[K12OSN] File Server Project

["Jason Neiffer" <jneiffer neiffer com>]

Hello.  :)

 

I am a high school history teacher and debate coach and I am trying to start a small project to explore the use of Linux file/web/database servers in a K-12 environment.  I currently use Red Hat 9 in my small classroom lab (4 Red Hat standalone boxes along with 6 Windows 2000 boxes; all are on computer purchases through state surplus programs).  I'd like to initially create a file server box for to serve up shared file space to my Windows boxes (running Win2K, Win98SE and WinXPPro) and after I'm confident :), add a web server and perhaps database services.  I did attempted last year (as a simple Saturday project) to set up a server using RH8, however, I was never able to get my Windows boxes to access any shared folders without errors that I didn't have the time, at that point, to troubleshoot and investigate.

 

My questions:

 

1.)  Should I simply use Red Hat (or, at this point Fedora) or would the K-12 terminal server be better for what I am doing?  I understand the nature of the terminal server, however, it sounds from reading information on this list and elsewhere that this distribtuion is often used for stand-alone workstations and wonder if it would also make a good file/web server.

 

2.)  Is there a simple resoruce available walking one through configuring Samba for a simple windows networking environment?

 

Thanks for all that you do to spread Linux to the K-12 labs and classroom!

 

Thx,

Jason Neiffer

GFHS

http://www.geekteach.com