Get a pad of paper, and outline specifically what you want to do.
1) Make a hardware list: Routers, NICs, Cables, Printers, etc.
2) How are you connected to the internet?
3) Be specific as to the services you want, and the layout you want.
3a) Identify clearly which services are internal (inside your home network) and external (visible from the web).
3b) Reduce your scope. Only work on one thing at a time.
[YOU were the one who said the words all "of the web technologies" weren't you???????] {As opposed to file-serving and interactive databases using php.}
I can't really go farther without a hardware list and layout.
Do you have a physical router -or- are you going to set-up linux as your router and run stuff through multiple NICs -or-an ethernet switch (referred to as an ethernet HUB by those wonderful marketeers)?????
Let's play with one O.S. at a time shall we? Netware is an O.S. tailored for routers. Linux can be used to set up routing rather painlessly as well.
Are you familiar with the terms: default_gateway, DMZ, NETFILTER/IPTABLES, Multi-homing, Domains, and private network? You will need to be.
Are you going to serve the web-pages to your private net-work -or- to the web through your ISP?
If it is going to be served on the web you must have a static IP Address--which generally costs more -or- pay a site to provide IP Address translation (Which I heard of recently. Kind of cool, but I don't know anything about that.)
All of this stuff is necessary to plan out before you start.
The way you go about things is one task at a time. First you do your private network--get that running well.
Then, you need to contact your ISP --if you are going to serve web pages directly to the web, be prepared to pay for the service. They will get you if you don't. Read Mr. Contract.
How will anyone reach you? Well you need to have a FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) registered somewhere. The DNS out on the web have to know who you are to translate name->numerical address. Your ISP may sell the service to you. First, you need a name not in use anywhere, then you have to register/own it. Prices vary a whole lot--be an informed consumer. The web is definitely a "Caveat Emptor" kind of place.
If you are going to serve pages to your private network, you next need to set-up a DNS service for your network (bind). You need translation from a Fully Qualified Domain Name (ie.
http:// www.mywebsite.org) to a numerical address (ie. 192.168.101.125) so you don't dump out to the www through your default_gateway.
You can cheat on this by putting name to number entries in the "Hosts" files in all of the machines in the network--at least to get it working while you set-up DNS (Domain Name Service.)
After you set-up the network with NETFILTER (and get it all working)
http://library.n0i.net/linux-unix/ad...liable-guides/
DNS (
http://www.linux.org/docs/ldp/howto/DNS-HOWTO.html); It is a very good practice to set-up another domain for your expected web-server.
Either a physical or virtual (using multi-homing) DMZ--which will allow someone to establish a connection which is not part of the private network (which resides behind NETFILTER, which is a fire-wall.).
Never have web-serving on the same domain, you defeat the purpose of the fire-wall program.
After all of this, then you are ready to get the web-serving program, there are several to choose from. The two most spoken about are apache and thttpd (the one named after the noise that Bill the cat made).
http://linux.about.com/cs/softwebserver/
If you weren't talking about setting up a Web-Server. Well, there
it is.
It is easiest with a router. Simple and straight forward, I'm blew the extra $50 (compared to the cost of a switch) and bought one.
I proved I could do it with a ethernet switch first, but for the money I got NAT, a print-server, fail-over to modem--and/or fax service if I learn how--, DHCP, a DMZ (for web serving if I choose to), specified ports and services, and other toys I haven't learned to use yet. I don't regret the money spent on it. (SMC Barricade)
An Ethernet switch (which marketeers are calling a HUB) costs about the same as three NICs (Network Interface Cards).
The cable modem is going to have a specific IP Address 192.168.X-XXX.X-XXX. It is going to be your default gateway for your linux box. The third level domain ( the third set of numbers) is going to be different for your private network. If you have the Desktop running, you will have gui based tools for making the adjustments.
There should be a window for setting up multi-homing for your network card. This will create second and third virtual network cards with different MAC addresses. [It is safest to use the tools. There are many ways to mess everything up.]
One of these will be the host/default_gateway for your private network. It is generally assigned the number one on your private network. (192.168.123.1)
If you look at the /etc/Hosts files you will see an entry for localhost local_domain which ends in the number one. Most scripts will look for the host at the first IP address. You don't want to change that entry--I was using that as an example.
The second virtual NIC will be your machines' address for communication and services on that network.
You may want to set up a third virtual NIC for the print server just to make it easier to keep everything straight. Unless you want to make one of the windows boxes the host for the printer.
What you will be doing is setting up another domain for all of your computers on your home network and setting up the host for that domain. The host does the NAT (Network Address Translation) for the domain and is the default_gateway for the computers which reside there. This is exactly what a router does.
Red Hat has a lot of stuff running by default. Slackware may not. There should be a sysV style services editor accessable from your desktop (KDE or Gnome) on KDE it is the start button->system settings-> Server settings-> services.
If you can ping between the windows boxes and the subnet appears to be functional as far as the individual addresses then it is time to look at the servers/daemons on the linux box. xinetd is a 'super-server' for network services--it has to be running as it is the host for the rest. Since you are using static addresses I don't think you need snmpd (Simple Network Management Protocol daemon) for file/printer sharing you do need smb (SAMBA). Since I don't have a copy of Slackware I don't really know what is defaulted to run.
On a small home network, generally setting up DHCP is more trouble than it is worth. You just have to make entries in all of the Hosts files in all of the computers to set up static IP Addresses.
In windows, there is generally a Hosts.SAM file. Just make a copy of that and edit it to reflect the members of the network (subnet). Then rename it to Hosts (no extension). AFTER doing that go to tcp/ip properties and set up the static address (turn off DHCP) and make an entry in the Default Gateway tabbed window (the default gateway is the ipaddress you set-up as host for the network when you multi-homed the NIC in linux). Making a default gateway will generally place another entry in the Hosts file, that is why you want to set it up first.
[Wait a minute, I think when you set up the static IP address and the default gateway--windows makes the Hosts file for you. THEN add the other IP addresses.] After setting up the multi-homing on the linux and the network host and the services/communication address and making sure the specific services are running. You need to stop and restart networking or reboot. Then, you should be able to ping the service address and ping the web through the gateway. At this point, add the addresses into the hosts files(s) and then ping them. I can't remember whether you have to reboot the windows boxes after each entry or not. I had to dink around a bit.]
If you set up a firewall on the "real" NIC (NETFILTER) the IP address (which resides on the same subnet as the cable modem) will be unreachable--as it will refuse any connection save that of the modem and those connections will be run through the rule chains which you will set up. After you know they work; they go in a file, which is read by a boot-up script. (Or, you write the stuff in the file and keep a known-good copy of the file to use if you break it.)
At this point, the network should be pinging and "up".
Then, after that all works, you can set up the database and/or the file services which you would like to have. Most distros have tools for this. Databases are over my head. And setting up an Intranet webserver is as well.
I had to set up a real web server for my admin III class (in RH), I think if you want to practice/play around with web serving on a subnet you still need DNS to prevent being dumped out onto the net. You might get away with another entry in the hosts file(s) and another multi-home virtual NIC as the host for it or share the address with the communication/services address on the linux box. Don't forget the entries in nsswitch make sure it checks files first.
