Setting Up Pentium 2 400MHz Web Server - Help Needed

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on setting up a web server using a Pentium 2 400MHz machine with 160MB of RAM and two 2GB hard drives. Participants recommend installing either Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server for basic setups, but suggest UNIX-like alternatives such as Fedora Core 3 or SuSE for hosting dynamic content. Users emphasize the importance of proper ISO burning techniques and verifying downloads with MD5 checksums to avoid installation errors. The conversation also highlights the need for a larger hard drive and the potential benefits of switching to DSL for better internet connectivity.

PREREQUISITES
  • Basic understanding of server operating systems (Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2003 Server)
  • Familiarity with UNIX-like distributions (Fedora Core 3, SuSE)
  • Knowledge of ISO file handling and CD burning techniques
  • Understanding of MD5 checksums for file verification
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the installation process for Fedora Core 3, focusing on the 'Server' installation schema.
  • Learn about using MD5 checksums to verify downloaded files on both Windows and UNIX-like systems.
  • Explore the differences between Gentoo and Fedora for server setups, particularly in terms of installation complexity and package management.
  • Investigate options for upgrading hardware, specifically larger hard drives suitable for server use.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for hobbyist system administrators, retro computing enthusiasts, and anyone interested in setting up a low-resource web server using older hardware.

Tom McCurdy
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Hello I just acquired a Pentium 2 400 MHZ Kayak with 160 MB of ram with 2- 2-gig hard drives running Windows NT. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what I would need to do to create a web server. If you could provide any help at all it would be great. Thanks,

-Tom
 
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You probably want to install Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2003 Server. Windows NT uses a pretty old version of IIS - nothing that you want to put out onto the Internet. Once you install Windows 2000 || 2003 Server, we can go from there.

If you're wanting to turn this server into a web server that hosts dynamic content (PHP, MySQL, etc.), I'd forget about Windows, and start considering UNIX-like alternatives such as FreeBSD, Solaris, and possibly Linux.
 
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How would I go about creating it into a Unix-like alternative?
 
Would I need to download Suse or something/>?
 
Tom McCurdy said:
Would I need to download Suse or something/>?

SuSE would be a start. You'll need to download something, whether it be FreeBSD, Solaris, or Linux. Since your relatively new to the UNIX scene, I'd recommend you go with SuSE or Fedora. I've recommended Fedora to a user or so around here, and they seem to be satisfied with it.

If you do plan on going with Fedora it's 4 CDs, I believe, and you'll be wanting Core 3. The distribution, itself, and plenty of documentation for once you get it installed can be found at:

http://fedora.redhat.com/

When installing, I recommend you choose the 'Server' installation schema. This should install PHP, Apache, MySQL, and plenty of other stuff you might need later on.
 
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http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/fedora/linux/core/3/i386/iso/
which ones do I want?
 
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You'll want:

[ ] FC3-i386-disc1.iso 03-Nov-2004 17:05 617M
[ ] FC3-i386-disc2.iso 03-Nov-2004 17:07 638M
[ ] FC3-i386-disc3.iso 03-Nov-2004 17:08 637M
[ ] FC3-i386-disc4.iso 03-Nov-2004 17:10 386M

If the download is too slow try this site:

http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=64
 
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Alright... hmm I just realized I am going to have to get a bigger harddrive... the 2-2gb harddrives won't cut it. Also I am considering trading in my 3 megabit cable internet for 5 mb up/down DSL... which I found out about today... what do you think?
 
  • #10
Is it easier to set up a server using fedora

Basically what would be the advantages to using gentoo?
 
  • #11
It is a much smaller install and you get to learn about the inner workings of linux.

But yeah, go ahead with fedora. It will be much easier and quickier to get up and running. I was just suggested gentoo because you said you didn't have much room
 
  • #12
Hmm maybe I will try gentoo on some of the other computers I recently acquired.
 
  • #13
I installed Gentoo last week. Took roughly two times before I was able to do an install without looking at the documentation. I was quite disappointed in Gentoo given all the hype that surrounds it. It's certainly not ready for a production environment, but that really isn't the focus in this thread. Yes, you can minimize the packages on your system, but I consider the pain of the install, itself, not worth it.

If you want to have a minimal distribution, and you're willing to spend 4 hours - 1 day+ (depends on your hardware) installing it, go for it; it'd be worth your time in that case. It's a decent distribution to experiment with, however, it'd take you quite awhile to setup a server with all the packages you'll need. A Fedora "server" schema install would not install too many more packages (and you should also have some space left to boast) than all the dependencies Gentoo will build to install Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Sure, you'll have plenty of other stuff installed, but you never know when you might need it, nor will you have to wait to build the packages.
 
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  • #14
Alright well I am taking parts from my old 2200 to create the server
...
I would do it the other way around but I don't have a video card for it since I went dual montior on my 2600
 
  • #15
HAAHAHAHAHA
I am so stupid
I took out the hard drive from my 2200 which has no video card so I could run it on the 400 mhz computer as a server with fedora, but then I realized I should just take the Matriox AGP video card from my old server and pop it into my 2200 and use it as the server...
 
  • #16
Hey umm what do i do with these iso's i downloaded...

I have burned about `10 cds and none work. I was wondering if someone could tell me what exactly I should do.
 
  • #17
What's happening (or not happening)?
 
  • #18
Switch to Apache :D
 
  • #19
Tom McCurdy said:
Hey umm what do i do with these iso's i downloaded...

I have burned about `10 cds and none work. I was wondering if someone could tell me what exactly I should do.

how are you burning them ?

In nero, err.. Burn -> Burn CD image i think.
 
  • #20
Tom, can you be more specific about what doesn't work? Can that machine boot from other cds, but not from those cds? Are the cds unreadable? Does it boot but not install? Or is there some other problem?
 
  • #21
Well at first I sucessfully burned the cd's or so I thought using nero. Open iso--- burn. But then when I was in the middle of installing fedora is said an error citing as lack of hard drive space as possible source, however I have a 40 gig harddrive so that couldn't be it. I went back to test that disc and it said it had an error on it (I had skipped the check the first time) So then I went back to nero and I tried about 4 more times to burn the cd at lower speeds but every time it failed. Then (this part is funnny) I used win iso to extract it then burned it with the standatd windows burning software... which it had to recreate an iso... which took forever and that didn't work. So basically I can't create successful copies of the 4 discs needed I believe...
 
  • #22
Regarding "lack of hard drive space as possible source", this is possible regardless of the size of your disk, depending on how you partitioned it. Do you remember any other details of the error message?

Regarding the isos: did you use md5sum to verify that there were no errors in the download?
 
  • #23
Tom, did you check the MD5 checksum before burrning?
 
  • #24
gnome said:
Regarding "lack of hard drive space as possible source", this is possible regardless of the size of your disk, depending on how you partitioned it. Do you remember any other details of the error message?

Regarding the isos: did you use md5sum to verify that there were no errors in the download?

Dont' remember the specifics of the error.
We didn't partition it we were just only going to have fedora on it.

I have never used md5sum before
 
  • #25
dduardo said:
Tom, did you check the MD5 checksum before burrning?

I don't even know what a MD5 checksum is
 
  • #26
If you look here:

http://www.linuxiso.org/distro.php?distro=64

you'll see a column that says MD5SUM. If you click on the link it will take you to a page with two pieces of information. The first part is the md5 hash. The second part tells you which file the hash is associated with.

The purpose of this information is to help you verify the contents of the file you downloaded. By running your downloaded version of the file through a md5 checksum you'll be able to see if the generated string matches the one generated on the server.

In Unix you can just type md5sum <filename> in the command line and it will echo the string. In windows you need to download something like this:

http://www.etree.org/md5com.html

You'll need to checksum all the files you downloaded.

If you use k3b on linux it is nice enough to generate the md5 sum for you before you burn anything.
 
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  • #27
That program you have me is not for Windows XP... do you have something that can do it with XP
 
  • #28
Come on, let's be a little creative. Did you try runing the program under cmd? How about changing the compatability mode? You could even...GASP!...do a google search for md5 and windows xp?

I know this program runs under windows xp and you'll need to get confortable with the command line if your going to use linux.
 
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  • #29
Well I could use some help with command line... I grew up starting with windows 3.1 -- I have been GUI all my life. I tried typing in

C:\Documents and Settings\Tom McCurdy>md5sum - c FC3-i386-disk1.iso

but this didn't do anything
 
  • #30
I also Downloaded Fsum 1.0 from download .com

I still don't understnat What it is exactly I am supose to do
 

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