Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 18:21:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Matthew Dillon <dillon@apollo.backplane.com> To: John Chang <johnec@umich.edu> Cc: current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Barebone system rackmount Message-ID: <200208240121.g7O1LBdr008187@apollo.backplane.com> References: <20020823225907.970A32A7D6@canning.wemm.org> <4.3.2.7.2.20020823203246.02406df0@j.imap.itd.umich.edu>
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:Do you know where I could get a good server rackmount barebones system or a
:rackmount server with FreeBSD installed?
:
:I am looking to use it for a Web server using Apache. And would you know
:where I can buy Apache that is more secure out of the box?
:
:I basically have very little experience with FreeBSD and Apache but since
:it is one of the most secure OSs I thought I would use it. The alternative
:is using Win2k Adv. Server and IIS or Apache.
:
:Do you think it is possible to be able to manage a webserver with very
:little experience with FreeBSD and Apache?
:
:Anyone in Ann Arbor/Detroit Michigan with experience who can help me set it up?
:
:Thank you.
Well, FreeBSD is like other open source OSs (for example, Linux) in that
it will run on just about any PC. I can't help you in regards to
finding a rackmount system but I can give you some hints in regards to
FreeBSD and Apache. It's hard to find a good starting point because
I don't know what experience you *do* have... for example, have you
played with Linux at all? Have you ever installed Windows on a machine?
Generally speaking a person exposed to an open-source system for the
first time, such as FreeBSD (or Linux, or NetBSD, or OpenBSD, or
whatever) has a small hurdle to leap over which is the fact that
the installation sequence presumes a certain degree of knowledge about
UNIX. For example even the best GUI installer gives you the chance
to 'partition the hard drive'. But if you don't know what that means
you can wind up stuck and confused even if the installer gives you a
default way of doing things. Only so much can be hidden by a GUI
installer and the more software you install and manage, the more you
are exposed to the innards of the operating system.
What I recommend more then anything else is:
(1) Get or burn the CDs and just start playing with FreeBSD on a
box you can afford to blow away (the disk) on.
(2) Locate a friend or associate who already has some experience
with open-source operating systems and ask him to help you get
things going. Having someone show you the ropes in-person is a
thousand times more effective then over a mailing list.
With that all said you basically install FreeBSD from the CDRom set.
http://www.freebsd.org is a good starting point. You don't have to
purcahse the CDs, you can locate the ISO images, download, and burn
the CDs yourself. Then install and you are on your way! Once you
have the system operational you can install various ports and packages
using the FreeBSD ports system. It's not really possible to go into
full detail because that would take days to explain.
For someone just starting out, be sure to install a -stable release of
FreeBSD. Do not try to install the -current development version.
-Matt
Matthew Dillon
<dillon@backplane.com>
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