How would i make a laptop into a server or firewall anything like that?

Question

Ok so i have a spare laptop that i don't really use and i just got done reading
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuvNNmljqUl0G7RcieNltlojzKIX;_ylv=3?qid=20121204213722AAnDKyC
That and it got me thinking

I don't have any knowledge regarding servers so i was hoping someone could lead me in the right direction to make a server maybe linux if you can

I just really don't know what i can do to get experience with severs so any help would be appreciated and i'm really interested in Linux
Thanks

Answer 1

Well, a "server" is just a computer that provides a "service". Even under Windows, which has "server" versions of the OS, this could even be a simple bit torrent package on your desktop computer or a WAMP or XAMPP DB/web server package. Some hardware is designed with the intent of operating as a server rather than a desktop, but really anything can be a server.



Under Linux, it's pretty much just a matter of what packages you choose to install, either at installation or afterwards. Look into the package managers (e.g., apt-get, aptitude, rpm, yum, etc.) available for whatever distro you are interested in using.



You can have a DNS server (Bind), web server (Apache, Nginx, etc), file server (Samba, etc). Just look through the package listings and descriptions.



For firewalls, search for "Linux firewall howto" and explore from there.

Answer 2

Laptops have all the peripherals that a server doesn't need, ie keyboard, mouse, screen, speakers, mike, webcam etc, so they're all a bit wasted.

But if you want to, then why not!

Ubuntu would be fine for a webserver, fileserver, or torrent box, and this is entirely do-able and fun for a noob. You need to ensure you have enough storage space though. Maybe a usb attached external hard drive.

But if you want a web filter or firewall then you're better off installing one of the free prebuilt 'appliance' type distros, which have hardware requirements likely to exceed your laptop. Packet routing is not for the feint-hearted.

The server version of linux has no desktop and all you'll have is a command line. You can install webmin and have a web based interface, but you can only access it from another computer over the network.

Go to it!

Answer 3

Laptop's not really good for a firewall, unless it has a pcmia slot where you could hook in a extra network card. To use as a firewall at minum you need to set up dnsmasq (which does DNS and DHCP) and some NAT firewall rule. (google for examples)



Install some basic Linux (I suggest Debian stable) and hook it to your network. Assign it to a static address. And start installing services (LDAP, NFS, SSH, whatever), and modify your router's firewall rules if you want to access any of the services from outside the meet. Set up a dyndns if you want to access these services by name. (But allowing too much traffic may piss off your ISP unless you have a business grade connection)





Or if that's all too complex, there is a pretty cool music server distro out there just ready to install and run.



http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=vortexbox

Answer 4

Easy : http://sourceforge.net/projects/zentyal/files/Stable/







Advanced/Fun :

1. Download ubuntu minimal cd, or arch linux.



2. Install Apache



3. Install Samba



4. Install firestarter



5. Open Firefox/Chromium



6. type in the address bar google.com



7. Start configuring programs



8. Use google for halp.



9. Enjoy pwnserver

Answer 5

set it up as the main computer on the network and have others access it through a simple password you set. start-control panel-networks. make sure you control your sharing info