Part ONE of this manual on how to setup your server and Install webmin, can be found HERE.  

Part THREE of this manual : Installing Torrentflux can be found HERE.  

In part one of this manual I showed you how to install your Ubuntu server for the family, setup SSH to connect to it remotely and setup webmin. Well, its all nice and dandy to have a server running and all that jazz, but now its time to actually let it WORK for us. And aside from a good virusscanner and a geek-of-the-house, what does a family network need the most ? Right : Filesharing. A server that gives every user the option to store his or her files securely and have a place to swap files around. So time to set up your "Feisty Fileserver for the Family".

Once again : When I wrote  this manual I had the average family geek in mind. So the methods and techniques I will use will probably differ from the "standard" approach and even get Die Hard Linux fans to foam at the mouth with anger and frustration. But all of this is done with a simple setup in mind. Making a simple fileserver for the family. In reach of simplicity I may have have given up a little "security" but its a home server we are talking about. A home server in a Home network of Home users and all that jazz. So chill out ! Its not like its gonna hook up 5000 users and have the entire Russian Hacking Federation after its pink little ars !  Sharing files with Samba has been something I have been trying to do for quite some times. But if you even mention the fact of filesharing to Linux guru's they are all over you with their Samba Config Files which they INSIST that you learn by heart. If you want to share a single folder they force the whole philosophy and history of Linux filesharing down your throat. It seems like there is NO simple approach. You just HAVE to be able to recite the entire Samba config file backwards from memory.. before you can even start doing all this crap. I personally don't believe in this method. Its too complicated to start out with and users just give up. So i'm gonna get you guyz GOING on the road of filesharing by making a simple file server. And if you like it and want to learn more you can do the whole config file editing thing until you are blue in the face. Untill then.. Lets get started.  (click on READ MORE to get the whole screeshot by screenshot manual).

What is this article about.

If you where to sum up every article about the “ultimate” setup of a Linux server, one would be here for years to come. Lets face it : There is a ton of documentation out there about configuring and installing the perfect server so why in hells bells would I write my own. Well, for one : Because I can make heads or tales of most of them. Although they are all nicely copy-paste I seem to find unknown dummie-like mistakes that blow the minds of even the dumbest of people. So its time to turn the tables on technology and instead of us working for IT , we let technology work for US for a change. So I'm going to draw up a little multi-step how to in building your own Ubuntu Server . And no ISP like mega machine that is powerful (and complicated) enough to take over when Gmail goes down. No , Its gonna be a simple server for the family that will be able to preform the tasks that a small group of  of people need, PLUS giving you the tools to configure it simply and remotely.

What tools do we use and why

But before you think that its going to be one of these cut-and-paste command line manuals that seem to feel like a straitjacket, leaving you completely helpless when you fail. We are going to go for the somewhat more user friendly, graphical and practical approach. Mixing in some command line stuff, point and click stuff with webmin, and some more tinkering using simple programs like Filezilla.  If we need to we'll even kick in the graphical user interface on our little server. If it serves us right ;). But mostly you'll be operating and configuring your server from your own workstation or even across the net. But we'll get to all of that later.

Choosing your hardware.

The hardware you choose for your family server could be any old clunker you have lying around. The amount of memory and the processor you need depends on the number of users and the things you want to do. So don't go cheap and cough up a Pentium 1 pc, go for last years "hand me down pc" from your sister or something. You can put a big hard disk in it for using it as a file server. But don't worry, you can also hook up an external USB drive for extra storage.  For this example i'm using a PIII 500 with 256 megabyte ram. (for about 5 users that will do) You can use a keyboard and a monitor if you want to work on the system localy but you don't need to. Its gonna be a headless box stuck in the basement, hooked up to your network. You'll be in control of the system from the cosy comforts of your own office and the family can reap the benefits of your work.

Installing your Feisty fawn server.

I'm going with a server install of the latest version of Ubuntu because it comes packed with a nice extra : Without the graphical GNOME interface of the default Ubuntu version its lighter and more suited for “server tasks” (Dont worry , if we need the GUI we'll install it AND we'll be able to switch in ON and OFF when we want to) Plus there is of course the fact that the Feisty server comes with APACHE ( a web server ) Mysql and PHP. Now it might not mean a lot to you right now but believe me, you will be happy to have those babies pre-packed when you need them.

The Basic install of Feisty Fawn is pretty simple.

Download the server version of Feisty here. http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download

Burn it to a cd and pop it into your server. In order to install it i've found a great how to in installing your server. Don't freak out cause we are only going to need step one and two of "mr. perfects" ultimate install. So don't worry. Take the first two steps of this PERFECT install but  when asked to configure the network choose MANUAL . Give your IP / Subnet and Default Gateway. Before its all done  be sure to select LAMP when the option presents itself.

Click here for "mr perfects" manual on installing your server. http://www.howtoforge.com/perfect_setup_ubuntu704

Installing SSH.

SSH is a secured connection between one computer and the other one. And with secure we mean no one can snoop into whats going back and forth. We'll be using SSH to remotely administrate the server AND give you a secure and easy way get full access to the files on the server. So before we begin download FILEZILLA and PUTTY . Putty will give us remote shell access, Filezilla will be our “file explorer” over SSH. On your server, Login using the user name and password. Be sure the server is hooked up to your network (and of course the internet) and punch in the following line.

apt-get install ssh openssh-server

When this is done you can pack up your server and park it in the basement for all I care. Just be sure you have it hooked up to your network.Next : Feel the power of remote domination as you fire up putty on your local (windows) machine (Mac and Linux machines have SSH shells of there own) and connect to your server : ssh YOURUSERNAME@IPOFYOURSERVER you'll be asked for your password and thats that .. you are now in full control of your system.In the next step we will tinker with the sources list of your Ubuntu server. This just means that it wont nag you for the cd anymore and open up access to some more software repositories. In order to do this type 

Sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list

Comment the line that mentions the CD as a source for software with a #  #deb cdrom:[Ubuntu-Server 7.04 _Feisty Fawn_ - Release i386 (20070415)]/ feis... and remove the # from the lines that refer to "universe" and "multiverse" repositories. Next add the following line : deb http://download.webmin.com/download/repository sarge contrib

Hit CTRL and X when you are done and save the file. Now just type sudo apt-get update and and
sudo apt-get upgrade This way all the software on your server is up to date.

A whiff of webmin.

Time to give some power to the browser. Sure Putty and the remote shell is a great way to interact with your server, but hey , you didn't configure your wifi router over the command line now did you. So its time to install webmin . A web based configuration tool that will let you do your thing using your browser. First up open up your putty and connect to your server over SSH. Now I hear your fear my friends : “Oh my ! We are going to install webmin using the command line. All that Tar and Untarr stuff makes my skin crawl.” Dont worry buddies, its gonna be easy as pie.

Because we entered the webmin repository in our sources.list file you can just type sudo apt-get install webmin

With webmin installed lets bring the baby up to speed.Login to your Ubuntu server using your browser. https://IPOFYOURSERVER:10000 Enter your password and user name (the same one you use for the SSH connection).

After logging in you will get a nice overview of the “status” of your server. It shows you the drivespace that is available, the free memory and all that. Kind of a dashboard that lets you see how healthy your system is.

The first thing we do is make sure we UPDATE all of the webmin-components to their latest versions.

To do this click on WEBMIN / WEBMIN CONFIGURATION in the left column.Then click on the UPGRADE WEBMIN icon.
In the first tab click “UPGRADE WEBMIN” it will probably come back with the error that you already have the latest version, but still. Then in the Third tab select “update modules” Make sure only the checkbox with “install modules that are not currently installed” is checked and click 'update modules'.

Groundwork Completed. 

With that the groundwork of your little "server for the family" has been made. In the next chapter of this manual we are going to setup the server as a file and print server using SAMBA in order for you to use the Feisty Family server as a Feisty Family Fileserver.

See you in chapter 2 ! 

Jump to chapter 3 !  

The first time I heard about the Apple Tv thing I was a little curious. It had been predicted, or should I say prophesised, as the Airport express with Video. Sure enough : That concept did sound pretty appealing, a way to stream your audio and your video to your tv. Like you could do right now with your Ipod Video. (At least if you bought the expensive apple cable to do just that). But when the whole Apple-Tv thing finally hit the stores.. I was less then impressed. Before I tell you why lets run down the merry list the Apple Tv Brings to the table.

 - Play Itunes video's on your Tv. The Appletv is able to play Itunes content (audio and video) from the Itunes collection on your "other mac" to your tv. The apple tv is hooked up using either an HDMI connector or a composite connector. So you can hook it up to both the old-school or the HD-tv sets.

- Syncs playlists from your Itunes on its local hard drive for seamless playback. The AppleTv has a built in 40 gig hard drive  that will sync whatever playlists you want to its local drive. That way the bandwith intensive HD movies you stream are already tucked away on the drive for jitterfree movie fun.

Has a funky remote and a pretty front row interface. If you manage NOT to loose a remote the size of an Ipod shuffle (old school shuffle) you'll be able to control your AppleTv when you are in the shower.  (should you need to). 

And erm .. thats about it.  Now in order to get all this  from your Mac Upstrairs to your Tv downstairs without making a cat-5e network-cable spiderweb the Appletv has a 802.11N wireless network connector on board. This baby plays nice nice with the new Apple airport express that pumps out the same standard.  

 Now : As for the downsides of the story.. If you live in the Us,  only own macbooks, macbooks pro, new airport expresses, have plenty of movies that you bought on the Itunes Music store AND own an HD tv . You are in Apple-Tv heaven. In this Utopian scenario you can download tons of Video content from the Itunes store,  pump this over your lightning fast wifi connection through your Airport express, and use the AppleTv either to stream them .. or sync them up when you are busy doing something else. Then you can play all that goodness on your big ass HD tv.

But even here there is a catch. The movies you would want to "sync up" to your Apple-tv are the ones that are in HD. Now these can go up to 2 gigs or more in size. The 40 gig drive on your AppleTv might just fill up pretty fast.  

And what about "the real world". Where our wireless network is mixed, perhaps you don"t own an new Airport express. Or heaven forbid : Don't own an HD Tv nor have movies to buy in your local Itunes store.  What does the Apple tv bring to the table for .. me .. for example. I have an 80211.G network (56 mbit) that drops down to 11 mbit when my wife's Ibook joins the party. So no dedicated 100 Mbit wifi for me. No matter, because since I live in Europe, we can"t even BUY movies on the Itunes store. So the only stuff I can play are : Movies I ripped myself, stuff that I recorded with my Eye-Tv and podcasts. That by far justifies the purchase of a 300 euro cupwarmer. (Since I don"t have an HD-tv, why should i even care)

So i'm going to give all of you a nice alternative : Buy a second hand mini ! Seriously !! They are dirt cheap for the moment and the perfect solution. 

Hooking it up : The Mini has a DVI output : So you can either buy a dvi-composit adaptor or even a DVI to HDMI output to hook the mini up to your TV.

Operating it : If you buy an Intell Mini you'll even have the little front-row remote to play with. And that gives you most of the multimedia functionality you need. Otherwise, you can use a wireless mouse.

Streaming it : Using Itunes you can play everything that you have stored on your "other mac". Just like the Apple-Tv.

Syncing it : Don't worry bout that. If your wifi-speed is a little slow : SYNC the movies to your mini. Its quite easy : You have an 80 gig drive at your disposal : All you need to do is let the mini boot up at six AM and use your crontab and Rsync to sync whatever directory you need from your first to your second mac.

Playin it ! : There is a little horizontal slot that turns your Mini into a full blown dvd player too. So chuck out your dvd player and enjoy the ride.  

No limits : And where the Apple Tv screeches to a non-hacked halt when it comes to "Non-Steve" codecs, Just install VLC media player on your mini and it will play EVERYTHING to your hearts desire.

The Proof is in the pudding. Ok , So next week I'll go out and get myself a second hand Mac Mini and give you the lowdown on how its done. So stick with me and find out that the Apple-Tv is a big waste of money.