Slackware ?s

[Rand Dusing]

I was going to get Suse Linux and a new motherboard for my gaming PC, and I would use my current for my server, but Fry's ran out of the NFII Ultra B today.

So now it's time to revise my choice and I was thinking about Slackware. My friend said it was good and I could get it for free.

I'm using this computer as a server and was wondering if Slackware is good for server purposes. I will need the following things on my server, Apache, PHP, MySQL, a DNS server, and mail server. I know I will probaly be able to install Apache PHP and MySQL easy but I'm stuck on what I should use as a free DNS and mail server.

Once I get slackware running will these be able to set up and install? I can set up Apache, MySQL, and PHP easily on XP but I'm always stuck on mail servers and DNS so my friend hosts my DNS and I have email forwarding from GoDaddy.com. I want to be able to host everything by myself.

I will be running this on a DFI LanParty NFII Ultra A mobo, AMD 2500+, GeForceFX5200, 60gb Maxtor, and 2x 256 Kingston PC2100 (somewhere near that).

So basically is Slackware a good free choice?
And where can I find free and easy to use DNS and Mail servers?

[Rand Dusing]

Also, do you think Slackware will be able to play Halo, Day of Defeat, Battlefield 1942 and Soldier of Fortune 2?

[Redwolf]

No-ip.com has free DNS fowarding with Linux support, so you're covered there. Mail serving is a bit, well, interesting, but there are plenty of great tutorials out there on setting one up under Linux.

Slackware 9 is a great choice (what I use). Debian is supposed to be easier to maitain, but all my experience with it has been quite negative. My system specs are similar to yours, and works just fine. The nVidia card is fully supported, BTW.

There are plenty of open-source mail servers avaliable. You'll need two kinds, STMP and POP. STMP is what you use to send main back and foward between servers, and POP is what is used to store mail for the computers that are to be accessing this server.

Places to go for mail server info:
http://www.sendmail.org/ <- an SMTP server
http://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/ <Scroll down to the e-mail section
http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/li...il_server.html
http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/li...l_server2.html


-edit-

You won't be able to play any of those games in Linux (regardless of Distro or whether or not WineX is used). You will be able to set up servers for most of them on a Linux box.

BF1942 Linux server:
http://www.3dgamers.com/games/battlefield1942/#filelist
/\ Under Official Files

Day of Defeat Linux server:
http://downloads.gameplanet.co.nz/dl...iles/3203.html

Soldier of Fortune II Linux Server:
http://www.3dgamers.com/games/soldierfortune2/
/\ Also under official files

Halo Linux server not availiabe to my knowledge.

-edit- I take back what I said about not being able to play the games. Day of Defeat will work okay under WINE, but don't expect it to be perfect.

-one more edit - Oh, and I should point out Slackware is harder to use than SuSE, but can be much more functional.

[washe]

Rand Linux is not a gamer friendly enviroment, only some games are supported especially the ones that are made with the opengl engine, even those you will have mixed issues to get them to work, so if you are going to have a 24/7 server and want to play games at the same time, you will have to stay wiith windows (ugh).....

[Rand Dusing]

I was thinking games would be hard to play but easy to host. I'm trying to get some of my friends to go to a LAN Party but thier computers aren't good so I was going to let them use mine.

BTW I started to download the files today because hopefully my mom will let me order the parts off newegg tonight. I went to suprnova.org and thier are 4 torrents. 1 for each cd and two were installs and the other two were source. For someone like me do I only need the install?

[flashingcurser]

4 CD's? Must not be using slackware

Slackware 9.1 has only 2 CD's and only one if you like gnome with out KDE. Yes slackware will do all the things you mentioned above.

Happy slacking

dan

BTW: slack is my favorite distro you can get it here.

You will need to go to one of those mirrors (http or ftp) and find 9.1-iso and download disk 1 and 2. Or just one if you dont need KDE. It will install without disk 2 if you choose not to install KDE from disk one.



Oh and one more thing, almost all of the ftp's are not passive so you cant use your web browser youll have to use a ftp client.

[Redwolf]

You don't need the last 2 CDs. They have the source code fopr all the apps on the first 2 CDs.

[Rand Dusing]

I'm already downloading it wih bit torrent and for the 2 CDs i'm at 87 and 51 %.

[washe]

for hosting games will do the job.... halo is the only one I doubt works.... would it be because it a microsoft product.... i wonder....

[Redwolf]

Already checked. Unless someone wrote an unofficial server, no.