Hello folks and warm greetings from the tropics

I am a volunteer working with some local NGOs helping them bridging the digital divide.
I am currently setting up a network for one of them, well that is done now. They have 10 computers running windows 98/2000/XP home. I used a switcht to allow them to talk to each other...I look like a magician here.

I am looking for an optimum solution for the network and we just signed up for what is considered here as broadband internet access. How can I leverage on Linux to make the most out of the whole network? Specifiacally I would likje for the organization to have its own mail server...file server and print server...What do I need to do? Where do I start? What can be done? How can it be done...

Please consider this to be a collective project. We are open to all suggestions here. I have a very limited knoweldge of Linux but I am resilient learner

Thanks in adance for you tons of replies


Iwekani Mukoma

That's alot to take on all at once. I would start with the most important project and see it through and move on to next one. The best way to start that, is to choose the appropriate forum here and ask a question like: What are the most secure mail servers? and then research all the options, choose one and see it through. Then move on to the next thing. - Its best also to have decided what Linux you will use and mention that each time you ask a question.

just break everything down into it's constituent parts. you want a mail server... well that will be no problem, install your favourite smtp server on you linux server... congrats you have a mail server....

File and Print on linux with windows, you'll be using Samba.

www.samba.org --> latest version is 3.02, will provide full PDC-capable file and print services for Windows machines. Documentation is available via PDF on that site in the "Official Samba-3 How To and Reference Guide". Another will be available in March by John Terpstra that will give specific examples on how to configure Samba 3 for use as a PDC, etc for file & print services - that one will be called "Samba 3 By Example". Contents of that will will step you through the process.

Obviously, DNS, DHCP, etc are all available on linux. Mail Servers - I'm still up in the air about that one, because to be honest, I hate POP mail. <G>

Thanks to you all! I get the picture, but the challenge is still the same