18 replies to this topic

[Ohnos]

So... for a long time now I have been running a file server on an old PC where I set up PCLINUXOS running samba. It has worked out so well for me that I just haven't touched it for a long long time. The few times it has shut down due to power outages or whatever, I just hit the power button and everything I need automatically starts up again. It has been flawless and it was totally free since I used a PC that I had no other use for. This was done primarily so that all my PCs could run automated backups to this file server. That was all I was going to do with it. All the computers on the network could see the file server and had very fast access to it.

Anyway, to make this story eventually come to an end, it works so much better than I thought that my wife and family use it too much. Let me explain... We use a lot of files together. Like things that we create for hobbies we do together, or organizations we are both in and things like that. What happened is that we now have a lot of folders on the file server that are not anywhere else and therefore they are not backed up. Amazing how over time we learn to just use the file server like it was our own disk and then everyone has access to those files. But that's the problem, it's not backed up!

So... I want to put that system on larger disks that are raid 1. I'm not sure how to do that. I have actually looked into ways of doing it and found some methods and software to use for software raid 1, but I guess I don't fully understand the linux disk systems and partitions and all that. I guess I want to have 3 partitions? One for boot, one for linux, and one big one for the file server. I make the two disks the same partition sizes and somehow copy my current disk to one of those and then start raid 1 and it mirrors the one disk to the other? My understanding is that if one disk goes down, the other will automatically be used to boot up and it would pretty much be invisible to me that one even went down. To solve that I found that I can set it up to send myself an email if a disk fails or something goes wrong. So that is basically what I want to do. I'll probably just start fooling with it and see how far I can get. But if you guys know of a good procedure or method or something better to do instead, I'd really appreciate it :)

Ah yes, adventures in linux :) It's really been so long since I've even logged into that system that I don't remember much at all. But it should all come back. The fact that I never have to log into it is really a good thing. I love reliable systems :)

[Ohnos]

Well, I just got a copy of ubuntu 8.04 and some cryptic instructions on setting it up on raid 1. Not going for it today, but I'll play around a while and see how it goes. I decided to go with ubuntu because it appears to have the biggest following and most support. I need that, lol. Plus, it seems to have support here as well. From what I see, it's not too different from pclinuxos, but what is different seems better.

I'll let you all know how it turns out when I get around to installing it all.

[Ohnos]

Wow, this might take a while. 0 for 2 on downloading a copy without errors :(

[rokytnji]

Hey Oh Nos. Been busy I see. I'll Let ya in on a little secret on file sharing. A lot of these high techy types cheat. Instead of setting up a samba,apache,ssh, server. They just set up a email account on server machine and email all the files and data. Just thought you might like to know that. As far as everything else you are doing. You are way ahead of me. I'm just a crazy Linux using Biker.

[Ohnos]

Haha, no, email would not help. Besides, the samba file server is fantastic! It's all a matter of opinion of course. But that is my opinion. Besides, this lets me fool around for a while :)

Email backups, hmmmm, that would be interesting... Anyway, this whole thing started as an experiment, but it works so well and we've gotten so used to it that I just want to make it a bit more permanent and safe.

[rokytnji]

Cool. Me and the wife when we need to share or whatever just use Email. My Spare Desktop is just for Experiments and does double duty as my Shop Desktop. Everything at my place is now on Wireless. Wife is Windows. Me on Linux. Dohbar can tell ya what a mess my Desktops are. Good luck with your experimenting also ohnos.

[Ohnos]

Heh, 5 downloads and I got a good one. What's up with that? So far I like Ubuntu quite a bit. It is set up to use easier than PClinuxOS, or so it seems so far.

I don't have a lot of time to fool with it right now, but I'll let you all know how it goes when I get it working.

[Ohnos]

Well, I finally got it all set up and running in RAID 1 on two 1TB disks. It was actually pretty easy once I got the right install disk. The thing is, to set it up in RAID you have to use the alternate install CD. The one that uses a text based install method. The GUI installer does not let you set up RAID. It's funny how you can read and read and read but never see that one word that makes such a huge difference, lol. In this case, the word "alternate". But the system is running well right now. I have to fool with it quite a bit more, but I'm having fun :) It still seems to me that PClinuxOS was easier, but I guess that will change as I become familiar with this. I also was using KDE with PClinuxOS where I've got Gnome on my version of Ubuntu.

In general I think that Ubuntu will end up better since it has a much larger user base and there is more documentation. But it seems that linux is linux regardless of distribution for the most part.

[rokytnji]

Thanks for the update Ohnos. I would have never guessed my self as I don't use the raid option. You will get to like how Apt and Gnome Works as time goes on.

[Ohnos]

Well, another update... Was playing around some more and you are right rkytnji, I am really starting to like the whole experience with ubuntu. What I really like is that there is so much information available out there. Much easier to get things done when there is help available.

Since I'm not an IT guy or anything, I'm pretty happy that I've got my raid now set up so that it will boot with either drive failed or both drives running. If a drive fails, it will notify me via an email too. I had thought that this would be pretty complicated to set up, but it really worked out quite easily. It's not like this server is of critical importance or anything, but it's just fun messing around :)

I still have a lot to learn... it's keeping my interest now :)

[rokytnji]

Good to hear that things are successful and that you are enjoying the Linux experience. If I didn't have to tune newer harleys once in a while. I wouldn't keep Windows 2000 Pro on one of my laptops. But I got a triple boot on that laptop so Windows never gets booted unless I have to run TTS software. That software is way to costly to risk trying to run it with WINE. Besides, nobody else on the net is tuning engines with Linux yet. Low on the priority of things for developers to port Linux to I guess.

[Ohnos]

wine...

Just installed it, now I have to figure out what to do with it. lol. Guess I should do some more reading. So far I can not think of any windows software I need to run on it.

Oh, and a question. Some characters on my keyboard are not working. I can not type an apostrophe, it takes two hits to get a double quote, and other such weirdness. I have checked the keyboard selected and it is correct, so I guess I am at a bit of a loss.

Ha-ha, Took a lot of words to type that without an apostrophe.

[rokytnji]

Just a suggestion ohnos. I don't think it will show you complete key layout but you can open terminal and type

Quote

sudo keys

and see what you come up with.

[Ohnos]

I don´t seem to have a keys command, not anywhere. I did see a post where someone else had the problem and they fixed it by choosing US International Alt_Gr keyboard. I did that and it worked perfectly in office. Now I in here and itś not behaving correctly again. Maybe I need to close this window first and open it again. Hmmm

[Ohnos]

Okay, let's see... Oh my goodness, it works now :) Yay. Look... "I can quote again!" Just needed to re-start Firefox.

Ha!

[jobeard]

you might like to investigate Cygwin. It gives a Linux emulator on windows, albeit the command line style and not the GUI. It has a rich command library and makes software development a snap.

[Berton]

I wonder if Ohnos is still around since the last post of 15 August 2009 - 04:13 PM.

[frazzm737]

Ohnos last posted in Nov. and has been around since then. As a matter of fact, he checked this thread today.

[Ohnos]

frazzm737, on 22 February 2010 - 01:22 AM, said:

Ohnos last posted in Nov. and has been around since then. As a matter of fact, he checked this thread today.

capture.jpg

Wow, so you are all closely watching my movements, lol. Big brotherish

Haven't really had any troubles lately and if you look back at my history, that's usually when I post. However, I'm thinking ahead to Ubuntu release 10.04 LTS. I'm running 8.04 LTS now. It is doing my setup so well that I hate to muck with it, but it would be nice to get up to date with the latest. 10.04 is still beta and 8.04 is supported till April 2011, so I have time to figure out how to upgrade. The thing is, I want everything setup exactly how I have it and I don't want to start from scratch on it.

Guess I'll figure it out, lol.

But yes... I'm still around here. Read far more than I post though.