Questions Regarding with Linux Installation

[beyonddc]

I want to build a Linux FTP server at home. I will have a dedicated system just for the Linux. Yesterday, I was trying to install Mandrake on it, but I got into a point where I am confused. This is why I am here. I am hoping there will be people willing to help me. Thank you very much!
Here is my system spec:
AMD 300mhz
Voodoo 3 Video Card
160 RAM of PC100 SDRAM
ISA D-Link 10MBPS NIC
6 GIG Primary
17 GIG Secondary
CD-ROM DRIVE

Currently, I have no OS install on the system. I am planning to install Mandrake on it.

Question 1
I was reading some installation documentation on the net. It mentioned that Linux is not that great detecting plug 'n' play device and ISA device. The best thing I should do is to install Windows first, and copy down all the Hardware Resource setting before attempting installing Linux. Is that recommanded? If so, I probably will put Windows ME on it to get all the Hardware Resource setting. I would like to get some advice on this, thanks!

Question 2
This is reqarding with Partition. Should I use the default partition setting or I should create my own? Is there any advice on this? I also notice that if you choice default, Linux will create 3 partitions. What's the 3 partiiton for? Yesterday, after I cancel out from middle of installation. I tried to delete all the partition, because I want to start out fresh again, but I can't. So how to delete Linux partition? Can I use FDISK or I need a special utility?

Question 3
There's so many package in Mandrake, which one should I pick? I picked the FTP Server package, but when I click next, it said FTP server will runs automaticly. Should I accept that or I should set FTP up later after installation complete? I want to have control over the FTP server, so I can turn on and off whenever I want to, just like BulletProof FTP in Windows.

Recommandation and Advice will be great! Thanks for reading.

 

[Armitage]

Question 1:
You could install Windows, and copy down the ISA hardware stuff. But I'd just give it a shot with Mandrake first. I've had pretty good luck with Linux installs correctly detecting/configuring ISA devices.

Question 2:
Partitioning is a constant argument in Linux circles
With your setup, I'd go with a 256 MB swap partition, 25MB for /boot, maybe 2GB for / and the rest for /home You could get much fancier, but as a newbie, that should get you by with a minimum of trouble.

Question 3:
Which packages?
Well, what do you want to do with it? If you just want it as an FTP server, you can strip it down quite a bit. As for the FTP server ... you can easily turn it on and off after install. Just take a look at the manuals.

edit: oops, forgot the boot partition

 

[beyonddc]

<< Question 1:
You could install Windows, and copy down the ISA hardware stuff. But I'd just give it a shot with Mandrake first. I've had pretty good luck with Linux installs correctly detecting/configuring ISA devices.

Question 2:
Partitioning is a constant argument in Linux circles
With your setup, I'd go with a 256 MB swap partition, maybe 2GB for / and the rest for /home You could get much fancier, but as a newbie, that should get you by with a minimum of trouble.

Question 3:
Which packages?
Well, what do you want to do with it? If you just want it as an FTP server, you can strip it down quite a bit. As for the FTP server ... you can easily turn it on and off after install. Just take a look at the manuals. >>



What're SWAP, REST and HOME partition? Can anyone explains please. I am reading the newbie documentation from Linuxnewbie.org right now. I would still want to get help from here though. Thanks people

 

[hobgadling]

Question 1. Mandrake should find all your stuff, thats why you use mandrake

Question 2. This is kind of complicated. The way a *nix system works is you can 'mount' certain partitions/drives in certain places. The way I would go about it is to let mandrake partition the drive for you, I does a decent job in doing exactly what ergeorge said to do.

Question 3. I use proftpd, but you can use whatever particular ftp server you want. If you're going to use it as an ftp server, you should have it start on startup, you can always turn it on or off by going to /etc/init.d/ and typing './<server name> start/stop'

-Hob

 

[beyonddc]

More Questoin
I have 2 harddrives, 1 is a 6 GIG and 1 is 17 GIG.
I will use the 6 GIG to install Linux and want to use the 17 GIG as file sharing. Is that possible? Will Mandrake automatic dectects my harddrive? Also, can I format my harddrive in FAT32, so Windows user can download stuffs from my Linux box and able to view it.

Thanks

 

[Armitage]

<< More Questoin
I have 2 harddrives, 1 is a 6 GIG and 1 is 17 GIG.
I will use the 6 GIG to install Linux and want to use the 17 GIG as file sharing. Is that possible? Will Mandrake automatic dectects my harddrive? Also, can I format my harddrive in FAT32, so Windows user can download stuffs from my Linux box and able to view it.

Thanks >>



Yes, Mandrake should detect & configure the second drive. Be sure to put your swap partition on the faster drive (probably the 17GB).

File-sharing ... you seem to mean allowing windows users to mount directories from your machine? If so, you need to look into a program called samba. This lets Linux act like a file server for Windows networks. And no, you don't want to format it fat32. You could, but should probably stick with a Linux-native filesystem.

 

[beyonddc]

More Question Sequal
Sorry, this question is a sequal from the previous one.
What I mean by file sharing is that I would like to setup a FTP server using this Linux box I am building. The 17 GIG harddrive will contains file that I would want to share through FTP. What I am actually asking is that if some Windows user download a file from my FTP, will they able to read the file, for example a JPEG or MP3 file. Thanks for helping. I am very appreciated.

 

[Armitage]

Yea, the disk format on the server has nothing to do with the the disk format of the users. Format it ext2.

 

[beyonddc]

More More Question
How to delete a Linux partition? Can you use FDISK? or you have to use some other special utility?

 

[spamsk8r]

To delete partitions: first boot off the Mandrake CD and go into the install program, then after you set up your mouse and keyboard and stuff make sure to pick expert installation, then it will run diskdrake and you can add/modify/delete any and all partitions of basically any filesystem, i would go with ext2 or ext3, i like ext3 better because it is a journaling filesystem which means no fsck when you boot from a cold restart. And yes, you can just install the system on the 6 gig, just make the 17 gig the /home partition