Server-Bits #2: Routers and DynDNS

Ok! Now that you have a working Ubuntu box, we need to forge a path to get to it from the outside. This tutorial will be... well.. completely and utterly useless unless you follow the next one. Especially the next one. The first thing we need to do is set up your router to forward ports. You should become extremely familiar with this process, as you'll be doing a great deal of port forwarding over the next few tutorials.
The first thing you will want to do is head over to PortForward.com, look up your router model, follow the general instructions.

The basic ports you should forward are:

• 22 - SSH
• 80 - HTTP

For now... This list will grow as we add more to your server.

Now... We need to get you off of that bare IP address, and onto a domain name. Sure, you could spend the $10 bucks a year to buy out a .com domain name, but this tutorial is based around the idea that you want to spend as little as possible. This is where DynDNS comes in. Head over to DynDNS.com and create yourself a free account. Go ahead and go to the "My Hosts" section and add a new hostname.

Now... this is the important part: Naming. Go ahead, no rules here, one of the most pivitol moments in creating your network will be naming your network. Service type can remain at "Host with IP Address", and go ahead and use your external IP address. You can leave "Mail Routing" unchecked for now. It will take a bit for the DNS records to propagate throughout the internet. I've had this process take 10 minutes, I've had this process take 4 hours. Just sit back, have a mug of coffee, and enjoy yourself, you are well on your way to having a workable server.

We will get to testing your domain in the next tutorials.

Still coming up:

• SSH
• Web Server (Apache2)
• Wordpress
• FTP
• Streaming Music Server (Sockso)
• Remote Bittorrent Administration (Transmission)
• and more...

About Server-Bits:

If you've ever wanted to get started building a server, right in your own backyard, kitchen, closet, mother's closet, mother's basement, then this is the read for you. Aimed at the not-so-technical-but-willing-to-learn, this will give you everything you need to build... that monster-server you've dreamed of. My goal: To give you a working, rocking server, for free, that you can use daily.

Server-Bits BONUS: Encrypted LVM Explained

Here is a brief walkthrough of how Encrypted LVM works on boot.

1. The /boot partition is mounted.
2. The /boot partition attempts to mount the physical volume for encryption (crypto-disk).
3. The system asks the user for their password.
4. Upon entering a successful password, the Logical Volume Manager takes over and mounts the / (root) and swap partitions.
5. The system continues the boot process.
6. When the system is shut down, the filesystems are all unmounted.
7. The root and swap partitions cannot be mounted/decrypted without the proper password, keeping your data secure.

About Server-Bits:

If you've ever wanted to get started building a server, right in your own backyard, kitchen, closet, mother's closet, mother's basement, then this is the read for you. Aimed at the not-so-technical-but-willing-to-learn, this will give you everything you need to build... that monster-server you've dreamed of. My goal: To give you a working, rocking server, for free, that you can use daily.

Server-Bits #1: Setting Up Ubuntu

Screenshot-1,
originally uploaded by samurailink3.

First up: Setting up Ubuntu with Encryption or: How I learned to stop

worrying and love the AES cipher.

Before you begin there are a few things this guide will assume:

1. You have a computer capable of running Ubuntu Linux 9.10.
2. You have a router with the ability to port forward.
3. Your internet connection is of Broadband capacity or better.
4. You don't want to spend any money, or you want to spend as little as possible.

First thing you will need to do is download and burn an Ubuntu 9.10 Alternate Install Disk. [Why the Alternate install disk? I, personally, like to encrypt my server hard drives. This is completely optional, and the 'normal' install disk is faster/easier to install, but this guide will walk through the alternate install disk for encryption purposes.]

Go ahead and step through the ["Server-Bits

1"](http://www.flickr.com/photos/samurailink3/4203725161/) photo set on

Flickr to run through the tutorial.

About Server-Bits:

If you've ever wanted to get started building a server, right in your own backyard, kitchen, closet, mother's closet, mother's basement, then this is the read for you. Aimed at the not-so-technical-but-willing-to-learn, this will give you everything you need to build... that monster-server you've dreamed of. My goal: To give you a working, rocking server, for free, that you can use daily.

Current Work

I'm writing up a new section called "Server Bits". They will be easy-to-understand how-to guides on building a server. Stay tuned...

Tutorials?

Looking for new content to write about. I've got an amount of time in my day that I'd like to spend ranting, raving, and explaining about various projects I've got on my plate. Only one problem: I have no idea where to begin. That's why I need you to tell me. What do you want to read about? It could be anything from, "I want to build a media server" to "How to synchronize various folders/disks/filesystems easily" to "I want to make a DOOM server". Anything that's doable and you think I could be pretty apt at explaining. Remember, Linux is a plus, but anything that works across multiple operating systems is great too. I could even cover programs or general "I want to do this..." computer questions. Leave a comment! Go! Its up to you now.
I'm just letting you know... we're counting on you.