What's the best way to do this?

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I want to set up my own small network. I am asking for guidance. My internet connection is cable and basically what I want to do is go from my modem to a server PC with Linux. From there come out and go to my router, and from the router to the Windows PC's. Security being the primary reason for doing it this way.

1. I want to have the ability of roaming profiles on my Windows PCs and I would like to have basically the equivalent of a group policy that I could apply to every PC. I am a Windows guy and have only played around with Linux so I don't know how to set this sort of thing up. That is why I ask you guys.

2. Will there be any kind performance decrease going through the Linux Box first?

3. I want to use the Linux machine for a fileserver but I am not sure if that would be wise since it is in front of my router.

Should I do it this way or would I be better off to put everything behind the router and use 2000 or 03 server on the server machine and make it a domain controller?

Thanks for the help

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Come on guys. You can't tell me that none of you guys have ever setup a windows network behind a Linux server. Somebody must know something. A website to possibly find some answers would be nice.

[InTheWayBoy]

clarkconnect.org

That's a really slick little linux distro that is designed to do most of what you want...I don't know about roaming profiles and GPO's...SAMBA might have roaming policy's but I'm pretty sure GPO is a MS thing.

As for your question if it would be better to go linux or windows...to me I would say go with Windows. Since your a Windows guy it's easier to figure out Windows 2003 since at least the basic functions are the same...with Linux everything is different. Not hard to pick up, but it's more 'overhead' in the process.

That said, I've been attempting to do the same thing with Server 2003 for the past month. I've got it pretty much like you...my cable modem runs to the server on one NIC, then out to a switch on another NIC. It's setup as a Domain Controller, with DNS, DHCP, and IIS for WWW and FTP. I have only three users, but all have Folder Redirection enabled (Which can be better than roaming profiles in most cases) plus various GPO's that dictate certain settings and software to be applied at boot. I also have my big HD on it that is shared out and mapped to all client via a logon script.

I tell you this, it's been a bunch of reloads...mostly because there isn't much clear info on doing what we want it to do. Most is directed much higher at corporate levels, or very specific in one problem and not the whole thing.

Of course, the other issue is cost...linux is free most of the time, and when it's not it's usually cheaper than the $650 cost of Server 2003 Standard. You can get Server 2003 Web for $350, but I don't know if you can do a Domain Controller with that version.

[bober]

yep. www.clarkconnect.org. i have been using one for 3+ years. great little server/firewall/router/apache server/ident server/.etc.

[Pisnaz]

G-day,

Wow I totally missed this until I started googling but it can be done. This is exactally how I have my home system running. I use Sol (server optimized linux) it's pretty easy to use (xml config files:) and the latest ver has webmin already.

To run to roaming profiles just do it through samba they have a wicked howto online and I have seen a few others out there also. google roaming pprofiles with samba. or look at samba.org.

BTW win 2k03 is evil I personally feel. It has attempted to bring the server config/admin world to the mass market as opposed to the niche it was in before. I can get a sol system after installation up and doing basic server functions in about 20 min, without rebooting lol. I have found a tiny issue with samab on my system but am pretty sure it lies in config and lack of time.

FYI I run 1 *nix server. *nix media server, 3 XP Machines and have random machines come through for repair. I use samba shares, and an ftp server (for thoose big file transfers). My server also runs apache, a TS server, UT server and whatever else I feel like throwing at it.

Sorry I am late, hope it helps.

Pisnaz