You should have done that first and foremost - don't let kids develop bad habits which you have to get out of their system afterwards. ;-))

Ahh, c'mon now .... :blushes: thanks!

A few things i thought might be worth explaining:


1) Plan, plan, plan, then plan again.

As with most projects in IT what you want to achieve is not so much a matter of doing but having a clear picture (in mind - better yet on paper) about what to do. Plan thoroughly, only then start to put your plans to work. The upshot of this planning is you automatically start to create a documentation for what you do.

Documentation is also an absolute imperative. When i undertake something complex i am not above taking notes about every command i issued to achieve the desired outcome. Chances are if i have to do the same again i have already forgotten how exactly i did what i did, but i can still rely on my documentation to help my memory. And it is often helpful to have something at hand which you can just mindlessly paste into the commandline because the outcome is tested and guaranteed to work.


2) What is a server?

Most people coming from Windows networks often have a problem with the term "server", because they think it is someting radically different from a "client". It is not. In fact Unix networks are a very democratic (even better: a meritocratic) lot. Every system is just a "system", neither client nor server. But every system can offer some services to others, which make them "servers" in respect of the service they offer: one such system might offer print services (and hence be a "print server") but at the same time rely on file services of another system, making it a client to the "file server", etc..

In practice, services are often concentrated on one or a few systems in a network, so these systems are largely "servers", while most systems offer no services at all, making them "pure clients". But neither does that have to be so nor are clients and server separated in respect of the OS software they run.

This means you don't have to select anything because it is named "server" in its name, like the "media server" by Ubuntu. If you decide to use the "desktop" or any other version you will get the same (Linux-) kernel, the same (GNU-) utilities, the same everything. Maybe you get some programs with the desktop you won't get with the server because usually they are not needed at a server (and vice versa). You can still install all of these packages (or remove what you don't need) through package management and arrive at an absolutely identical system. So take your time, most Linux versions can be installed on a USB stick - boot from it and you get a good impression of how the system would look like. If you like what you see install this, if not try some other - there are plenty to choose from: Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, RedHat, SuSe, ...

As a beginner you might want to stay away from Gentoo or Slackware, because both are tailored for the needs of experts. You wouldn't want to learn how to drive a car using a 600hp monster from Maserati - probably the worn out Toyota Corolla with automatic transmission is a little more forgiving. That isn't to say Gentoo or Slackware are any better or worse - it is still the same software, just differently packaged.


3) My disks, your disks, ....

When you install the new system it is a good idea to strictly set apart the disk(s) for the OS itself and the software on one hand and the data you want to be served on the other hand. This way it is easier to upgrade the system. You can simply pull out the data disks, reconnect them to another system you have configured and on you go. If it doesn't work - replug them to the old server and you are back working again. You don't even have to have a complete PC as replacement server - one (old) disk will suffice. Use it to install a new OS and maybe new software. Once everything is as it should be, copy this to your servers disk or just replace the OS disk in the server. Either way, you don't have to shuffle data around if you want to change your servers configuration hardware- or software-wise.


OK, these were the points i thought might help you getting started. They are somewhat unsorted, though, just off the top of my head. I'd be glad to hear how the project is going on, what you found out, what worked and what didn't.

If you have further questions about specific topics, don't be shy to ask them. It is nice to see something more complex than the usual "how can i ..." being asked here and would definitely be pleased seeing the project progress.

bakunin