AFP548 - Topic: Need Help Setting up an XServer

This topic has 7 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 19 years, 8 months ago by jmontano.

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August 9, 2005 at 5:53 am #362735

jmontano
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I’m setting up an XServer for our school, and I’ve been handed the responsibility to complete such a task. I’ve never set up a server of this magnitude and I’m freaking out a bit about my task. Everything we have is brand new and ready to go, but I’m unclear about what I need to set up. We have two switches, the XServer, and soon to have our T1with a Cisco Router. However, I haven’t the slightest clue as to where the router goes plugged in or where the server is supposed to be set up. We cannot afford to pay a consultant to come and set up our server, and I think I can pretty much figure out what to do once I have seen some guides or tutorials. Does anyone have any resources that I can take a look at to quickly learn what a proper network set up would be, how to set up the server properly, a diagram of what the network should look like and what it should contain? I need some major help and guidance here, so I would appreciate any help I can get. Thank you all for your time.

Sincerely,
Jose Montano

August 9, 2005 at 12:40 pm #362736

hetjan
Participant

I don’t know any tutorials, but I think I can help you get started.

First I need to know the server’s role. Is it supposed to serve home directories to mac clients on the network. Will it do Web externally? Give me all the information you can and we’ll start from there.

August 10, 2005 at 6:20 am #362752

jmontano
Participant

Thank you very much. I’m really new to all of this, so I will try and give you as much detailed information as possible. I plan on having the server provide students and teachers a place to save files and retrieve them. I think that is a home directory (correct me if I’m wrong). I’m not sure if it will do web externally since I’m not really sure what that means. I know that I want to be able to provide students and teachers with internet access. Would that be a role that the server provides or is that a separate thing that the router will do? I also don’t know if I will need to get a separate firewall if I want to deny students from visiting “not-appropiate” sites. Another major role of the server will be to house our SIS (Student Informations System), which is PowerSchool. I know that PowerSchool requested that we have a T1 installed since parents will have to have access to their childrens grades and such from the internet. I don’t know if that makes a difference in the process of setting up this network.

Right now the server is on rack with two other switches and that is pretty much about it. When the Cisco router get installed I will have no idea where it will go. Does the router plug into the switches? Where does the server fall into this configuration?

Thank you again for your help. I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Jose

August 10, 2005 at 1:06 pm #362753

hetjan
Participant

If you want to do content control you need an application such as squid to do that. I don’t know if Cisco routers can do that, but I’m guessing it’s possible (but its way out of my league so you’ll need someone else to help you with that). My feeling (or religion) is that you should always use hardware boxes to provide network access and refrain as much as possible on relying on multi-role servers such as your XServe to do that for you.

Other than that your XServe should be able to do what you describe. Assuming you’ll use the Cisco router (which provided it can do content-filtering is an excellent choice) you just need to follow a few simple steps which are detailed in the manuals, but basically boil down to this:

Turn open directory on and set it to be a directory master

Go to a client computer, open “directory access”, enter the ip of the server into the address field, the rest should be automatic provided that you have 10.4.

Open Workgroup manager and connect to the server and create a directory on a HD that has plenty of space (RAID or such) and set it to house network home directories.

Create a user (username, password) and set the homedirectory to the new record in the list (afp://myserver/MySharepoint f.x.).

Now your users should be able to log in.

A.

August 13, 2005 at 6:28 am #362789

jmontano
Participant

Thank you both for your help. I will definitely work on your suggestions for the directory, and the witepaper section.

I think I have also kinda figured out where the hardware is connected and all, but now I’m having trouble with getting internet on the workstations at school. I have set up the Cisco router, but I think I’m falling short on the set up of the server. I want to use the DHCP service, but when I configured that according to Mac OS X Server Panther book by Regan I can’t get the workstations to get one of the IP addresses I put in the DHCP settings of the server. Any suggestions?

Once again thank you for your help.

Jose

August 18, 2005 at 2:42 pm #362839

Anonymous
Guest

I rely on the router to serve the DHCP in my rack – this allows the router to serve the IPs inside via the switchs (the servers are just plugged into the switch) . As far a lack of internet on the inside of the loop make sure that all the client machines are getting an IP first – I had a conflict with a router and modem that were both trying to serve the IPs freaking everything out.

August 20, 2005 at 5:43 am #362865

jmontano
Participant

How do I do that? Is it just a matter of plugging in my router to a terminal and configuring it? When I set it up originally the Tech from SBC had me plug in my powerbook to the router that configured it using the Preferences panel from my dock. Somehow I get the feeling that I needed to do something different. Any suggestions? Thank you all again for your support and guidance.
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