using Amahi and newbie questions

[nyfirefly11]

hey everyone! So I had some spare parts lying around, so I've thrown together a second pc, and I was thinking about using Amahi.

I'm pretty new to Linux (besides playing around with Ubuntu a little here and there). Here's what I want to do:

1. Use the hda as a second backup for my windows machines
2. Set up a VPN to use files remotely (from work, etc.)
3. Possibly use a front-end as an HTPC to stream movies from my windows machine or my NAS/UPnP box (that said, I may just dual boot with Windows XP Media Center & Boxee or Ubuntu with Myth TV)

Here are my questions:
1. To use the shares/vpn, do I need to use the DHCP/DNS functionality of the hda? (I think I'd rather have my router do that)
2. Does it matter what I use for the domain, and do I need a static IP from my ISP? (I guess I don't know enough about how VPN works - what address would the VPN connect to?)
3. Given that my needs at this point are pretty simple, would I be better off just setting something up like the Pogo Plug? (though I'm happy to play around with Amahi)

Thx so much!

[pjcrux]

1. To use the shares/vpn, do I need to use the DHCP/DNS functionality of the hda? (I think I'd rather have my router do that)

yes, this is the recommended practice. As your router controls the DNS of the system it will not know to look at the server for the webapps.

2. Does it matter what I use for the domain, and do I need a static IP from my ISP? (I guess I don't know enough about how VPN works - what address would the VPN connect to?)

no static IP from ISP is needed. Mine handles the DHCP just fine. This is where the automatic DNS of amahi helps you VPN will connect via your DynDNS of http://whatever.yourhda.com

3. Given that my needs at this point are pretty simple, would I be better off just setting something up like the Pogo Plug? (though I'm happy to play around with Amahi)

Amahi is very versatile, I for one use my HDA as a home server, MythBackend, backup repository, and much much more. I enjoy streaming movies and music to numerous clients and my HDA handles it with ease. I can't speak to the effectiveness of Pogo for your needs but Amahi is my chosen course of action (and I didn't have to buy anything).

[nyfirefly11]

Thx so much for the responses! A few more quick questions:

1. Do I need to buy a domain name to use with the VPN?
2. I was thinking about installing Win XP Media Center in a VM - can I do that? I found this tutorial: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/xp- ... ,2434.html. If it's possible, and I do that, will the VM get an IP from the HDA?

I could also just dual boot with XP, but if the hda is acting as the DHCP server, then XP is not going to be able to get an IP.

[moredruid]

1. No, you don't need to register a domainname. You will get a <yourusername>.yourhda.com domain.
2. Yes that's possible. You can use either VirtualBox or VMWare.

[nyfirefly11]

awesome, thx!

One last question (for now : I assume I should go gigabit ethernet? I have an older Linksys router which is great, but it doesn't support 1000Mbps. So I was thinking of getting this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833127060, and then using the linksys just as a wireless AP. Of course, I also need to get a whole bunch of Cat6 to...

Also, does the modem I get from my ISP (Time Warner) need to support 1000Mbps from the modem to the router?

[moredruid]

Of course, I also need to get a whole bunch of Cat6 to...

No you don't unless you have an extremely "noisy" environment (meaning lots of heavy unshielded electronic equipment that can interfere).
Cat 5e does the job fine for gigabit (though Cat 6 is better for higher speeds, at a cost).

Also, does the modem I get from my ISP (Time Warner) need to support 1000Mbps from the modem to the router?

nope it doesn't

[nyfirefly11]

cool, thx, I'll go with Cat 5e then. I'm getting about 20Mbps down and .5Mbps up right now...so I guess the Gbit only speeds up things on my internal network anyway?

[moredruid]

correct. To the internet you'll get your provider speeds, internally you'll get full speed.

[nyfirefly11]

awesome, thx!

OK, so I got Fedora installed....I was a little confused as to what partitions I set up, but here's what I ended up with on a 250GB disk:

sda1 /boot 250MB ext3
sda2 / 100GB ext4
sda3 /var/hda/files 10GB ext 4
sda4 (extended) /swap 4GB (I have 2GB ram)
sda5 (extended) /var 2GB

At some point, I want to install Win XP in VM, but I wasn't sure where that lives. Am I OK with the way I set it up?

Also, do I need to install drivers for my 925X/ICH6R chipset or ATI 4350? I have the BIOS set to raid b/c I may want to add storage drives in RAID at a later time, and use the 4350 to hook up to my TV to stream video.