If I wanted to created a server with slackware were would I start? What options do I have running slackware with intent on making one of my machines used for a server.

What kind of server? Web, FTP, SMTP/POP3/IMAP, DNS, File (Samba/NFS), git/Subversion/CVS, Teamspeak? There's an abundance of possibilities.

Slackware works very well as a server. Just install it without the KDE stuff, and you should be good to go.

If you want any help beyond that, you should probably expand a bit on your question.

/Thomas

so by also having the kde I can not run an effective server ?

No. What he's saying is that for a server you don't need a desktop environment and KDE will just use resources unnecessarily. The best way to administer the server is from a desktop client remotely.

I am still very new to Slackware / the Linux world but is this software free ? Were can I locate it and if its was running on a high end system will the recourse usage be so significant that I could not also use the KDE? What are the benefits of not using the KDE versus using it.

Installing X just adds possible security flaws that can be exploited. If I were to run a server, I would not install anything in the x/ or xap/ series (or the kde/ or kdei/ series) when installing Slackware. It is safer to not have X installed (and since X takes up a fair amount of room, it will save resources as well). What XavierP is saying is that you should be able to administer the server remotely using another PC (that can have X safely installed since it's not acting as a server), providing the best of both worlds.

That was alot more clearer but now I have another question is there a utility so to speak that will enable me to do this ? Like how windows has remote desktop? Is there something that comes built in one of the packages or something?

Just about all distros have a remote desktop app in the desktop manager. Often it is rdesktop - similar to the one you will find in Windows. If there isn't that app, SSH is usually installed by default. Or you could install VNC.

ssh (installed by default) works nicely for me. For database maintenance there are always utilities like phpmyadmin. I'm the kind of person that likes the command-line, so ssh is fine for me. If you want more graphical solutions you'd have to wait for someone else (there is always a VNC client, but since X isn't installed it wouldn't work so well -- unless you installed X anyway, of course).

Okay so you want some of the neat GUI tools that comes with KDE or the other popular desktops. Here's what you do, install KDE, install Xorg and everything but when you want to launch one of those X applications, just make sure to ssh with X forwarding on your Linux desktop machine to your remote server and run the application that way. It'll eliminate you from having to run X on the server to take away resources that can be allocated to the things be "served" since that's what you want, a server.

Hi,
You could look at 'Linux Home Networking' to get some idea as to what you should be doing.

This link and others are available from 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

Personally, I think that if a piece of server software requires a GUI, the developers should have been smart enough to make a local GUI that contacts the server securely to administer it. Otherwise, it should be command-line all the way.

Think about the MySQL Query Browser and Database Adminstrator - that's all local GUI that connects to the server; or phpMyAdmin - a php-based MySQL administration tool, which is graphical via web and connects to the server (while not being a part of the server software itself).

Otherwise, use a secure transport (sftp/scp) to move your configuration files around (and again, edit with your local GUI), or just edit them in-place via SSH terminal and some classy command-line text editor (vim for me, maybe emacs/nano/pico for you; they all have syntax hilighting of some sort, and often recognize configuration filetypes better than other more common editors)

To make Slackware a server, just build the server software you wish to run from source on your machine, with your options, and fire them up! Make sure you build some security into the system - running X is not a good idea as that implies using a server as a "workstation" - I have it installed for administrative purposes (I have physical access to my server) but SW boots into runlevel 3, which is multi-user, no GUI so X is never running unless I login and startx. Another security point is your user accounts and network connectivity to them; another is file permissions; another is a firewall - just configure whatever server software you run to the death - read about its known vulnerabilities and take the safest workaround you can achieve.

Plenty of SW servers are out there - hope you can get it to run what you need!

Well here is another factor in this equation the server is not solely just going to be used by me infact it is more going to be used by my cousin and her friend. Here are the problems we are looking into more "inexpensive" ways to have a flexible yet good server. My sister and friend did not even hear about Linux until I told them about it a few days ago. They thought my KDE was windows. Although my knowledge is "extremely" limited I have you guys support so I feel that potentially I can pick up on stuff because i'll just keep posting. But how I am going to explain it to them ? When I am still even trying to get drivers to my Slackware system up and running.

Just be patient with yourself and them - remember some of the key sites for information, including the vendor itself (slackware's slackbook is a bit outdated but still good for foundational principles of the linux os; apache, php, mysql, whatever server software you're running), and community sites like lq and the Linux Documentation Project (http://www.tldp.org/). Finally, remember that Google and Wikipedia are your friends

When I'm explaining something, I often have to use an analogy, or re-state the concept in another manner, or with a different approach. Also, people may not need another understanding, but more time to think about it - again, patience.

Good luck!

Hi,

I would also point you too 'Slackware® Basics' and 'SlackWiki Project'.

These links and others can be found at 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!