Topic: Fresh from Windows Server 2003

[EveningJazz]

Hello,

I was directed here by a friend to try this server platform. I am very impressed however I need some help, being new to this platform. I can say this much. I do know all the protocols well enough to manage the server up to where I can configure it for networking and other things.

However I am not sure as to how to use the interface (Server Manger ) to reach my goals with this server platform. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I want this server for mainly DNS hosting and website hosting for clients that do not have or want to host on a Windows Platform.

Since the interface is different how can I achieve this in  SME Server.

I can do more later but for now I would love to do this and learn it while it is "in play"

Thanks so much
Evening Jazz

[bpivk]

Read the wiki. That should get you started. And you'll have to use an external dns provider (zoneedit.com is free) to point your dns records to your server. And the rest is done from server-manager.

This is all the info i can give you. Now read the manual and learn about SME and you can ask questions when you're up to speed.

Welcome to the comunity and feel fre to contact me if you have any more questions (so we don't clutter the forum with trivial and repeating questions like your what is a rpm question)

Edit: All your SME problems (if it doesn't just work) should be reported to the bugtracker and search on the forum if you need a specific answer before posting a new topic.

[compdoc]

Is it that you want to use SME to provide the same services for a LAN that 2003 Server does? Or is it going to be a mixed network where 2003 and SME co-exist?

The DNS service in SME is fully automatic, and intended for use in gateway mode, and it seems to be fairly un-sophisticated. With the server-manager, you can add host names for the SME server itself, but not for other hosts on the LAN. Although, it's likely you could do that from the command line, if you learned the commands.  

Personally, I think the DNS service in 2003 Server is a far better choice for a LAN, since its pretty easy to administer (theres a lot to be said for a good GUI).

As far as webhosting - thats what SME was born to do. Add the domains, add the files into the right ibay directories, and boom - apache-ness.

These days, I use SME mainly for spam & virus filtering for customers. It can be the only email server in an office, or it can retrieve email from an ISP's pop3 server, or it can sit in front of MS Exchange so you dont need to buy very expensive, very poor performing Windows based spam & virus software.

Centos (and SME) is rock solid stuff...

[EveningJazz]

Hello

Thanks for the reply,

Actually I am trying to decide depending on what this server can do. In my early opinion it is very limited and difficult to work with.

I am trying to use it for a host. I have my own DNS for hosting.
So I am very familar with this also. So how do you set up a web site such as a virtual server in IIS?

There is no documentation in the wiki that I saw? Everything is preset so it is confusing.

As for DNS how do you add an A record an MX record and SPF and all the mandatory records for a DNS hosting server?


Thanks

[EveningJazz]

Hello

I spent a little while with the server and it appears that this is the method of operation.

1. Create an ibay
2. Create a domain
3. Select the iBay as the "folder" that the website is going to be in/hosted from.

What is the difference between a hostname and the domain? On this server?
How do you get the content into the folder for hosting a website. Upload via FTP?

In what order should you create your hostname vs Domain name?

Thank you
Evening Jazz

[EveningJazz]

(so we don't clutter the forum with trivial and repeating questions like your what is a rpm question)

.

So what is an RPM

[bpivk]

http://www.rpm.org/ <--- taken form google

How do you get the content into the folder for hosting a website.

Upload it via ftp or LAN. And read trough this http://wiki.contribs.org/SME_Server:Documentation:Administration_Manual

[EveningJazz]

Thanks

I figured most of this out last night.

So this server has to install software via RPM which is a command line?

So here are  more specific questions.

Can you set DNS records?
What is the difference between a hostnames and addresses and the Domains.
How do you seperate a mail user from a another in a different domain?
When creating a user I see where you forward the ???? doesn't make sense to me.
How do you install and aplication on a website? Say... create a db in SQL?

I am trying to gather the logic here so please bear with me.

Thank you

[bpivk]

Can you set DNS records?
What is the difference between a hostnames and addresses and the Domains.
How do you seperate a mail user from a another in a different domain?
When creating a user I see where you forward the ???? doesn't make sense to me.
------------------------------------
All of these answers can be found in the link i wrote in my last post.


How do you install and aplication on a website? Say... create a db in SQL?
Wearch on the forum we have a few examples.

[EveningJazz]

Thanks

Yes this link is most helpful didn't see it before

I do not see anything in adding DNS records just dynamic dns options.

[JonB]

SME does not publish its DNS records publicly. The DNS server services the local network only.
There are instructions in the forums on how to make SME a public DNS server but it is not recommended.

I have noticed that there appears to be some confusion about the two DNS options 'Internet DNS servers' and 'Resolve locally'  when setting up Virtual Domains. Some people seem to take 'Internet DNS servers' to mean that the domain is publish publicly rather than resolve that domain using public DNS servers not the local DNS server.

Jon

[compdoc]

There's even a lot of confusion for people new to webserving about the difference between a private/local dns server, and dns hosting by a company such as network solutions.

whatch out for that learning curve - its a doozy.

[EveningJazz]

Actually I do not have that confusion. I am a host like network solutions and I run and administer quite a few Windows Internal and External DNS and they are not set up like this. So all I was asking was the ability to do what I am presently doing now with SME. It was an easy question for those who were in the "know" for  this server. However I got sent all over the iternet instead of a straight forward answer like you just gave me (thank you)

I have never seen this kind of server before and I would bet that if you have never seen Windows 2003 Enterprise server you wouldn' have come as far as I have with this server in a such a short time (2 days). I am realizing that it is more if an email server and an advanced router than anything else.

[compdoc]

Thats what is was designed for, yes, and it can do windows file sharing pretty well. However, it can also be altered, which is the cool part. But there's no need to alter it if you can find a linux distro that does exactly what you want, ready-made. There's tonnes out there.

Since SME runs on Centos, theres a world of software you can add, but there is sometimes a problem - SME locks down communication pretty well, and some apps wont work properly unless you modify it to fit the SME way of doing things.

Webmin is a great add-on for linux. It lets you configure many popular programs, like a few DNS services, file transfer services, DHCP, and on and on. However, Webmin doesnt know some of the services SME is using, so it doesnt give you control over them.

If you were crafty enough, you could prolly disable the SME dns service (tinydns I think it called), and install a more configurable one. But it would be a lot of work learning how. Too much, I think.

2003 Server is pretty nice. Its just the $600 base price and license fees that kill you...

[EveningJazz]

Thats what is was designed for, yes, and it can do windows file sharing pretty well. However, it can also be altered, which is the cool part. But there's no need to alter it if you can find a linux distro that does exactly what you want, ready-made. There's tonnes out there.

Since SME runs on Centos, theres a world of software you can add, but there is sometimes a problem - SME locks down communication pretty well, and some apps wont work properly unless you modify it to fit the SME way of doing things.

Webmin is a great add-on for linux. It lets you configure many popular programs, like a few DNS services, file transfer services, DHCP, and on and on. However, Webmin doesnt know some of the services SME is using, so it doesnt give you control over them.

If you were crafty enough, you could prolly disable the SME dns service (tinydns I think it called), and install a more configurable one. But it would be a lot of work learning how. Too much, I think.

2003 Server is pretty nice. Its just the $600 base price and license fees that kill you...

Yeah it is a hefty price Enterprise is 5,000 which I have
I am liking the SME and I am getting to realize the very nice features such as file sharing and a GOOD DHCP  M$ DHCP is not that geat.

I really appreciate the response so I don't look forever for answers that are not there. However could you please give me a tutorial on how to get a website up on this box/server I have it behind a firewall so it is safe. I just need to NAT it in on ports.
e.g
1.....
2.....
3.....
4 Boom Apache-ness as one person put it

[bpivk]

could you please give me a tutorial on how to get a website up on this box/server

Sorry for repeating my self but you really should read the manual because it contains all the infor for making a quick website.
So i'll give you a few guides...
1. Make an ibay
2. Put your files there
3. Open port on firewall
4. browse the website

The first and secont points are explained in the manual. The third point depends on your router and the last is optional.

[wjhobbs]

The SME Server was designed to do a few things very well. Included in this list would be:

- acting as a file/print server for a predominantly Windows LAN
- acting as an email server (with good spam and virus filtering)
- acting as a web server for multiple domains
- acting as a DHCP server for local machines
- acting as a dns server for local machines to use
- acting as a gateway device (firewall/router) for the local network

Some things have been done on SME Server slightly differently from other distributions to achieve two goals: first, to make this a very secure server out of the box; and second, to make it easier to administer by less technical people. What this means is that you cannot blindly do what a generic Linux textbook might tell you in order to achieve a certain end.

To get to your desire to get up and running quickly...

To set up local file shares, create ibays and store the data in the .../files subdirectory of the ibay. Set up a Group (or two or three) as a means of controlling which set of users can access which ibays. Their Windows userid/password should match their SME userid/password to allow appropriate access. On the Windows clients, map a network drive to the ibay or directly to the /files directory.

The email server is ready to go. Just add users and appropriate domains. (Go to the 'E-mail' menu item to set spam filtering options, enable webmail access, etc.)

To set up a web server for different domains, first create an ibay ('Information bays' menu item) for each domain; then add a domain name ('Domains' menu item) and point it to the ibay and select 'resolve locally'. Then if you go to 'Hostnames and addresses' you will see what has been set up for you automagically. In effect, these are your dns entries. Then put your web site content in the .../html folder of the ibay (there is a default index page generated when you create the ibay). That domain's web site should be accessible locally (sometimes I have noticed a delay of some considerable time before the domain's dns entries get recognized -- just be patient).

The DHCP server can be enabled or not in the configuration menu.

The dns server also acts as a WINS server. It interacts with public dns servers as necessary to resolve requests. To have an external browser access a web site for one of your domains, simply point a public dns service at your public IP address. If you need to change where a local dns entry points, go to the 'Hostnames and addresses' menu item and modify the relevant entry.

If you have set your server up to be in gateway/server mode, you need two NICs one connecting to the external internet (e.g., through a dsl/cable modem) and the other connecting to your lan (hub/router etc.). This setting enables a full-function firewall and router. If you are in server-only mode, you need your network's firewall/router to forward the necessary ports (e.g., for web access and email) to the SME Server.

That should get you going with the basics.

However, because it is a server based on a Red Hat distribution you could add quite a bit more if you wanted. BUT, learn a lot more before you embark on that course of action. Make extensive use of the search function on these forums, read the manual and wiki (links provided earlier). There is a learning curve -- take the time to learn.

Enjoy!

John

[EveningJazz]

Hello Everyone,

I want to say thank you to all that have contributed to my SME server education.

[EveningJazz]

This message is for wjhobbs

This is what I was looking for the whole time I thank you very very much.


Thanks again for the effort it is very nice

[compdoc]

Its not a toy - its a very secure, very stable server. We've helped you, and you insult us by name calling. Nice...

[compdoc]

By the way, I build and service servers for businesses. I know Windows Server even better than I know SME, and that includes MS Exchange, and SQL Server.

And I would never connect a Windows based server directly to the web. That only invites disaster. I cant name all the exploits and vulnerabilities Windows has had over the years. Who knows what new ones will be discovered in years to come.

Open source is MS's only real competitor - and for good reason...

[bpivk]

By the way, I build and service servers for businesses. I know Windows Server even better than I know SME, and that includes MS Exchange, and SQL Server.

And I would never connect a Windows based server directly to the web. That only invites disaster. I cant name all the exploits and vulnerabilities Windows has had over the years. Who knows what new ones will be discovered in years to come.

Open source is MS's only real competitor - and for good reason...

I agree with you 110%. I had a MS server and it had to be behind a firewall not to mention all the problems, bugs and exploits.
Sme can do all that MS did and better and i sure agree that it's a powerfull OS.

[EveningJazz]

Its not a toy - its a very secure, very stable server. We've helped you, and you insult us by name calling. Nice...

I am not pleased at all with my post. After I posted it I walked out the door and didn't edit it out. This was wrong of me and I apologize. I am sorry and I truly feel that this was uncalled for and a case of very poor judgement.  

Thanks for welcoming me into the community this will not happen from me again. It is not professional and of good character. Hopefully I will be forgiven and we can move on. I do apologize

I still want to learn this server and this is not a good start saying things like that.

EveningJazz

[EveningJazz]

could you please give me a tutorial on how to get a website up on this box/server

Sorry for repeating my self but you really should read the manual because it contains all the infor for making a quick website.
So i'll give you a few guides...
1. Make an ibay
2. Put your files there
3. Open port on firewall
4. browse the website

The first and secont points are explained in the manual. The third point depends on your router and the last is optional.

Ok thanks! I got that but what about multiple SSL sites and IP addresses? Is this a factor in this type of webserver?

In IIS you can only have one SSL site per public/private IP is this the same on this Linux box?

Thank you

[EveningJazz]

The SME Server was designed to do a few things very well. Included in this list would be:

- acting as a file/print server for a predominantly Windows LAN
- acting as an email server (with good spam and virus filtering)
- acting as a web server for multiple domains
- acting as a DHCP server for local machines
- acting as a dns server for local machines to use
- acting as a gateway device (firewall/router) for the local network

Some things have been done on SME Server slightly differently from other distributions to achieve two goals: first, to make this a very secure server out of the box; and second, to make it easier to administer by less technical people. What this means is that you cannot blindly do what a generic Linux textbook might tell you in order to achieve a certain end.

To get to your desire to get up and running quickly...

To set up local file shares, create ibays and store the data in the .../files subdirectory of the ibay. Set up a Group (or two or three) as a means of controlling which set of users can access which ibays. Their Windows userid/password should match their SME userid/password to allow appropriate access. On the Windows clients, map a network drive to the ibay or directly to the /files directory.

The email server is ready to go. Just add users and appropriate domains. (Go to the 'E-mail' menu item to set spam filtering options, enable webmail access, etc.)

To set up a web server for different domains, first create an ibay ('Information bays' menu item) for each domain; then add a domain name ('Domains' menu item) and point it to the ibay and select 'resolve locally'. Then if you go to 'Hostnames and addresses' you will see what has been set up for you automagically. In effect, these are your dns entries. Then put your web site content in the .../html folder of the ibay (there is a default index page generated when you create the ibay). That domain's web site should be accessible locally (sometimes I have noticed a delay of some considerable time before the domain's dns entries get recognized -- just be patient).

The DHCP server can be enabled or not in the configuration menu.

The dns server also acts as a WINS server. It interacts with public dns servers as necessary to resolve requests. To have an external browser access a web site for one of your domains, simply point a public dns service at your public IP address. If you need to change where a local dns entry points, go to the 'Hostnames and addresses' menu item and modify the relevant entry.

If you have set your server up to be in gateway/server mode, you need two NICs one connecting to the external internet (e.g., through a dsl/cable modem) and the other connecting to your lan (hub/router etc.). This setting enables a full-function firewall and router. If you are in server-only mode, you need your network's firewall/router to forward the necessary ports (e.g., for web access and email) to the SME Server.

That should get you going with the basics.

However, because it is a server based on a Red Hat distribution you could add quite a bit more if you wanted. BUT, learn a lot more before you embark on that course of action. Make extensive use of the search function on these forums, read the manual and wiki (links provided earlier). There is a learning curve -- take the time to learn.

Enjoy!

John

Thanks very much John this is an awesome explaination I will use it  because I understnd it  

[EveningJazz]

Hello,

Does anyone know why I am not being presented with the option to configure each of my NIC cards? I saw a console screen in wiki but I cannot find it on my machine.

Server is in gateway and server mode and it does recognize that I have two nics. I just cannot find them to change them.


Thank you

[crazybob]

Hello,
what are the chipsets on the nics?

[TrevorB]

Does anyone know why I am not being presented with the option to configure each of my NIC cards? I saw a console screen in wiki but I cannot find it on my machine.

What exactly are you trying to configure? The drivers associated with the nics or trying to swap which one is internal & which one is external?

The 'console' you refer to is probably the 'Configure this server' option from the server console (same stuff appears at install/configure time). One of the pages allows you to select drivers for the nics and one gives you the option of eth0 as local or eth1 as local (or some such - no box available ATM).

To get to the console, either use the monitor/keyboard attached to your server or ssh into the box. Log in as admin (same password as root). It goes through the complete configuration again (using your settings as default) and will then reconfigure/reboot your server.

Server is in gateway and server mode and it does recognize that I have two nics. I just cannot find them to change them.

Are you sure it recognises them?

Have a go at the console and if that supplies the right information/options, good.

Good Luck
Trevor B

[EveningJazz]

Well when I added the NIC yesterday and changed modes it gave me something like this:

Your ethernet cards use the same driver and then it went on to say the swap 0 and 1 or visa versa. So I swapped I want 0 as my external and 1 as my internal

But I cannot get into anything that allows me to congifgure each NIC.

Normally you can configure a NIC for external (which it does) but I never get to configure the internal.

So an external should look like this on  my box

192.168.1.10
255.255.255.0
192.168.1.1

DNS 192.168.1.1  this is all behind two firewalls.
I have two gateways but this is the one I am using

Now I want to configure the second NIC for a 10.10.xxx network "downstream" of the SME server. This is my goal.

How do you do this on this kind of server please?

[EveningJazz]

How do you create an email account?

Some things do not make sense on this OS.

Do I want to email locally or both or what? I have no clue with this server.
Why does the "forward address" box not be empty?

I have two local mail servers and one remote. They are not like this.

How do you get this mailserver to work. You just add a user in the users in Server Manager and that is it? How do you know what domain they belong to?


Thank you

[bpivk]

How do you get this mailserver to work. You just add a user in the users in Server Manager and that is it? How do you know what domain they belong to?

YEs. Just create a user in server manager and he has his mailbox. User will get mail from all domains untill you add another user that uses his mail on another domain (joe@domain1.com gets mail from domain 1 and 2 untill you add a joe1 that owns joe@domain2.com mailbox).

[EveningJazz]

Thank you,


I still don't understand how this is? When you check your mail how does it know what person is getting what mail.

What do you mean "owns" and why is my email address eveningjazz@mydomain.local ?

Do I want to forward the mail? Do I leave the forward box empty?

Is there a conventional mail server you can compare it to so I can get the idea here please?

For instance:

I have Merak and hMailserver and in the Domains section you add the domain then add the user and set all parameters for that user and domain.

Forwarding is an option not mandatory like this Or is it? I really do not know.
I apologize but I am thouroughly confused with this setup.



Thanks again
EveningJazz

[bpivk]

When you check your mail how does it know what person is getting what mail.

They have different usernames and passwords.

why is my email address eveningjazz@mydomain.local ?

Because you didn't set the correct domain for your server on the configuration screen.

Do I want to forward the mail? Do I leave the forward box empty?

If you want to forward the mail fill the box with another mail: eg. joe@domain.com forwards to gatest@micro.com

Is there a conventional mail server you can compare it to so I can get the idea here please?

As i said READ THE MANUAL. If you need a hard copy http://mirror.contribs.org/smeserver/contribs/bobk/down-loads/sme-manual.pdf
All the stuf you don't know and want to know is explained there with pictures. You're asking us to sumarise the whole manual. Just read it and you'll get the picture.

[Mjohnson]

Equation for Successful SME Server Setup:

RTFM + Test "Toy" Server = Useful Forum Posts

[bpivk]

Equation for Successful SME Server Setup:

RTFM + Test Server = Useful Forum Posts

I agree.

[EveningJazz]

Equation for Successful SME Server Setup:

RTFM + Test "Toy" Server = Useful Forum Posts

Doesn't answer what I asked.

And I can expect the abuse after what I said. Thanks anyhow.

I will reformat and Install Windows Enterprise.

I have had enough.

Thanks again, sorry for the toy comment.

[wjhobbs]

But I cannot get into anything that allows me to congifgure each NIC.

Normally you can configure a NIC for external (which it does) but I never get to configure the internal.

In the "Configure this server" series of screens, there is one that says 'Please enter the local IP address for this server'. Followed by one that says 'Please enter the local subnet mask for this server'. Taken together, that is the specification for your local NIC.

Therefore when you specify your local IP address it should be 10.10.x.x, so that the devices on the network that is "local" to the SME Server (your 'downstream' network) is in the right subnet. If you enable DHCP on this server, it will allocate addresses in the 10.10.x.x range.

EveningJazz, take it step at a time. If you want help here, don't let your frustration with the learning curve show in your requests for help.

John

[wjhobbs]

I have two local mail servers and one remote. They are not like this.

EveningJazz, this is NOT Windows. Stop trying to work with this server as you would a Windows machine. Otherwise you will just frustrate yourself.

How do you create an email account?
...
Do I want to email locally or both or what? I have no clue with this server.
Why does the "forward address" box not be empty?
...
How do you get this mailserver to work. You just add a user in the users in Server Manager and that is it? How do you know what domain they belong to?

You create a user account in the 'Users' menu item. Once a user is created, they automatically have an email account on all of the domains on this server. If you want mail sent to 'jhobbs@domain1.ca' to be for a different user from 'jhobbs@domain2.ca' then you need to use the 'Pseudonyms' facility.

Read the manual on that subject and experiment -- and search the forums with that keyword and go back and experiment some more before posing a pseudonyms question to the group.

After you create a user account, you need to assign the user a password before they will be able to log onto the server to collect their mail.

Normally, you specify that the user's email is to be delivered locally (on this SME Server box). However, if you want all the email that is sent to user1 to get forwarded to some other mail server somewhere, you select 'Forward email to address below' and in the box below that enter the full email address on that other server where the mail is to be sent. You also have the option of doing both -- delivering the mail locally and sending a copy to the other address.

In addition to creating an email account, setting up a user also automatically allocates a home directory for their exclusive use and permits them to make use of the shares (ibays) that they are allowed to access through their Group memberships. Their home directory has their user id as the directory name and from a Windows machine you can map a drive letter to this folder.

Hope this clarifies a few things.

John

[EveningJazz]

But I cannot get into anything that allows me to congifgure each NIC.

Normally you can configure a NIC for external (which it does) but I never get to configure the internal.

In the "Configure this server" series of screens, there is one that says 'Please enter the local IP address for this server'. Followed by one that says 'Please enter the local subnet mask for this server'. Taken together, that is the specification for your local NIC.

Ok I saw this and configured it as I would to allow internet access. This SME box is behind a router/firewall and it is on a subnet of 192.168.x.x

so in my mind there should be another NIC for me to plug some numbers into but I am not presented with this.

So I configured it this way. The box has internet access. But now where is the second NIC? Can I even configure this?

[EveningJazz]

I have two local mail servers and one remote. They are not like this.

EveningJazz, this is NOT Windows. Stop trying to work with this server as you would a Windows machine. Otherwise you will just frustrate yourself.

How do you create an email account?
...
Do I want to email locally or both or what? I have no clue with this server.
Why does the "forward address" box not be empty?
...
How do you get this mailserver to work. You just add a user in the users in Server Manager and that is it? How do you know what domain they belong to?

You create a user account in the 'Users' menu item. Once a user is created, they automatically have an email account on all of the domains on this server. If you want mail sent to 'jhobbs@domain1.ca' to be for a different user from 'jhobbs@domain2.ca' then you need to use the 'Pseudonyms' facility.

Read the manual on that subject and experiment -- and search the forums with that keyword and go back and experiment some more before posing a pseudonyms question to the group.

After you create a user account, you need to assign the user a password before they will be able to log onto the server to collect their mail.

Normally, you specify that the user's email is to be delivered locally (on this SME Server box). However, if you want all the email that is sent to user1 to get forwarded to some other mail server somewhere, you select 'Forward email to address below' and in the box below that enter the full email address on that other server where the mail is to be sent. You also have the option of doing both -- delivering the mail locally and sending a copy to the other address.

In addition to creating an email account, setting up a user also automatically allocates a home directory for their exclusive use and permits them to make use of the shares (ibays) that they are allowed to access through their Group memberships. Their home directory has their user id as the directory name and from a Windows machine you can map a drive letter to this folder.

Hope this clarifies a few things.

John

Wouldn't forwarding this to the same address cause a loop?
lets say SME is a backup server and you want it to catch mail for all domains and then forward/deposit  the mail in the main mailserver.

Even if the MX was  priority is 50 it doesn't make sense

How in the world is this going to take place?


I do want to say that you are definatley clarifying things

Thank you

[wjhobbs]

Wouldn't forwarding this to the same address cause a loop?
lets say SME is a backup server and you want it to catch mail for all domains and then forward/deposit the mail in the main mailserver.

The mail forwarding is only for the individual user you are setting up. And then only if it is appropriate.

The domains have very little to do with it (until you get into pseudonyms). I have several domains hosted on my server. All mail sent to jhobbs at ANY of those domains will go to the jhobbs account. You do not forward mail to a given account from one domain to another on the same machine.

For example, I have a user on my server that also has an email account in Costa Rica. His mail account on my server is for one business and the account in Costa Rica is for another business. He wants all his mail in one place -- so I forward email that comes to his account on my server to go to his email account in Costa Rica.

You could just as easily specify that the mail is to be forwarded from one account on my machine to another. For example, I have an account called 'privacy' and if anyone has questions about our firm's privacy policy, they can send an email message to that account. I have it set up so that all mail for the 'privacy' account gets forwarded to my personal account so I can deal with the question promptly.

Hope this clarifies a bit more.

John

[wjhobbs]

Ok I saw this and configured it as I would to allow internet access. This SME box is behind a router/firewall and it is on a subnet of 192.168.x.x

so in my mind there should be another NIC for me to plug some numbers into but I am not presented with this.

So I configured it this way. The box has internet access. But now where is the second NIC? Can I even configure this?

If you look here http://wiki.contribs.org/SME_Server:Documentation:Administration_Manual:Chapter5#Configuring_Your_Local_Network you will see that there is a series of screens that get invoked when you select 'Configure this server' from the menu list in the console.

You get an opportunity to specify the local IP address and subnet mask, and if you have selected server/gateway mode you also get an opportunity to specify the external interface -- specifically (if you selected the static IP address option for the external connection) you get an opportunity to specify the external IP address, subnet mask and gateway device IP address on the external network. The former is the spec for the internal NIC and the latter is the spec for your external NIC. The gateway device you specify for the external interface may or may not be the dns server on that network, but it should be your interface to the wider internet.

If you are not getting the opportunity to specify both internal and external interfaces in the manner described -- and you have specified server/gateway mode -- please describe the sequence of screens you are getting when you select 'Configure this server'.

John

[EveningJazz]

The mail forwarding is only for the individual user you are setting up. And then only if it is appropriate.

The domains have very little to do with it (until you get into pseudonyms). I have several domains hosted on my server. All mail sent to jhobbs at ANY of those domains will go to the jhobbs account. You do not forward mail to a given account from one domain to another on the same machine.

For example, I have a user on my server that also has an email account in Costa Rica. His mail account on my server is for one business and the account in Costa Rica is for another business. He wants all his mail in one place -- so I forward email that comes to his account on my server to go to his email account in Costa Rica.

You could just as easily specify that the mail is to be forwarded from one account on my machine to another. For example, I have an account called 'privacy' and if anyone has questions about our firm's privacy policy, they can send an email message to that account. I have it set up so that all mail for the 'privacy' account gets forwarded to my personal account so I can deal with the question promptly.

Hope this clarifies a bit more.

John

Yes this really does!  However this wasn't what I meant though

If SME is a backup server and on the same LAN then how does this work? You have to have the same accounts on both servers.
 
For example. If server A (main mailserver) is down and has Joe@mydomain.com  and SME is set to retrieve this (with the same account) if Server A is down with (SME) an MX of 20  then how is it going to forward the mail?

This will cause a loop.


However in your scenario it is easy and makes perfect sense. you can forward to any address as long as it is not the same address.

Thanks John

[del]

EveningJazz,

If you are trying to set it up as a backup mail server, maybe this would help:

http://www.schirrms.net/sme/MXBackup.php

Regards,
Del

[EveningJazz]

Now were talking!!


MOST appreciated

[wjhobbs]

If SME is a backup server and on the same LAN then how does this work?

Please refer to my first post on this thread.

SME Server was designed to perform certain functions well. Acting as a backup mail server was not one of those functions.

Someone on this forum may be able to suggest how SME could be configured to play that role -- but I suspect a different distribution would be more appropriate if that is what you are trying to achieve.

John

[EveningJazz]

If you are not getting the opportunity to specify both internal and external interfaces in the manner described -- and you have specified server/gateway mode -- please describe the sequence of screens you are getting when you select 'Configure this server'.

John

John,

This is the case and everyone kept telling me RTFM well as I said I DID and it wasn't there.

Now for specifics I cannot get a screen that lets me configure the second NIC as I was told by the server that all my NIC use the same driver? Whatever that meant?
Anyhow I am installing Server 2003 and I am going to put SME on another box to test and get used to it.

So all-in-all I cannot use this distribution as I was saying earlier  - limited

In my opinion I don't see it doing what Windows can.

Your help is fantastic thank you so much    

[MSmith]

So all-in-all I cannot use this distribution as I was saying earlier  - limited

In my opinion I don't see it doing what Windows can.

Without getting into a religious war here, of course SME doesn't do what Windows Server does.  It has its own sharply defined set of competencies that it performs magnificently but it isn't "all things to all people."  

You wanted to set up a public DNS server?  Well, SME doesn't do that out of the box.  Did you understand the distinctions among server-only, server-gateway and private server-gateway?  From your posts about the "second NIC" in your SME box behind a router/firewall, I think not.  

Personally, with the advent of shadow copies in Server 2003 I've stopped using SME for fileserving for the most part ... but for small organizations with little or no budget for Windows Server, and for home use -- and for plain ease of setup and administration -- SME can't be beaten.

It's all a question of the right tool for the job at hand.

[EveningJazz]

So all-in-all I cannot use this distribution as I was saying earlier  - limited

In my opinion I don't see it doing what Windows can.

Without getting into a religious war here, of course SME doesn't do what Windows Server does.  It has its own sharply defined set of competencies that it performs magnificently but it isn't "all things to all people."  

You wanted to set up a public DNS server?  Well, SME doesn't do that out of the box.  Did you understand the distinctions among server-only, server-gateway and private server-gateway?  From your posts about the "second NIC" in your SME box behind a router/firewall, I think not.  

Personally, with the advent of shadow copies in Server 2003 I've stopped using SME for fileserving for the most part ... but for small organizations with little or no budget for Windows Server, and for home use -- and for plain ease of setup and administration -- SME can't be beaten.

It's all a question of the right tool for the job at hand.

I thoroughly agree with you and no I did understand the roles. However as I mentioned I was not presented with that option whether you believe me or not. Because I blantantly see the picture of the multiple NICs in the manual and they were not there for me.

RAS in Windows is similar and is done very much the same way. I just wanted to be able to configure the NIC and it was a fiasco just tying to do this. And as for behind a router you have to enter into the first NIC (SME External) the correct gateways and LAN IP's from the router. On the second NIC you should be able to change the Subnet 10.10.xxx etc... But if you cannot find the NIC then what's a person to do?

It is the right tool for the job and I think that SME makes a very good DHCP and a very good internal DNS. No doubt that SME is a very good server for what you need it for

And yes I don't need a religious war either pheeww

Thank you

[haymann]

Now for specifics I cannot get a screen that lets me configure the second NIC as I was told by the server that all my NIC use the same driver? Whatever that meant?

It is entirely possible that I am mistaken here, but it seems to me like this is a major source of your problem. Do you have a different NIC that drop in so there are 2 different NICs on-board? It seems like there has been a post or two about not using two of the same NIC...

[EveningJazz]

Now for specifics I cannot get a screen that lets me configure the second NIC as I was told by the server that all my NIC use the same driver? Whatever that meant?

It is entirely possible that I am mistaken here, but it seems to me like this is a major source of your problem. Do you have a different NIC that drop in so there are 2 different NICs on-board? It seems like there has been a post or two about not using two of the same NIC...

You are correct. I dropped in a NIC from my stash it was a Belkin. THe other NIC is an integrated one. SME recognized that I had only one NIC when I tried to first put the server in gateway/server mode. It told Na na na!

You only have one NIC you cannot do this with one NIC. So I shut down added another NIC and all was good accept I got "Your Server Uses the same driver ....."  and I don't remeber what it was. But I never got to see the second NIC ever.

Thanks for bringing some relief for me.

[haymann]

You only have one NIC you cannot do this with one NIC. So I shut down added another NIC and all was good accept I got "Your Server Uses the same driver ....."  and I don't remeber what it was. But I never got to see the second NIC ever.

Hmmm... I wonder if the two of them (even though they are different) have the same chipset? Evidently they use the same driver and SME is having trouble with that. Is there a chance that you could get your hands on a different NIC and see if you can find something that doesn't use the same driver?

I have one system that is using two integrated NICs, one is a 3com and the other is nVidia. I have couple more that I am using an SMC and a Linksys, pretty generic and cheap cards that I had laying around...
Ryan

[EveningJazz]

You only have one NIC you cannot do this with one NIC. So I shut down added another NIC and all was good accept I got "Your Server Uses the same driver ....."  and I don't remeber what it was. But I never got to see the second NIC ever.

Hmmm... I wonder if the two of them (even though they are different) have the same chipset? Evidently they use the same driver and SME is having trouble with that. Is there a chance that you could get your hands on a different NIC and see if you can find something that doesn't use the same driver?

I have one system that is using two integrated NICs, one is a 3com and the other is nVidia. I have couple more that I am using an SMC and a Linksys, pretty generic and cheap cards that I had laying around...
Ryan

I can but it won't be right away. I removed SME but I do intend on putting it back on somthing later and getting to know it well.

Is there a distribution that you are aware of that can be a great external DNS and webhost?

Thanks a million
Joe

[EveningJazz]

You only have one NIC you cannot do this with one NIC. So I shut down added another NIC and all was good accept I got "Your Server Uses the same driver ....."  and I don't remeber what it was. But I never got to see the second NIC ever.

Hmmm... I wonder if the two of them (even though they are different) have the same chipset? Evidently they use the same driver and SME is having trouble with that. Is there a chance that you could get your hands on a different NIC and see if you can find something that doesn't use the same driver?

I have one system that is using two integrated NICs, one is a 3com and the other is nVidia. I have couple more that I am using an SMC and a Linksys, pretty generic and cheap cards that I had laying around...
Ryan

I can but it won't be right away. I removed SME but I do intend on putting it back on something later and getting to know it well.

Is there a distribution that you are aware of that can be a great external DNS and webhost for Linix based?

Thanks a million
Joe

[haymann]

Is there a distribution that you are aware of that can be a great external DNS and webhost for Linix based?

Sorry, SME is the only thing that I have played with...  

[Tib]

K ... just to help out a bit here with nics

I'm runing my server at home with both nics that are the same with the same drivers ... it is a problem ...
I get constant kernal panics once a month on average.

I will be swapping out one of the nics very soon.

But here is a screen dump of what EveningJazz would have seen ...



As you can see it auto assigns the nics to the interfaces.

Regards,

Tib

edit: fixed stupid spelling and punctual misstakes  

[EveningJazz]

K ... just to help out a bit here with nics

I'm runing my server at home with both nics that are the same with the same drivers ... it is a problem ...
I get constant kernal panics once a month on average.

I will be swapping out one of the nics very soon.

But here is a screen dump of what EveningJazz would have seen ...



As you can see it auto assigns the nics to the interfaces.

Regards,

Tib

edit: fixed stupid spelling and punctual misstakes  

Thanks You are 1000% correct this is what I got. This is not in the manual

Thanks again
EveningJazz

[bpivk]

hanks You are 1000% correct this is what I got. This is not in the manual

That's because this is a new feature in 7.1.3 (i think).

[CharlieBrady]

hanks You are 1000% correct this is what I got. This is not in the manual

That's because this is a new feature in 7.1.3 (i think).

No, it's been there forever.

If you have two NICs which use the same driver, the kernel automatically assigns one to eth0 and the other to eth1. The screenshot above allows you to make eth1 the local network and eth0 the wan. Your other choice would be to leave them with eth0->lan, eth1->wan, and to just swap the cables if you need to.

I suspect that this is off topic, and that EveningJazz for some reason wants multiple LAN NICs.

[EveningJazz]

hanks You are 1000% correct this is what I got. This is not in the manual

That's because this is a new feature in 7.1.3 (i think).

No, it's been there forever.

If you have two NICs which use the same driver, the kernel automatically assigns one to eth0 and the other to eth1. The screenshot above allows you to make eth1 the local network and eth0 the wan. Your other choice would be to leave them with eth0->lan, eth1->wan, and to just swap the cables if you need to.

I suspect that this is off topic, and that EveningJazz for some reason wants multiple LAN NICs.

Thanks but I really don't need two NIC's but I wanted to be alble to configure them if I did for gatewayy mode

[CharlieBrady]

Thanks but I really don't need two NIC's but I wanted to be alble to configure them if I did for gatewayy mode

If you have two NICs you *can* configure them, if you choose servergateway mode. If you don't choose servergateway mode, there is no need to configure two NICs.

[CharlieBrady]

Server is in gateway and server mode and it does recognize that I have two nics. I just cannot find them to change them.

What do you want to change?

For one NIC, the LAN NIC, you can set the IP address and netmask.

For the second NIC, you can choose

- static IP (as for LAN)
- DHCP
- PPPoE

The correct drivers to use is already decided for you.

What more do you want?

[EveningJazz]

Server is in gateway and server mode and it does recognize that I have two nics. I just cannot find them to change them.

What do you want to change?

For one NIC, the LAN NIC, you can set the IP address and netmask.

For the second NIC, you can choose

- static IP (as for LAN)
- DHCP
- PPPoE

The correct drivers to use is already decided for you.

What more do you want?

You don't get it either

[CharlieBrady]

You don't get it either

You are either stating the obvious, or insulting me. I'm trying to help you. I don't know what you want, so I ask. Either answer my question so that I can help you, or go away and use the software developed by somebody else, and insult them, if you must.

[EveningJazz]

You don't get it either

You are either stating the obvious, or insulting me. I'm trying to help you. I don't know what you want, so I ask. Either answer my question so that I can help you, or go away and use the software developed by somebody else, and insult them, if you must.

I am going away thanks

and I did not insult you.

I need to go now thanks to all that helped sincerely  

[jdavey]

OK,

I've received tons of support here from helpful users for years (since the forums were hosted by Mitel back in the 4.x days). To have access to the developers, and contributors is a fantatsic benefit of using oss. Clearly Evening Jazz cannot comminicate what he wants to accomplish, because like so many WINx users he's used to seeing the GUI for changing anything. It's simple:

Server Gateway - 2 NICs : 1 for LAN 1 for WAN
Everything else is simply 1 NIC for LAN (or you can bond 2 nics to one IP - this works great!). you cannot add a second NIC for LAN in Server or Private Server mode.

Telling Charlie "he doesn't get it  either" is like poking the Pope in the eye. If it weren't for Charlie and Gordon's efforts over these many years, we wouldn't have SME at all.

Listen, we all want you to succeed with SME, but you need to make an effort to understand how it works. If you cannot communicate what you need, or understand the capabilities and limitations of SME, then no one here can help you, no matter how much we want to.

SME is a tailored application / appliance that can do several things but not EVERYTHING that a WINx server can do. If you need it to do something else, research other users' solutions, or build it yourself.

I am greatful for the efforts of the Developers, contributors, and users. SME inspires me to find and build solutions instead of just buying a solution. The trade off is that it requires some EFFORT on your part to make the solution work for you.

[bpivk]

jdavey and Charlie don't bother with this guy. I sincerely doubt that he even read the manual.

am going away thanks

and I did not insult you.

I need to go now thanks to all that helped sincerely Wink

You have said that in three or four posts (go and count them) so i really hope that you keep your word and that this is the last post from you because all your posts were abusive, insulting and confusing (not necessarily in this order).

So good bye and don't let the mouse hit you when you click X.

[p-jones]

Server is in gateway and server mode and it does recognize that I have two nics. I just cannot find them to change them.

What more do you want?

Someone to read the manual for him, read his mind and give him a ready configured box to some unknown specifications.

I have to wonder if he became a Windows 2003 expert overnight and without any books.....or without reading the manual.

eveningJazz, try the lemon test with your server- suck it and see......and RTFM....

[bpivk]

eveningJazz, try the lemon test with your server- suck it and see......and RTFM....

p-jones i suggested that in every single post i wrote and i doubt that he did what we told him.