[plug] Console only linux box suggestion

[Matt Kemner]

On Thu, 4 Jan 2001, James Tan wrote:

> I think I'm gonna stick with console mode only use.  I'd hope to use it as a
> IRC/ftp/icq/gateway/ftp server box but since I'm still doing some reading
> [since I'm still new at this] I'm wondering whether I'm on the right path...

Sounds to me like you are on the right track
 
> ftp = ncftp ? [i need upload and download resume and filename completion
> ability]

yup

> ftp server = anonymous ftp ? [for my other windoze boxes to access or should
> i install samba?]

You don't need anon ftp unless you are providing access to the world at
large.  Any ftp daemon should do the trick, just tell your windoze boxen
to log in under your normal account name.

SAMBA is nice if you want to share HDD space between the 2 systems, though
I presume in this case you haven't got a lot of HDD to share :)

You could use smbmount to mount one of your windows drives under linux
though, so you have a little more space to play with.

> email = pine

yup

> icq = ?

There are a handful of console-mode icq programs available
zicq is one which is based around an irc client, so if you are comfortable
with irc syntax you'll probably have no problems with it.

> gateway = ?

good old "pppd" (which all the GUI tools use anyway, they just provide a
pretty front end for it) and ip masquerade

"wvdial" is a real easy to use console-based pppd dialer.  Give it a phone
number, username and password and it works out the rest.

IP masquerade is as easy as
# ipchains -A forward -i ppp0 -j MASQ
and
# echo 1 > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward

stick those 2 lines in a boot script somewhere and you'll be masquerading
away.
 
> I hope to use RH6.0 for this. hehe ...

Any distro should do the job adequately, it just comes down to personal
preference.

 - Matt