Distribution

[Brian Kelsay]

Robert Kennedy wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>Big surprise at work today. Some of the agency's
>systems folk are interested in learning about Linux.
>
>Now a couple of them want to put Linux on a server
>recently pulled from the line. (I figure no more than
>three years old & fairly powerful when new.) Basically
>they want to do a test drive and see what all the fuss
>is about. I doubt they are more than marginally
>interested in Linux for the desktop at this time.
>
>Any suggestions for distributions and documentation,
>and/or books would be welcome. Downloading and burning
>ISO's on Windblows machines would be no problem.
>Connecting a Linux box to the Holy Network is out of
>the question.
>
Why not have them set up a Samba server and actually mess w/ it on the network?  Just don't let 
them turn on PDC emulation mode.  I heard that happened at Sprint when some guys were jacking 
around and the linux box took over the domain.  Hahahahaha.

Seriously, they can't hurt anything creating a file server.  If necessary, have them create a 
subdomain on a separate subnet, but with a gateway to the net so they can get software.  If they 
don't have that they will not realize the true power and freedom they have w/ Linux.

Have them create a Mail server, File and Print, LDAP is interesting, but hard, a couple of 
desktops, proxy server, definitely do a multi-NIC firewall (IPCop.org, which is Redhat underneath), 
but have them do most of this w/ one distro so it doesn't get too confusing.  You may have them run 
through a Gentoo install or Linux from scratch once on one of the faster boxes just so they can 
really learn something.  Let them have fun w/ it.  Do you need a distro burned?  If they are just 
playing around to start, have them download several and see which one they like best just like we 
all have done. Go wild!

Brian
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Somewhere there is a village missing an idiot.