next slowest | FreeBSD | dnscache (part of the djbdns suite) and a schedules backup system
3 - middle grade machine | FreeBSD | NFS or Samba for file sharing... perhaps another instance of dnscache
4 - Workstation running FreeBSD
5 - Workstation running BeOS

that's about has highlevel as I can make it... if you want it chiseled down a bit, let us know.

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: PSUlion01
Questions are this... What's the main purpose for a server in a small (4-5 computer) home LAN? Would this be used to share the cable modem/store files (mp3s, downloads, etc) and that's about all? Basically never touch the thing, just have it for storage?

Nothing wrong with that. Certainly, file sharing is the most obvious use for a home server, and the most likely to be really needed. But there are plenty of things you can do if you want to experiment.

Some simple projects...

1) Set up a caching-only DNS server, to avoid sending DNS requests out of the house for commonly requested names. Easy to set up. A good follow-up might be setting up DHCP to auto-configure clients to use the server rather than adjust IP properties by hand. But that depends a lot on your addressing and routing configuration.

2) An NTP (Network Time Protocol) server to keep your clocks in sync. These are actually quite important in business environments where authentication protocols require precise timekeeping. At home, probably no big deal, but it's easy enough to configure your own server to sync against public time servers and then configure clients to sync against the local server.

More advanced projects...

3) If users tend to access a lot of the same websites, you could set up a caching web proxy like Squid to speed up page loading. For more fun, use firewalling/routing to make the proxy transparent (no client config required). If there are children around, this can tie into content filtering/monitoring as well.

4) Configure an IMAP mail server to collect everyone's mail from their various mailboxes on the Net and allow people to check that mail from any client in the house. If you have the appropriate kind of ISP service, you could host your own email domain. Which might be a good reason to set up authoritative DNS... and webmail... and... and...

5) Depending on what kind of client machines you've got, provide uniform authentication and a common environment (Roaming Profiles or equivalent) across machines.

I'm sure people will come up with more. Obviously there are lots of possible services you could run. I'm just trying to think of things that non-geeks would actually benefit from.

I do have a network of sorts running now, but I want to redo the thing right. My current setup is as follows:

PC I'm on now (highest usage) has cable modem hooked up directly and 2 NICs to faciltate internet sharing. second NIC routes to a HUB where other computers are connected. No firewalls (bad!) and no games are played on the network as the computers are all too old for the cool stuff that's out now.

How can I re-design things to make it more efficient, secure, and true to form?

Buy a router. Even if you don't do any of the other projects, it just makes life easier. Inexpensive routers from Best Buy, etc. will make connection sharing easier and provide some basic protection via NAT. There are lots of recommendations for specific models in these forums. If you want to get into the IP end of things, you could look into building your own router/firewall. I don't about cable, but some DSL routers can switch to bridge mode and leave all the routing to a dedicated machine.

Basically i'm hoping there's a step by step guide to building such a LAN.

Sorry. Decide what you want to do, do the reading, and set it up. Nobody can read your mind or mystically divine your household's needs.

As for a server, what OS should be run...

*nix of course. No, I guess it depends. If all you want is file sharing, just using a copy of XP Pro would be simple and cost-effective. But XP Pro can't do some of the things 2000/2003 Server can, and then you're looking at shelling out some serious cash. Even more so when you consider that some apps which are free on *nix are expensive 3rd party apps for MS (content filtering, for example). *nix is cheap, flexible, and well-documented by do-it-yourself'ers around the Net.

and what should the servers sole purpose be?

Sole purpose? Why have a sole purpose? Provide whatever services you're interested in. Sure, in the professional world you segregate services between machines for reliability and security. At home, reliability is not so crucial - your sister won't lose your household thousands of dollars because she can't get her MP3's when you bring down the server for maintenance. Security could be an issue if you're offering public services (web/email domains and such) - at some point, you may decide that you're more comfortable with those services on a separate box, possibly also protected by routing/firewalling. Yet another reason why you need to do the appropriate homework and get an understanding of the services, rather than just blindly follow someone's advice.

edit: clarity

 

[PSUlion01]

cleverhandle:

awesome info. some of it was going over my head, but it sounds like the first step is to get a router for the house eh? So the sequence will then be:

cable modem --> router --> all computers (including server) on the network

if this is correct, i'll need to re-route some of my cable. the way the house is laid out we have the cable modem pretty far from the hub (due to the locations of the computers and the difficulty in running the wires.

This will be a slow work in progress. Need to basically build/rebuild two computers, plus do a clean install of all the network stuff. should be something good for the winter.

a few other quick things:

what does "ssh" mean?

cleverhandle: what's the best way to learn how to implement some of those projects you mentioned. love the idea of the IMAP server for mail. a lot of the stuff i probably don't need, as only one of the computers (mine) is most heavily used. Just looking to learn some new stuff and have something to toy around with.

Oh one last thing... I may be getting a laptop soon... can I patch into the wired lan using a wireless connection (i.e. can I add a wireless hub/switch/router somewhere close to where the laptop will be used most? Looking at the IBM T40 if it matters.

Thanks again!

 

[masul0100]

I would try Smoothwall for your firewall. It doesn't take much of a comp to run, I have it on a P-166 with a 500MB hard drive. It is pretty full featured, it can act as a cache proxy as well.


masul

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: PSUlion01
...but it sounds like the first step is to get a router for the house eh? So the sequence will then be:

cable modem --> router --> all computers (including server) on the network

Yup. Start with a decent infrastructure, or else that will just get in the way of everything else. If you get into publically accessible services, you may decide that you need more complicated routing, but I'm guessing that you have only one public IP address, which pretty much limits the setup to what you described. You may also decide that you'd rather use a PC-based router running Smoothwall or similar as masul0100 suggested rather than a hardware solution. I would say, unless you're really cash-starved, to start with the hardware router and stick with that until you can say exactly why it won't work for you.

what does "ssh" mean?

SSH is the Secure SHell. It's a *nix protocol/program for getting a shell on a remote machine. Think telnet, but more secure due to encryption. There's a good Windows client called putty that will let you SSH into a *nix box from a Windows box as well.

what's the best way to learn how to implement some of those projects you mentioned.

Take one step at a time, and make sure you understand that before moving on. Take care of your routing first, then figure out what's next - I'd suggest DNS. For each part, Google or ask in the forums for recommendations and tips, then start reading. But you won't be able to plan it all out from the beginning - you don't understand the concepts yet, and the only real way to get that understanding is to work with the protocols until you do. So maybe you'll try something, and realize that the way you set up a previous project makes that difficult. So you go back and rework it. That's life. Eventually you will know enough to plan it all out from the beginning if you were to start fresh.

I love the idea of the IMAP server for mail.

Be warned that email is not as simple as it looks. On *nix, I'd suggest looking into Fetchmail, Postfix, and Courier.

Just looking to learn some new stuff and have something to toy around with.

Better than letting your brain rot watching the tube. Probably not as good as getting some exercise or reading a good book. But, hey, you can't win `em all...

Oh one last thing... I may be getting a laptop soon... can I patch into the wired lan using a wireless connection (i.e. can I add a wireless hub/switch/router somewhere close to where the laptop will be used most?

Sure, check out these forums for tips. And read up on wireless security while you're at it.

 

[PSUlion01]

Back to the wiring/router issue. I've got some rough diagrams I've drawn up but don't have a website yet to host them on. Basically, I have 2 computers on the 2nd floor, one on the first floor, and one in the basement. Cable modem is on the 2nd floor by the computer used the most, and the hub is in the basement (used the least wire this way). If I switch to a router i'll need to re-wire a bit. is it bad to have the modem on the 2nd floor and the router in place of the hub in the basement? This would require me to run the modem through about 75 feet of cable to the basement, then my comp on the 2nd floor would need 75 feet to connect to the router. It's much easier if you can see the diagrams... I'll try to get a site to host them over the weekend (unless email is good for ya).

Just planning as much as possible so this doesn't turn into a nightmare. Still need to figure out how to hook up the wireless laptop. Can I get a wireless hub and place it in-line somewhere near the modem (i.e. keep the current setup, just have the Cat5 pass though the wireless hub for the laptop?

Thx
Mike

 

[skyking]

modem and router on second floor, services those two computers. one cable goes to first floor.
hub on first floor, services that computer, and the one in the basement. one cable goes from first floor to basement.
only need two long runs, between floors.
If you are thinking of a wireless bridge setup, you will need a wireless router, and a WAP set up as a network bridge. that way youy could hook wired computers to a remote segment of your LAN. I would go wired all the way, if it is reasonable to do.

 

[PSUlion01]

Originally posted by: skyking
modem and router on second floor, services those two computers. one cable goes to first floor.
hub on first floor, services that computer, and the one in the basement. one cable goes from first floor to basement.
only need two long runs, between floors.
If you are thinking of a wireless bridge setup, you will need a wireless router, and a WAP set up as a network bridge. that way youy could hook wired computers to a remote segment of your LAN. I would go wired all the way, if it is reasonable to do.

Ugh! I can't believe the wiring was that simple...i just didn't see it. All I need to do is redo one of the wires going from the 2nd floor to the basement and get the router. Question is about the wireless access. Thinking of getting a IBM T40 through work, and I believe this has wireless built in. I can easily run another wire and tap into the router near the modem, but I'd like to be able to roam the 2nd floor and be on the net. Can't I just connect a WAP to the router with another piece of Cat5 and be ready to go? I don't want the whole thing wireless as the groundwork is already set. Just want the flexibility with the new laptop. Also, what's the range like on the wireless setup? Could I be in my yard and be connected to the LAN?

Thanks again!
Mike

 

[skyking]

Can't I just connect a WAP to the router with another piece of Cat5 and be ready to go?

Yes. What you HAD described was a remote segment, where you hooked a few comps to a WAP with wires, which accessed the rest of the network wirelessly.

Your Mileage May Vary regarding range and performance. If you place the WAP as near the yard area as you can, and keep it high up, you will probably have good coverage outside the house.