Need help setting up a linux web/ftp server

[shikhan]

Hey guys,
I need to set up a web server and I since the box is slow, i'm going to give linux another try [last time, well, lets just say linux broke and not even the experts could fix it]. Anyways, I'm getting Mandrake 8.0 which I hear is the easiest way to move into linux. I've use some linux stuff before but I need help to set it up on the box and how to set up a secure web/ftp server that has sql and java abilities. Any help?

PS. Yes, currently I am a windoze guy but I have my good reasons. I've stayed away from linux but would like to give it another shot. I just hope it goes better than the last time.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< Hey guys,
I need to set up a web server and I since the box is slow, i'm going to give linux another try [last time, well, lets just say linux broke and not even the experts could fix it]. Anyways, I'm getting Mandrake 8.0 which I hear is the easiest way to move into linux. I've use some linux stuff before but I need help to set it up on the box and how to set up a secure web/ftp server that has sql and java abilities. Any help?

PS. Yes, currently I am a windoze guy but I have my good reasons. I've stayed away from linux but would like to give it another shot. I just hope it goes better than the last time. >>



Can you be more vague? Anyhow, secure ftp is not possible. But you can come close (for a couple months), just dont even think about coming close to using even a 100' pole to get near a download site that has wu-ftpd buried anywhere in it's tree

Anyways, hook us up with some more specific questions. Apache for web (orielly has a book), mysql or posgresql for sql (also orielly books), I am sure they have a java thingy.

If you have any more specific questions let us know.

 

[bubba]

a great reference:

http://www.linuxdoc.org/

 

[shikhan]

Hehe,
Sorry, I was a bit out of it. Anyways, I was coming back to edit my message just as such. Okay, when I'm saying secure, i dont need extreamly high security. I doubt that I will be targeted specifically anytime soon. Basically, I just want to shut down any known backdoors and have a semi-secure server. This is just going to be hosting my personal site w/ portfolio and some personal files. I just dont want to leave some thing like a telnet server running in the background [okay, thats extream, but I think you get the point. Just secure enough for personal use. No need for uber-security. I have other methods for those].

I've briefly used apache for windows, but I was asking for any suggestions for a good web server. about SQL, I really dont know much about. All I know is that parts of my portfolio require database access and we run SQL at the place I work.

Sorry if it wasn't clear, I'm just basically looking for suggestions for a simple to use webserver and sql &amp; java implementation. I'm familiar how to run them in windows, but the box I'll be setting up wont be able to handle windows well.

I'll probably be running this on a 300 box with 128 mb ram or the sort.

 

[n0cmonkey]

I dont know how to configure all of those daemons but security I know a little bit about (not a lot, just a little).

uber-security should be the goal, no matter what the system should be doing. Yes I am a paranoid freak

Check out tripwire. Very necessary and free for personal use (if you can compile/install it, you shouldnt have a problem since you use linux). File integrity is a good thing. Do not start inetd. You shouldnt be running anything that would need it (I dont think). Apache does not need it, sshd does not need it, sql does not need it (I Dont think). Make sure you download and install all of the Mandrake updates (rpm -U *.rpm), they make this really easy.

Remember this word: chroot. Live by it. Never run a service as root if you can!!!!! If you have another system, setup another system as a firewall (my biased opinion is OpenBSD for firewalling ).

This won't be easy but keep up with all of the security bulletins. If Mandrake has a mailing list SIGN UP! Keeping up with the script kiddiots is one of the hardest parts. Good luck and Ill be around if you have any more questions (if I can answer them).

 

[lucidguy]

If the box is low-powered, you need to do without a gui.

Install command-line-only Debian. apt-get is your friend.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< If the box is low-powered, you need to do without a gui.

Install command-line-only Debian. apt-get is your friend. >>



Its a 300mhz + 128MB ram. Its not low powered. Plus apt-get can't lick the boots of the BSD's ports
I have to try this apt-get sometime