Need Advise. Should I install X-Windows, & what tape B/U to use? 1

[bkonner]

Hi,

I have configured my first RedHat 7.0 Linux server. It is running great. I have SendMail running, along with the Apache Server. To allow remote administration, I installed Webmin which is working real well.
(This web page has been very, VERY, helpful in setting up this server!!!)

I have not configured a tape backup program yet. I have a Compaq DAT SCSI tape drive. I found a commerical program, though I am not sure I want to use it since I have some issues with Computer Associates. Nevertheless, I have two questions.

1, Should I install X-Windows? (the server has 384 megs of ram with a Pentium III 800 CPU and two mirrored SCSI hard drives--36.2 Gigs each--mirrored using hard ware RAID 1)

2, What would you recommend for a tape backup program. I have found a couple of programs supported by RedHat, ie, in the following directory: /usr/share/doc/mt-st-0.5b is a program. I don't know much about it.

What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

[Tardigrade]

In answer to Q1...

I'ts not usually neccessary to install X on a dedicated server mainly because it's a bit of a resource hog and you can do everything you need to without it. Although the set-up you mentioned would be more than adeqaute to handle it.

If you are remotely administering the server from another linux box you can use X forwarding over ssh which only requires a couple of the X components on the remote server this can be slow over a dialup connectionbut there are compression protocols available which speed things along a bit check out

http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/Remote-X-Apps.html

If you do put X on your server you should consider VNC which allows you to remote-control almost any platform from almost any platform, check out

http://www.tridiavnc.com/

(there are others available - do a search)

 

[ianf]

hi bkonner,

For backups I've always stuck to the unix utilities like ufsdump, tar, cpio, and the like. Never had any problems in the commercial/mission critical sense. They may not be pretty but they do the job time after time (and they're free !). Just set them to run from the crontab and all you ever need to do then is change tapes (touch wood). Bells & whistles, your backup script can include mail to backup administrator (or whoever) of a backup log, pager message to notify of success, etc, etc. I've never actually scripted those things myself, I've always been close at hand, but I know plenty of people who have.

Why pay again for flashy CPU hogs when you already have the tools you need there ?

I'll get off my hobby horse now ! Ian

"IF" is not a word it's a way of life