Megahurts
10-28-2005, 07:24 AM
Hi all,
Last weekend I spent quite some time migrating one of the PCs I use at home as a file server from W2K Server to Debian, and as a comparative newbie I thought I'd share the experience......
Sunday 1pm
Youngest child reports that "The big computer in the back room keeps beeping and rebooting" - the "Big PC" being my W2K file server with 3 years worth of data, music, photos, and misc software! On taking a look I discover that said PC is so infected with Virri and malware that it could probably pass the Turing Test, or at least get a job in the local fast food joint.
On questioning said youngest child he reports that "I've bin usin' that PC when you are at work to surf the net 'cus my PC is broke init?" Short but pointed argument follows between youngest, partner and myself as to who's fault it is that youngest PC is also now a zombie-bot from Hell. Lock self in back room and attempt to fix server.
Sunday 3pm
After several reboot-disinfect-RPC Called reboots, half a pack of cigs and several pints of coffee I decide enough is enough and that the current OS has to go.
Coffee and nicotine inspired idea of migrating to Linux and Samba. Brief search of desk draws supplies one ubuntu CD and one Debian DVD. Pop discs from server and copy 100gb data over to my PC.
Sunday 5pm
re-install discs and boot Ubuntu CD on server, Decide to be "clever" and use LVM to span the 3 IDE and 2 SCSI discs in one volume. Take best guess at pre-install disk partitioning wizard. Install Ubuntu base.
Sunday 6pm
First reboot, fsck falls over when trying to mount LVM volume, caused by bad partitioning of /dev/hdb. Figure I can fix it later and Control-D to continue with install.
Sunday 7pm
Rug-rats complaining that I've not cooked tea yet, Install finished but still erroring on /dev/hdb. Cook tea whilst trying to read LVM HowTo on my laptop. Eat tea whilst reading HowTo and re-partition disks.
Sunday 9pm
Still partioning disks, LVM volume is corrupted everytime server is rebooted. Decide to leave that problem for tomorrow and work on installing Samba and VNC. Install VNC, Install VNC4, Install TightVNC. Read VNC docs about using display:0. Uninstall VNC, VNC4, TightVNC. Re-install VNC4. Still cant VNC to display:0. Check for vnc.so, check xorg.conf, re-check xorg.conf. Smoke 2nd half of pack of cigs. Read more docs on VNC. Decide to leave VNC issue till tomorrow, open new pack of smokes, increase caffine intake.
Sunday 11pm
Install Samba, use Fast Start samba docs to configure server and member server of my domain. wbinfo -u fails, wbinfo -g fails wbinfo -t works. Can't browse smb shares from my XP laptop. Re-read smb docs, repeat configuration process. re-re-read docs. Have "dis-agreement" with partner about time spent in backroom vs time spent making partner coffees/talking to partner etc. Bang head repeatedly against desk. Headbanging has no effect, smb still not working.
Monday 1am
At wits end, decide sleep might help.
Monday 10am
Lock self in backroom and re-install unbuntu with no LVM.
Monday 12pm
Ubuntu re-installed and Samba/VNC packages reinstalled, perform full apt upgrade. set up LVM volume again. volume still corrupt after reboot. Removed SCSI drives from volume, Volume now good after a reboot.
Monday 3pm
Still cant browse smb shares, still cant VNC onto server. repeated desk-head interface issues has left dent in head and desk.
Monday 3:30pm
Spend 30 minutes trying to figure out why a CDROM drive will not boot a DVD. pull DVD drive from PC and install in server. Start Debian install.
Monday 4:30pm
Debian installed, Install Samba, VNC and Firefox. Use same smb.conf and documnentation as from Unbuntu install, smb now working. use same settings for VNC and VNC now working...... Weep into empty coffee cup.
Monday 5:00
Start the copy of 100gb data back over the network. Watch lights flash on switch. Decide that Ubuntu on desktop = good, Ubuntu as server = bad.
Lessons Learned:
I know more about smb, vnc and LVM than I did this time last week.
Its not always a good idea to try and be clever.....
There seems to be issues getting smb and VNC to work under ubuntu, and the synaptics package manager didnt seem to want to include the dependencies when selecting packages. I dont have a clue what was going on with smb, but the VNC issues appears to be related to moving from XFree to Xorg.
LVM doesnt seem to like building volumes when combining IDE and SCSI devices. To be fair I didnt check the docs/HowTos so this may be a known problem, or it may be down to a fault SCSI drive....
I've learned a lot more in the past few days that I would never have done just using Ubuntu on my laptop and having the odd fiddle with different apps.
Never *ever* let your kids near your servers.......
Regards
Last weekend I spent quite some time migrating one of the PCs I use at home as a file server from W2K Server to Debian, and as a comparative newbie I thought I'd share the experience......
Sunday 1pm
Youngest child reports that "The big computer in the back room keeps beeping and rebooting" - the "Big PC" being my W2K file server with 3 years worth of data, music, photos, and misc software! On taking a look I discover that said PC is so infected with Virri and malware that it could probably pass the Turing Test, or at least get a job in the local fast food joint.
On questioning said youngest child he reports that "I've bin usin' that PC when you are at work to surf the net 'cus my PC is broke init?" Short but pointed argument follows between youngest, partner and myself as to who's fault it is that youngest PC is also now a zombie-bot from Hell. Lock self in back room and attempt to fix server.
Sunday 3pm
After several reboot-disinfect-RPC Called reboots, half a pack of cigs and several pints of coffee I decide enough is enough and that the current OS has to go.
Coffee and nicotine inspired idea of migrating to Linux and Samba. Brief search of desk draws supplies one ubuntu CD and one Debian DVD. Pop discs from server and copy 100gb data over to my PC.
Sunday 5pm
re-install discs and boot Ubuntu CD on server, Decide to be "clever" and use LVM to span the 3 IDE and 2 SCSI discs in one volume. Take best guess at pre-install disk partitioning wizard. Install Ubuntu base.
Sunday 6pm
First reboot, fsck falls over when trying to mount LVM volume, caused by bad partitioning of /dev/hdb. Figure I can fix it later and Control-D to continue with install.
Sunday 7pm
Rug-rats complaining that I've not cooked tea yet, Install finished but still erroring on /dev/hdb. Cook tea whilst trying to read LVM HowTo on my laptop. Eat tea whilst reading HowTo and re-partition disks.
Sunday 9pm
Still partioning disks, LVM volume is corrupted everytime server is rebooted. Decide to leave that problem for tomorrow and work on installing Samba and VNC. Install VNC, Install VNC4, Install TightVNC. Read VNC docs about using display:0. Uninstall VNC, VNC4, TightVNC. Re-install VNC4. Still cant VNC to display:0. Check for vnc.so, check xorg.conf, re-check xorg.conf. Smoke 2nd half of pack of cigs. Read more docs on VNC. Decide to leave VNC issue till tomorrow, open new pack of smokes, increase caffine intake.
Sunday 11pm
Install Samba, use Fast Start samba docs to configure server and member server of my domain. wbinfo -u fails, wbinfo -g fails wbinfo -t works. Can't browse smb shares from my XP laptop. Re-read smb docs, repeat configuration process. re-re-read docs. Have "dis-agreement" with partner about time spent in backroom vs time spent making partner coffees/talking to partner etc. Bang head repeatedly against desk. Headbanging has no effect, smb still not working.
Monday 1am
At wits end, decide sleep might help.
Monday 10am
Lock self in backroom and re-install unbuntu with no LVM.
Monday 12pm
Ubuntu re-installed and Samba/VNC packages reinstalled, perform full apt upgrade. set up LVM volume again. volume still corrupt after reboot. Removed SCSI drives from volume, Volume now good after a reboot.
Monday 3pm
Still cant browse smb shares, still cant VNC onto server. repeated desk-head interface issues has left dent in head and desk.
Monday 3:30pm
Spend 30 minutes trying to figure out why a CDROM drive will not boot a DVD. pull DVD drive from PC and install in server. Start Debian install.
Monday 4:30pm
Debian installed, Install Samba, VNC and Firefox. Use same smb.conf and documnentation as from Unbuntu install, smb now working. use same settings for VNC and VNC now working...... Weep into empty coffee cup.
Monday 5:00
Start the copy of 100gb data back over the network. Watch lights flash on switch. Decide that Ubuntu on desktop = good, Ubuntu as server = bad.
Lessons Learned:
I know more about smb, vnc and LVM than I did this time last week.
Its not always a good idea to try and be clever.....
There seems to be issues getting smb and VNC to work under ubuntu, and the synaptics package manager didnt seem to want to include the dependencies when selecting packages. I dont have a clue what was going on with smb, but the VNC issues appears to be related to moving from XFree to Xorg.
LVM doesnt seem to like building volumes when combining IDE and SCSI devices. To be fair I didnt check the docs/HowTos so this may be a known problem, or it may be down to a fault SCSI drive....
I've learned a lot more in the past few days that I would never have done just using Ubuntu on my laptop and having the odd fiddle with different apps.
Never *ever* let your kids near your servers.......
Regards