Home network for studying, HELP!

M

Mase

2[H]4U
Joined
Dec 18, 2000
Messages
2,771
Can someone give me a hypothetical ideal setup for a home network lab in which I can use to study/practice for any or all networking certs I may decide to take? 1st I'd like to get my hands dirty with Linux, routing, file sharing, even possibly something to practice some security basics with...
I plan on taking the Net+ and Server + so building a server is on my agenda, I have a Linksys router and a Linksys hub, I just dont know what kind of set-up configuration would be good for practicing networking concepts on.
Without a smidge of guidance, I will simply set up an MP3 jukebox and wallow in my unknowingness... and tips/suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks! :eek:
 
Well -- all depends on what you want to do I suppose. =)

Idealy, get another box that you can dedicate to Linux.

Net+ and Server+ don't really cover any advanced networking principles (at least they didn't the last time I checked) so you could save yourself the hassle of getting a Cisco router. But if you really want to learn Cisco, search Ebay. Sorry I don't know any good "starter" models off the top of my head but I'm sure someone can fill that blank in.

For "just playing" with Linux I'd recommend getting a copy of Knoppix as it runs completely off of a CD. Of course it's not good to use it for "real world" testing persay, but it will allow you to get your feet wet first. And hey, if you mess something up you can just hit the reset switch.

If you have a box to dedicate to linux or just want to install it in a dual-boot configuration, I'd recommend Fedora Core 2. Remember to md5 your ISO's before you burn them to disk. I got good ISO's on the first try but a coworker of mine had to re-download them five times before getting a good set.

For the server+ stuff, I'm assuming it will be covering Microsoft's Server products? If so, see if your school has an educational store where you could get an educational copy of 2k server for $20-30... that way it's legal and all's well.

If you want to play with Active-Directory then you're going to need two machines. If your main machine is important to you then you'll need three. I.E. one server, one game machine (that you'll leave alone) and one "client" to test your AD stuff.

I'd also suggest you get a good RJ-45 crimping tool, some crimp-on ends and a spool of CAT-5e. You can get all of this from your local radio shack, home depot or electronics supply store.
 
werd Orinthical!
Thanks for the detailed info, I appreciate you steering me in the right direction and giving me some things to look into.
Being a hardware junkie I need to expand my skill set and start tinkering with this other stuff.
Is Fedora Core 2 a particular disto? What are some other good ones?
If I am settiing up a Linux box I would like to do a few things with it
that i would normally use my Windows pc for (ripping/burning, mild gaming, net surfing, etc...)
Would Fedora Core 2 work with this stuff?
Hey, thanx again for the info!
 
Server+ had a lot of questions about physical things, not just the OS.
KNOW YOUR RAID LEVELS:
make sure you know which one does what, how many drives each requires, and how much space you might loose/gain for each level.
There will be questions like:

You have 6 x 9.1Gb SCSI drives in your server. What's the largest RAID5 array you can create while keeping a hotspare?
 
Mase said:
werd Orinthical!
Thanks for the detailed info, I appreciate you steering me in the right direction and giving me some things to look into.
Being a hardware junkie I need to expand my skill set and start tinkering with this other stuff.
Is Fedora Core 2 a particular disto? What are some other good ones?
If I am settiing up a Linux box I would like to do a few things with it
that i would normally use my Windows pc for (ripping/burning, mild gaming, net surfing, etc...)
Would Fedora Core 2 work with this stuff?
Hey, thanx again for the info!
Click to expand...


As someone else mentioned, knowing RAID is a good step. Here is a link that explains them plus the upside/downside to each pretty well.

http://www.acnc.com/raid.html

Fedora Core 2 is a version of a specific distro that I personally like. Here is a link to their home site: http://fedora.redhat.com/ -- I have found FC2 to be very stable though some others have had less luck with it. Like I said, try Knoppix first to get your feet wet and then you can install Fedora Core 2 on a dedicated box to play around with some more advanced features.

As for "doing the stuff you'd normally do in Windows", you can do alot of the normal things you would do in windows, in linux. However, gaming is another thing all together. Some companies release official ports of their games to linux while others have to be emulated.

The software known as WineX or (now) Cedega can be downloaded from this site for a small subscription fee which helps them develop and support the product. It will allow you to emulate and run quite a few games under linux. Your mileage may of course vary.

http://www.transgaming.com/

Keep in mind though that no matter what distro you use, you are going to have to install the true Nvidia (or ATI /shiver) drivers in order to play anything OpenGL with speed over 1-2fps. I think installing the video card drivers will be a good first step for you as it is more often than not, not quite as easy as it would seem. =)

As far as driver support goes -- trust me -- use an nVidia card in your linux box if you can!

A good place to read up on Linux and to ask any questions would be http://www.linuxquestions.org/

Hope that helps some...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top