Howto: create your own linux home server using Debian

[MG2R]

Oh... I got it all running on the 32-bit version. It seems to be running fine (although I can't make encrypted partitions), but the thing I am really stuck on right now is the owncloud setup. I got it installed and moved to /var/owncloud/owncloud, but when I try to access it, it says that it can't write into the config directory. I need to give rights to the webserver to access it, but I can't seem to find out how.

I looked up some other guides on the internet, but they don't work either. Maybe you know something?

Owncloud is a bit... buggy at times.

 

Could provide me with the output of `ls -l /var`, `ls -l /var/owncloud` and 'ls -l /path/to/your/owncloud/website/location` ? Need that info to check the permisssions and ownerships of the files.

[antoainb]

Owncloud is a bit... buggy at times.

 

Could provide me with the output of `ls -l /var`, `ls -l /var/owncloud` and 'ls -l /path/to/your/owncloud/website/location` ? Need that info to check the permisssions and ownerships of the files.

 

Yes, I had a similar problem with ownCloud and it ended up being ownership problems. 

[Shaqalac]

So I'm trying to install Debian on my NAS with a 16GB USB stick as the OS drive. I've reached the point in where it's scanning for disks and it has been stuck there for ~30min.

 

Any suggestions on what could be wrong, should I format the USB stick before I try to install Debian, the USB stick has been detected in the BIOS.

[MG2R]

So I'm trying to install Debian on my NAS with a 16GB USB stick as the OS drive. I've reached the point in where it's scanning for disks and it has been stuck there for ~30min.

 

Any suggestions on what could be wrong, should I format the USB stick before I try to install Debian, the USB stick has been detected in the BIOS.

Just to be absolutely sure: the USB drive you're trying to install the OS onto is another USB drive than the one you're booting off, right?

Also, make sure you're plugging it in to a USB 2 or lower port!

[Shaqalac]

Just to be absolutely sure: the USB drive you're trying to install the OS onto is another USB drive than the one you're booting off, right?

The USB drive that's going to be my OS drive is a SanDisk. The USB drive I'm booting off (LiveDisk) is a Kingston.

Also, make sure you're plugging it in to a USB 2 or lower port!

Both USB drives have been plugged in to a USB 2 port and both are detected in BIOS.

[MG2R]

The USB drive that's going to be my OS drive is a SanDisk. The USB drive I'm booting off (LiveDisk) is a Kingston.

Both USB drives have been plugged in to a USB 2 port and both are detected in BIOS.

Give me fifteen minutes. Going to try this on my laptop. I'll tag you when I'm done

 

EDIT: Ubuntu detected it correctly right away, will try Debian now\

 

EDIT2: @Shaqalac Both Ubuntu and Debian (64-bit, netinst, version 7.3.0) detect all drives attached to the laptop instantly. I'd recommend checking if you can solve the issue by

• clearing CMOS
• trying different ports
• trying differen thumb drives
• trying only to connect the boot drive, so without anything to install too
• try the Ubuntu installer to see if it does recognize the drives
• ... (any other combination you can think of)

EDIT3: I do already have a formatted fat32 partition on the drive I attempt to install to, maybe you could try doing that as well.

 

EDIT4: both installers worked fine with USB3 ports, btw.

[Shaqalac]

EDIT: Ubuntu detected it correctly right away, will try Debian now\

I did some search as well and found one who tried with Ubuntu and Debian. Ubuntu had no problem detecting the drive but Debian couldn't detect anything and got stuck at 50%.

Both Ubuntu and Debian (64-bit, netinst, version 7.3.0) detect all drives attached to the laptop instantly.

So I'm using the Debian 64-bit, netinst, version 7.4.0, whether it makes the whole different I'm a bit sceptical about. I'll try to run some of your possible solutions with 7.4.0 and shouldn't that work out I'll try 7.3.0.

 

• ... (any other combination you can think of)

So this is the bad ass ghetto way.

I read something about people having problems with it being a USB stick that they were installing from. Before I continue this will be my last option. I've downloaded the full image of 7.4.0 (4.20GB), I'll burn that to a DVD. As I have no optical in my NAS nor my main rig I will pop the side panel on the NAS, connect the optical drive to the NAS with SATA data cable. Then I'll open my main rig to power the optical drive as the SATA power cables from my NAS's PSU is occupied by the Seagate NAS HDDs.

Again, this will be my last resort.

I do already have a formatted fat32 partition on the drive I attempt to install to, maybe you could try doing that as well.

Yes, I will check if the SanDisk has been formatted to fat32.

 

 

When I've tried some of these possible solutions I will return with the results.

 

 

@MG2R

Edit #1

 

• clearing CMOS
  • Didn't work.
• trying different ports
  • Didn't work.
• trying differen thumb drives
  • Don't have any other thumb drives, that's why I'm considering the ghetto way explained above.
• trying only to connect the boot drive, so without anything to install too
  • Haven't tried this yet.
• try the Ubuntu installer to see if it does recognize the drives
  • Haven't tried this yet.

So do you suggest to try the Ubuntu installer just to see if it's able to recognize the drives or could I install Ubuntu as well?

 

I went into Alt+F4 (what's that tab called?) when it got stuck during installation and took a picture of the text.

As far as I can see, the partman can't locate any physical volumes.

[Shaqalac]

I finally figured out how to install Debian (Ghetto solution).

 

Accidentally I installed Debian Desktop Environment and Print Server, I'm definitely not interested in the Print server. My question is; how easy is it to remove post installation or would it be easier to reinstall Debian while it's all set up?

[MG2R]

My question is; how easy is it to remove post installation or would it be easier to reinstall Debian while it's all set up?

You can simply run

tasksel

that's the package responsible for the package installation during your Debian installation.

 

Debian wiki: https://wiki.debian.org/tasksel

[IdeaStormer]

 My question is; how easy is it to remove post installation or would it be easier to reinstall Debian while it's all set up?

 

 

For the print server part:

 

sudo apt-get remove cups cups-bsd cups-client cups-common cups-driver-gutenprint cups-pdf cups-ppdc ghostscript-cups hplip-cups libcups2 libcups2-dev libcups-cgi1 libcupsdriver1 libcupsimage2 libcupsimage2-dev libcupsmime1 libcupsppdc1

 

I might have more than the default on the list above but it will tell the package is not there and just hit the up arrow and edit that package out and try again.

 

I would leave the desktop component unless you are a command line guru. And then just:

 

dpkg --list | grep desktop

 

That will list the desktop package(s) you installed already then at what comes out of that to:

 

sudo apt-get remove <somefunkyname with desktop at the end of it>

[Arquiteto]

Hi All,

 

I've registered just to thank @MG2R for his great tutorials. I''l build my server this Saturday (or next, maybe) and your work come very handy.

 

The setup:

Pentium G3220

Mobo H87 (maybe GigaByte)

8 GB DDR 1333

1,5TB+0,5TB+0,5TB

 

thx,

[MG2R]

I've registered just to thank @MG2R for his great tutorials. I''l build my server this Saturday (or next, maybe) and your work come very handy.

Aw, thanks! This'll sound cheesy, but that actually is pretty awesome to hear! When I was writing this I didn't actually expect anyone except me to be using it. The support from the community on this has been great!

 

Welcome to the forums, I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I do!

[alpenwasser]

Aw, thanks! This'll sound cheesy, but that actually is pretty awesome to hear! When I was writing this I didn't actually expect anyone except me to be using it. The support from the community on this has been great!

 

Welcome to the forums, I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I do!

It really is nice when people actually put one's tutorials to use, isn't it?

[MG2R]

It really is nice when people actually put one's tutorials to use, isn't it?

It certainly is!

[Arquiteto]

Hi all,
 
Here goes my humble contribution:
 
* Setup a headless client for Crashplan backup
tutorial
A bit of information
 
*Setup Dropbox 

Install Dropbox In An Entirely Text-Based Linux Environment

Dropbox install on headless Debian server

 

I didn't create those tutorials, but I think can serve our purpose

[MG2R]

Here goes my humble contribution:

Thanks for that, but I won't be linking to off-site tutorials here. Only user-contributed tuts on LTT that more or less follow the style I'm using here will be added to the index in the OP

[TCS117]

Really great and solid guide, it might come in handy for fututre projects! 

[Arquiteto]

Thanks for that, but I won't be linking to off-site tutorials here. Only user-contributed tuts on LTT that more or less follow the style I'm using here will be added to the index in the OP

 

Great. So I'll try myself and then post here

[MG2R]

Great. So I'll try myself and then post here

Great! Just make sure you don't end up plagiarizing (we have had such events before) and that you actually write anything you put on here yourself Other than that, thanks for your contribution!

[Shaqalac]

I haven't worked on the Debian NAS for quiet a while now as I've been struggling to flash my M1015. I finally managed to flash it and now I'm back on the Debian NAS.

 

Yesterday I booted the system with no problem, everything looked normal. I left it powered on and about an hour later I returned to take a look and the screen had gone all glitchy. Tried to reconnect the screen but nothing changed. No big deal, I shut it down and just booted it back up again with another screen. Now I'm getting this during boot: http://i.imgur.com/9UmWZFN.jpg

Do any of you have an idea of why this is or if it's serious in any why for the overall stability of the system?

[MG2R]

I haven't worked on the Debian NAS for quiet a while now as I've been struggling to flash my M1015.

So I've read

 

 

Yesterday I booted the system with no problem, everything looked normal. I left it powered on and about an hour later I returned to take a look and the screen had gone all glitchy. Tried to reconnect the screen but nothing changed. No big deal, I shut it down and just booted it back up again with another screen. Now I'm getting this during boot: http://i.imgur.com/9UmWZFN.jpg

Do any of you have an idea of why this is or if it's serious in any why for the overall stability of the system?

This issue is probably caused by a USB drive that's plugged into the system. Is there anything other than your boot drive plugged into the USB ports? What port is your boot drive plugged in to?

[Shaqalac]

This issue is probably caused by a USB drive that's plugged into the system. Is there anything other than your boot drive plugged into the USB ports? What port is your boot drive plugged in to?

So it looks like from the text displayed.

I have a monitor, SteelSeries 6gv2, an old PS/2 mouse and the USB boot drive connected of course.

[MG2R]

<nothing out of the ordinary>

Do you know if your motherboard uses some external controller to gain more USB ports? Would it be possible to attempt to locate USB ports that come directly from the Intel chipset, so you can avoid weird issues?

 

I'll try installing and running Debian 7.4 off of a flash drive on my own server later today, maybe I run into some issues that could resolve your problems as well. Hang on.

 

EDIT:

@Shaqalac I've installed Debian netinst 64-bit 7.4 from one USB drive to another without any hitches whatsoever. The system is up and running as we speak. Is there something you want me to test before I put the server back in its usual config and corner?

[Shaqalac]

Do you know if your motherboard uses some external controller to gain more USB ports? Would it be possible to attempt to locate USB ports that come directly from the Intel chipset, so you can avoid weird issues?

 

I'll try installing and running Debian 7.4 off of a flash drive on my own server later today, maybe I run into some issues that could resolve your problems as well. Hang on.

 

EDIT:

@Shaqalac I've installed Debian netinst 64-bit 7.4 from one USB drive to another without any hitches whatsoever. The system is up and running as we speak. Is there something you want me to test before I put the server back in its usual config and corner?

To be honest I wouldn't know what it should be. As I mentioned I have been able to boot the system without any problems, so this problem I've encountered isn't consistent.

[MG2R]

this problem I've encountered isn't consistent.

Have you tried different ports?

 

EDIT: I'm power cycling my setup as we speak, trying to recreate your issue.

EDIT2: @Shaqalac I have tried my best, using different USB ports, killing power while writing to the USB drive, hot and cold reboot, ... I can't seem to recreate the issue. I'm afraid that, apart from what I've already said, Google and reinstalling, there isn't much I can offer from here on. Could always be a hardware issue, though (a bad contact on your USB port or sth like that)