Server Side

Leveraging Linux sounds good, but how do we increase to functionality to the point where we can runn a server that competes with proprietary and costly Microsoft Server services like Active Directory, Windows SQLServer, Remote Desktop Protocol, MS Exchange, and etc?

First: We need to define the functions of a server for a Business, particularly a SME-level organization that cannot leverage scaling costs of tech, but still need networking functions.

1. Authentication/ Directory: IT administrators and management need to be able to control, and track the different permissions users on the network have, without having to configure individual clients' security settings.
2. Email Routing: routes incoming email to each individual user on your directory (routes emails that go to _____@example.org to a specific user in the example organization).
3. File Sharing: This is the biggie in SMEs. Files need to be accessible to multiple users in the organization. Flash drives just don't cut it.
4. Database. If the organization does any operations at all, it must maintain records of clients, vendors, employees, inventories, products, sales, and many more. The easiest way to manage these is by using a SQL-based database management tool on your server.
5. Web Services. If you are running a website, it has to route to a server in order to retrieve the data that is displayed on the browser.
6. Peripherals:

• Print server: Most printers nowadays can connect directly to the network and are designed to be plug-and-play. Unless you have an old printer that needs a network driver to work on a network, a print server is unnecessary.
• DNS server: If you are a SME, your ISP will provide DNS services automatically. Unless you have a couple of IP destinations that you want to name, it is unnecessary.
• DHCP server: DHCP assigns dynamic IP addresses to machines connected to the network. Again, this is provided by your router/ modem that your ISP provides. This is unnecessary unless you want to manually setup your own IP addresses.

For network mapping services: NMAP
Install NMAP - this is equivalent to a IP Scanner. Use:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nmap

To do a fast scan on an IP range,

nmap -F 192.168.1.1-254

NMAP Cheat Sheet

• https://hackertarget.com/nmap-cheatsheet-a-quick-reference-guide/

For remote desktop services:
For Remote Desktop (For remote users, and remote technical support), AnyDesk and Teamviewer can be downloaded and used for free (Personal use). For remote desktop for remote users, one can utilize the RFB protocol through RealVNC Open, an open source, free, compatible program used in VNC (Virtual Network Computing) to share screens.

What is the LAMP solution stack?
LAMP : Linux, Apache HTTP server, MySQL relational database manager, PHP programming language.
This solution stack uses the open-source components above to operate servers, not limited to hosting web services, mailing lists, database management, and user interface (GUI).

• https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-linux-apache-mysql-php-lamp-stack-on-ubuntu-16-04

Ubuntu Server
The Ubuntu Server Version is free, like Ubuntu to download and install onto a server machine/ cloud server. It does not come with a graphical user interface, and most commands are done in the terminal.


PostgreSql