Linux Recommendations B4 jumping in

[Rick Stevens]

Scott Mertens wrote:
> 
> I'm new to Linux, but used Unix many (10)years ago. I want to install
> Linux on a new workgroup server in my home. A little background, The home
> workgroup has 2 laptops and one desktop. All 3 are WIN XP, and I want to
> ghost weekly to a backup drive on the new workgroup File and print server.
> I want to make the Linux machine the file and print server. So all it has
> to do is host a shared printer, and I will add a 2nd drive most likely
> formatted as NTFS so the Laptops / desktop(XP) can ghost to them. Or does
> it need to be FAT or FAT 32 so the Linux box can ghost to it as well?

NTFS is not a native filesystem to Linux.  There are kernel modules that
allow access to NTFS filesystems--but only as a convenience to XP/NT
users.  These modules are built as either read-only or read-write.  Due
to some oddities in NTFS, read-write is _not_ recommended under Linux.
As a result, I'd recommend a FAT32 partition.

> I thought this would give me a chance to play with Linux without getting too
> complicated at first. The new machine I just bought is a Gateway 504GR
> 
> Inter P4 with Hyperthreading
> 200 GIG HD
> 512 MG RAM
> 7USB and 2Firewire
> Double Layer DVD Burner
> 
> So I'm looking for some recommendations. As to latest Linux version, if it's
> kernel will have any problems compiling on this machine. I'm not real sure,
> but my guess is it won't be too hard to share an HP printer on the Linux
> workstation and map an XP machine to it? Just looking for some knowledge
> imparted form the experts.

The most common issue with Linux is support for the video card in the
machine.  We'd need to know what card you're using.

Sharing a printer isn't a problem.  It'd help to know which HP printer
you have, just to make sure the Linux machine can print to it as well.
You have to have a Linux printer driver to print to it from Linux.  A
lack of a driver doesn't stop you from sharing the printer--only from
printing to it from Linux itself.

As to which version of Linux to use...Red Hat Enterprise 4 (in your
case, I think workstation would do the job) is a commercially supported
Linux, but it does cost money.  It is based on Fedora Core 3 (which is
free).
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- Rick Stevens, Senior Systems Engineer     rstevens at vitalstream.com -
- VitalStream, Inc.                       http://www.vitalstream.com -
-                                                                    -
-        Brain:  The organ with which we think that we think.        -
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