Newbies enquiry after reading archives

[Jim Tarvid]

The first and last resort for remote management is ssh.

The webmin deb at webmin.com works tolerably under ubuntu.

The task you have set out can be met with a Motorola WR850G and DD-WRT
at a cost of about $30 US not much more than the cost of a hub or
switch. I have used one at home for 6 months or so without incident.

If one insists on doing this on old x86 hardware, IPCOP would do the
job and provide a web interface for management. I've done several of
these. One of the attractions is that net2net vpn works.

I would choose Ubuntu for such service only if my needs were greater
(such as dual homing). I have one such box at work where I want to
place the burden of downloads on a cable connection to preserve the
bandwidth of a T1 for servers and VOIP. IPCop is too primitive for
such duty and DD-WRT becomes a career instead of a task.

One of the sanest acts I have done lately is to sell out my collection
of sub 1Ghz machines for $100 and move on. The soul should not be
wasted on the preservation of industrial waste.

Jim Tarvid

On 2/25/07, Ken McLennan <kenrmcl at mysoul.com.au> wrote:
> G'day there One & All,
>
>         I'm currently trying to construct a home network (basically just a
> gateway with 1 server & 2 desktops) and have now managed to copy Ubuntu
> Server 6.06.1 to my hard drive. Still working on the rest of the machine
> though (long story about a P1 - 133 that I was given).
>
>         I know that it will be slow, but that's what I've got. It seems to be
> reliable with over a fortnight's uptime and no problems. Although, to be
> fair, it's not been doing anything other than just sitting on the desk
> running.  However, my network will either work or it won't and I'll have
> to decide whether to keep the machine or not. However, I digress...
>
>         My server machine has only 3 PCI slots and they will be filled by my
> network cards. The video card that is taking up one of them at the
> moment will be removed, and I hope to manage the machine remotely from
> my desktop client. (Hopefully my explanation makes sense).
>
>         I've never built or setup a server before so I thought a GUI such as
> Webmin might be handy. The list's archives had mail from those who
> thought it was adequate, and those who hated it. "Ebox" also rated a
> mention but no one had any experience with it.
>
>         I guess that my question is whether such an interface is more nuisance
> than it's worth? There was no real consensus in previous discussions,
> and I don't necessarily expect one now, but I would like to know whether
> earlier complaints about such GUI's still hold.
>
>         So, if I'm going to need Webmin, Ebox, or something else for remote
> maintenance, I'd like to hear from people who've tried them and formed
> opinions. Or even those whose opinions aren't formed from experience.
> However I would also then like to know why you hold such views.
>
>
>
> Thanks for listening,
> Ken McLennan
> Qld, Australia.
>
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