How do I Setup a Linux File Server?

If you have a small business or small enterprise that requires a file server, one of the ways you can save thousands upon thousands of dollars per year is to set up a Linux file server. Linux is an open source software platform that in many ways is just as good as or better than other types of platforms including Microsoft and Sun.

For small businesses and enterprises that require a file server, you can save immensely on the costs related to maintenance, support, licensing fees and application costs associated with commercial servers. Switching to an open source file server such as Linux is extremely easy and can be done in less than an hour. Here are some tips.

What is a Linux File Server?

A Linux file server is usually called a terminal server and it is extremely helpful for doling out and serving data files and applications to computers that are connected to the Linux terminal server. For instance, let's say you have an office that includes 10 individual computers, generally in a business environment certain individual computers will need to access the same applications, data files and the internet. A terminal file server creates a network of these 10 computers in which you don't have to rely on each individual computer to have their own application files and data files. All files and applications can be stored on the Linux Terminal File server.

Having a Linux terminal file server requires less maintenance and computer upgrades of your individual computers, makes configuration much easier, because it is all done on a centralized server, reduces the cost of buying individual software products and since Linux is open source, creating the terminal file server and loading it up with open source software is free.

Linux Terminal Server Basic Requirements

So now that you decided to set up a Linux terminal server, you will need the necessary hardware. The good news is that most hardware is very affordable and compatible with Linux terminal file server applications.

First, you must choose the server. You can easily find servers that are reliable, fast and will perform great for less than $500. There are many computer companies that have a few servers that fall into this price range. While almost any new server can do, make sure it has the following hardware requirements:

At least 512 Megabytes of RAM
A 400 MHZ Bus
2.2 GHZ Intel Celeron Processor or better
At least two hard drives with storage space of 80 GB's or more. It is also a good idea to choose hard drives with a speed of at least 7200 RPM
Two PCI Ethernet Cards

It is important to note that your Linux terminal file server must be more powerful for the increasing amount of computers you hook up to it. For instance, each computer that you connect to the server should have:

64 MB of RAM
250 MB of Disk storage space
Ethernet Card with at least 100 MB of transfer speed

Remember, this is a low budget solution, if you have more money, by all means upgrade, however these components should be reliable and perform well.

Thin Client Basic Requirements

Now that you have a server, you will also need other computers that connect to the Linux terminal file server to request files and applications. "Thin client" is the term used for individual computers that are connected to the server. Since thin clients do not need to process and store lots of data, they don't need to be as powerful or feature rich as a stand alone computer that has all of the files and applications loaded onto it. For a thin client connected to a Linux terminal file server, look for your computer to have these basic components:

Computer Monitor
Keyboard and Mouse
Small capacity hard drive
At least 256 RAM
Ethernet Card Connection, or purchase a separate card that is compatible with Linux

Install the Network Cards

Now that you have your network components that include your Linux server and thin client computers, you are now ready to hook the hardware components up to one another.

While the majority of servers include pre installed Ethernet network cards, it is always a good idea to make sure they are Linux compatible, which most of them are. The network cards are extremely vital to keeping your Linux file terminal server up and running.

Remember, you will need two network cards. The first network card is considered the external card, it is used for data that is sent and received to the Internet router or your gateway. This card will give your server and other computers access to the internet. We will call this external network card (Ethernet1).

The second network card will specifically handle network tasks, such as sending data files and applications from the server to the thin clients and vice versa. We will call this external network card (Ethernet2).

Install Your Linux Terminal Server Software

There are many different types of Linux Terminal Server Software that you can choose; however, usually your best choices and the most easies installation consist of preconfigured LTSP (Linux Terminal Server Projects). One of the more popular preconfigured LTSP is the K12LTP. This package is perfect for beginners to Linux because it is already preconfigured and includes many types of software that small businesses need.

K12LTSP includes:

OpenOffice.org - an office suite incredibly similar to MS Office. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet program and presentation tool. It is easy to use and is compatible with MS Office files.
Rdesktop - an application used to communicate and connect to MS Windows terminal servers
SAMBA - an application that gives you the ability to file share with Windows servers
... over 50 programs such as Firefox browser, Evolution Email, etc...

You can now easily start the installation by inserting the K12LTSP and selecting Linux Terminal Server from the menu. Your installation will start and the computer will require you to confirm Network Devices. When selecting the Network Devices, choose the network card (ethernet1) as the device connected to the Internet router. This way the Linux server can set up the device to receive the IP address. The second network card (ethernet2) will be used for the TS (terminal server) and will be given a default IP as well

At this time, you will be given the opportunity to add select program packages. While there are lots of programs to choose from, you should make sure that the following are installed at this time. They include:

Linux Terminal Server
OpenOffice Suite
Desktop Shell (commonly referred to as GNOME)
Firefox or other web browser (sometimes can be found under Mozilla)
EMAIL Evolution

You should also install Administrative Tools, System Tools and Printing Support. You might find these items at boxes that need to be checked on the screen.

Once all the programs are loaded onto your Linux Terminal File Server you can also add programs from other K12LTSP discs or run your initial Linux Terminal Server session.

Activate Your Network Cards

Now that your Linux Terminal File Server is running, you should activate your Network Cards. You can go into your Terminal Server and click on System Settings. From here you can configure your network cards. While usually each network card has its own software, you will want to run the network card software and edit the settings.

Usually the IP address for Linux terminal file servers is the same and will be 192.168.0.254. Your Linux terminal file server will also have a sub mask number which is usually 255.255.255.0. You might be forced to enter a gateway number, you can make up a gateway number or use the following 123.123.123.1. It is also extremely important to click on the Devices menu tab (this tab is on most network card installation programs) and select or click the box that says Activate device when computer starts. Once all the information is input, you can click OK.

Now click on the DNS tab, you must assign a host name. You can choose any name or just type in linux1. You can now choose the Device tab again. Find the Ethernet card that you will use for the internal network (ethernet2) and select it; now press the Activate button to make sure that this Ethernet card is activated. A little window should briefly appear and disappear. At this point, you are now ready to create user accounts for thin clients.

Creating a User for Thin Clients on Your Linux Terminal File Server

It is easy to set up a user account on your terminal server. From the main menu, you can click on System Settings/ Users & Groups. From here click Add User. These are user accounts of Thin Clients, computers that are connected to the network. You should apply password and access restrictions at this point if needed.

Connect a Thin Client to the Linux Terminal File Server

Once your terminal server is activated and you have set up users for thin clients on your terminal server, you can now connect those to the server. First, choose the PC that you would like to set up. Reboot the PC and go into the BIOS set up, usually by pressing the F2 or F12 key.

In order for you to connect a thin client to the TS, once inside the BIOS choose to boot up your computer with the Network Boot. That is it; from here your thin client computer will follow its commands from the Linux Server. If everything goes smoothly, you will see the Linux virtual desktop and screen. Your installation is complete.