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help me find a fitting os

Hi there,

I need some help finding a simple, free os for a second, low spec pc consisting mostly of old server parts, with only a few things it needs to be able to do:

I need to be able to see it from my main pc, running win10, and to read/write data onto the second pc. I dont need a nas or anything like that, because my main pc is connected over wlan, my wlan sucks, my second pc would need to be in the room with the router, making it not as easily accessable as it could be and nobody else besides me in my house needs nas storage space at all. So i just put my second pc under my desk connecting both pc´s with a ethernet/lan cable. The os for the second pc doesnt need to have a gui, but it would be nice, as long as the os still fullfils my requirements of being able to move data between both pc´s and with that two different operating systems via ethernet cable. Im not excatly up to date to what free os can do what, i dont use more then ubuntu and raspberry pis debian based os on a daily basis, so any help is appreciated.

thänx a lot

am hungry

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Just now, TheV_Machine said:

Hi there,

I need some help finding a simple, free os for a second, low spec pc consisting mostly of old server parts, with only a few things it needs to be able to do:

I need to be able to see it from my main pc, running win10, and to read/write data onto the second pc. I dont need a nas or anything like that, because my main pc is connected over wlan, my wlan sucks, my second pc would need to be in the room with the router, making it not as easily accessable as it could be and nobody else besides me in my house needs nas storage space at all. So i just put my second pc under my desk connecting both pc´s with a ethernet/lan cable. The os for the second pc doesnt need to have a gui, but it would be nice, as long as the os still fullfils my requirements of being able to move data between both pc´s and with that two different operating systems via ethernet cable. Im not excatly up to date to what free os can do what, i dont use more then ubuntu and raspberry pis debian based os on a daily basis, so any help is appreciated.

thänx a lot

How comfortable are you with Linux?

On a scale from low comfort to very high comfort:
LUbuntu (as it is quite low on resource demands)
Ubuntu Server (Touch heavier, but no gui to suck up resources)
Debian (Light and no standard gui afaik)
 

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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Xubuntu?

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1 minute ago, MrKickkiller said:

How comfortable are you with Linux?

On a scale from low comfort to very high comfort:
LUbuntu (as it is quite low on resource demands)
Ubuntu Server (Touch heavier, but no gui to suck up resources)
Debian (Light and no standard gui afaik)
 

i think id have to go with lubuntu or something between lubuntu and ubuntu server for that, but i atleast consider myself a fast learner, so feel free to throw a couple of options at me

am hungry

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1 minute ago, TheV_Machine said:

i think id have to go with lubuntu or something between lubuntu and ubuntu server for that, but i atleast consider myself a fast learner, so feel free to throw a couple of options at me

Tbh, anything is possible with some sort of linux distribution. I currently have my 'work' laptop on an Antergos (basically easy-Arch) install, but that is not really helpfull for systems that are meant to run very stable for long periods of time.

Arch is rolling release instead of the major release schemes from the Ubuntu family.

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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1 minute ago, MrKickkiller said:

Tbh, anything is possible with some sort of linux distribution. I currently have my 'work' laptop on an Antergos (basically easy-Arch) install, but that is not really helpfull for systems that are meant to run very stable for long periods of time.

Arch is rolling release instead of the major release schemes from the Ubuntu family.

but i will be able to move data between both pcs via ethernet with most linux distros ?

am hungry

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1 minute ago, TheV_Machine said:

but i will be able to move data between both pcs via ethernet with most linux distros ?

Serving data to a Windows pc is done via Samba-share, and Samba probably has binaries for every flavour of linux.

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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Just now, MrKickkiller said:

Serving data to a Windows pc is done via Samba-share, and Samba probably has binaries for every flavour of linux.

i thought samba is required to transfer data to a linux machine from a windows machine if both machines are in the same network, but it is also needed while using a ethernet cable between both computers?

am hungry

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If you mind having no UI, I would recommend Arch Linux, you do have to set it up but there are quite a few tutorials to get it installed. Once it's installed and you are booted into it, just log into root and type pacman -Syu sudo samba. Sudo so you can use sudo in other accounts while samba is used to share folders/files to Window clients. Here's some guides if you go down this route: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Samba https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sudo

 

EDIT: Also, a network is a network. Doesn't matter if it's ethernet or wireless, for as long as it's maintained by the same router.

Brah, do you even Java?

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Just now, TheV_Machine said:

i thought samba is required to transfer data to a linux machine from a windows machine if both machines are in the same network, but it is also needed while using a ethernet cable between both computers?

Ah, yea. That should be doable with a manual network config.
Lemme get you a basic guide
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/251057/can-i-contect-a-ubuntu-linux-laptop-to-a-windows-10-laptop-via-ethernet-cable
 

This about explains it. You basically wanna create a host to host network, with no router in between. You simply have to set PC A to an ip within your subnet, and PC B to an ip within your subnet. Perhaps it's a good thing if you learn some networking. It could be really usefull later in life (whenever the "Did you try turning it off and on again" isn't working for Grandma Ester's pc :) ).

 

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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2 minutes ago, Tech N Gamer said:

If you mind having no UI, I would recommend Arch Linux, you do have to set it up but there are quite a few tutorials to get it installed. Once it's installed and you are booted into it, just log into root and type pacman -Syu sudo samba. Sudo so you can use sudo in other accounts while samba is used to share folders/files to Window clients. Here's some guides if you go down this route: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Installation_guide https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Samba https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sudo

 

EDIT: Also, a network is a network. Doesn't matter if it's ethernet or wireless, for as long as it's maintained by the same router.

No need for a router to have a /30 network between 2 pc's. Point to point connections is a thing.

And are you sure the rolling release is that helpfull for a roughly server - client style use case?
Like, I love Arch, but wouldn't trust any server with it. The rolling release of basic Arch can break many things.
Personally for my server I just use Ubuntu server 16.04 or the 16.04 LTS version of normal Ubuntu

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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2 minutes ago, MrKickkiller said:

No need for a router to have a /30 network between 2 pc's. Point to point connections is a thing.

And are you sure the rolling release is that helpfull for a roughly server - client style use case?
Like, I love Arch, but wouldn't trust any server with it. The rolling release of basic Arch can break many things.
Personally for my server I just use Ubuntu server 16.04 or the 16.04 LTS version of normal Ubuntu

If you want to. I use it for my at home only data server. I have a script that runs at root level. It runs pacman -Syu --noconfirm then it restarts the server.

Brah, do you even Java?

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18 minutes ago, MrKickkiller said:

Ah, yea. That should be doable with a manual network config.
Lemme get you a basic guide
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/251057/can-i-contect-a-ubuntu-linux-laptop-to-a-windows-10-laptop-via-ethernet-cable
 

This about explains it. You basically wanna create a host to host network, with no router in between. You simply have to set PC A to an ip within your subnet, and PC B to an ip within your subnet. Perhaps it's a good thing if you learn some networking. It could be really usefull later in life (whenever the "Did you try turning it off and on again" isn't working for Grandma Ester's pc :) ).

 

gonna try it with lubuntu, gonna report back with how it worked out, thanks for the help

am hungry

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3 hours ago, MrKickkiller said:

No need for a router to have a /30 network between 2 pc's. Point to point connections is a thing.

And are you sure the rolling release is that helpfull for a roughly server - client style use case?
Like, I love Arch, but wouldn't trust any server with it. The rolling release of basic Arch can break many things.
Personally for my server I just use Ubuntu server 16.04 or the 16.04 LTS version of normal Ubuntu

another question that came into my mind while setting this all up, will the pcs keep their ip adresses in the subnet after one or both are turned off and back on later / the next day / so on?

am hungry

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8 hours ago, TheV_Machine said:

another question that came into my mind while setting this all up, will the pcs keep their ip adresses in the subnet after one or both are turned off and back on later / the next day / so on?

If you set static ip's in the small subnet that should be just the case.

But explain again how you physically want to setup these pc's?

Is the tiny box gonna be connected to a switch and then back to the W10 machine, the same way W10 gets its internet?

Or are you running a cable between a second ethernet port of W10 to the new machine?

In the first scenario, you simply need to set a static ip in the subnet your router 'controls'. Most likely 192.168.0.0/24 (Look up CIDR notation & subnetting).

In the second scenario, you would need to make a point to point network between both machines. The link above should do that just fine.

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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8 hours ago, MrKickkiller said:

If you set static ip's in the small subnet that should be just the case.

But explain again how you physically want to setup these pc's?

Is the tiny box gonna be connected to a switch and then back to the W10 machine, the same way W10 gets its internet?

Or are you running a cable between a second ethernet port of W10 to the new machine?

In the first scenario, you simply need to set a static ip in the subnet your router 'controls'. Most likely 192.168.0.0/24 (Look up CIDR notation & subnetting).

In the second scenario, you would need to make a point to point network between both machines. The link above should do that just fine.

the win10 machine, which is my main pc, is connected to my router via wlan and by that has an active internet connection. the ethernet port on my win10 main pc isn used. im gonna plug a ethernet crossover cable into the port and connect it to the ethernet port of the second pc. the second, new pc whos gonna be my data storage unit, will not have a internet connection of its own, because that makes the data on it a bit more secure and as the second pc isnt supposed to be my daily driver it doesnt need an internet connection anyway.

i hope that explains it

am hungry

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19 hours ago, TheV_Machine said:

the win10 machine, which is my main pc, is connected to my router via wlan and by that has an active internet connection. the ethernet port on my win10 main pc isn used. im gonna plug a ethernet crossover cable into the port and connect it to the ethernet port of the second pc. the second, new pc whos gonna be my data storage unit, will not have a internet connection of its own, because that makes the data on it a bit more secure and as the second pc isnt supposed to be my daily driver it doesnt need an internet connection anyway.

i hope that explains it

Yeay, you're gonna want a point to point network on that ethernet cable. Pick a subnet adress eg: 192.168.100.0, subnet mask could be as small as a /30 (CIDR notation), and set each machine with an ip: eg: 192.168.100.1 and 192.168.100.2. You should then be able to connect via SMB (if all is set up correctly on the linux box) via the ip adress of the box itself

That time I saved Linus' WiFi pass from appearing on YouTube: 

A sudden Linus re-appears : http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/390793-important-dailymotion-account-still-active/

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 22.3.2018 at 2:56 PM, MrKickkiller said:

Yeay, you're gonna want a point to point network on that ethernet cable. Pick a subnet adress eg: 192.168.100.0, subnet mask could be as small as a /30 (CIDR notation), and set each machine with an ip: eg: 192.168.100.1 and 192.168.100.2. You should then be able to connect via SMB (if all is set up correctly on the linux box) via the ip adress of the box itself

so it took me a few days, now with family things also happening because easter, happy easter btw, i got lubuntu perfectly working on the second pc and followed the guide from the link.But my win10 main pc recognizes the connection as unidentified network, i even set permanent ip´s for the two pcs in the subnet, but under connectivity properties in win10 it shows no ipv4 connection and i cant access the other pc through the network folder. on the other side, the lubuntu pc seems to be able to connect to the network sometimes, but seems to either disconnect from the subnet immediatly afterwards or it doesnt seem to work properly? Do you maybe have some advise?

am hungry

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One thing I would suggest, if you haven't already started your project is something called Neth Server. I have been playing around with it and can be something very powerful. It is a server OS and is based off of CentOS but with just a command line interface on the host computer. I have configured mine through the web based UI from my main PC and have set up user accounts so people in my household have a drive they can put files on to keep them safe. I also have a shared area for all my family so we can share files if needed. It is very powerful and once you get the hang of it (After an hour or two of just messing around) you can make something very secure and free. Any problems and there is a thriving community for it and I can also help if needed.

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If you ask me? FreeBSD. You get ZFS on root on install and everything you need is already in the base system.

"Only proprietary software vendors want proprietary software." - Dexter's Law

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