[BC] Linux based server

[Craig Healy]

I put together a server recently.  While it's really just a test, it's
worked well.  This was based on a surplus rack-mount computer that had an
obsolete operating system and used-up drives.   I added a CD drive and newer
hard drive, network and video cards.  For an operating system I used
Linux-based Knoppix.  This is all stored on a CD.  Boots from the CD so
viruses and malware can't affect it.  To boot, a command line is manually
entered like "knoppix myconfig=/dev/hdd1"  This pulls the previously saved
configuration off the drive and resets it.  Eventually I will burn the
config files to a CD and add a second CD drive.  Works fine with only 256mb
of RAM.

This seems quite stable.  Eventually I will add a RAID card and drives so
the storage is more secure.  The fact that the server operating system is
almost impossible to damage is a real advantage.  The included Samba server
shares the hard drive so Windows computers can easily connect to the drive
and read/write files.

Has anyone else built something like this?  I gotta say it was much easier
to assemble than Windows Server 2003 or other MS based machines.  And, the
client connection limit is something like 32767.  Essentially unlimited.

I was also able to use the Knoppix boot CD to recover files from two crashed
hard drives.  While Windows and even a USB drive housing couldn't read the
drives, Knoppix could.  I used a 16gb USB Flash drive and copied the desired
files from the bad drive to it.

I haven't really spent much time with Linux machines in the past, but this
has been a very rewarding bit of work.

Craig Healy
Providence, RI