This may sound a bit stupid , but I am going to set up a kind of cybercafe and am wondering if it would be possible to have linux on all m/c but run vmware to run the cafe as the program I want to use only runs on windoze. I was thing that if they broke out of the system or a virus/worm was let loose they would only damage the vmware dir and maybe have a more secure system. Any ideas on this? B.Rumsey -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
"B.Rumsey" wrote:
This may sound a bit stupid , but I am going to set up a kind of cybercafe and am wondering if it would be possible to have linux on all m/c but run vmware to run the cafe as the program I want to use only runs on windoze. I was thing that if they broke out of the system or a virus/worm was let loose they would only damage the vmware dir and maybe have a more secure system. Any ideas on this?
Don't take this the wrong way, but from the sound of what you say I think you may need a bit more experience in sysadmin work before trying to set up a cybercafe. As it happens, myself and some friends have been hatching plans to do a similar thing, and the consensus we came to (which we might one day act upon, if we ever all get fed up with our current employers at the same time!) was this: Run the cybercafe off Linux. Use the standard tools that come with Linux to do this - ie: SuSE comes with pretty much all the services you need to run an ISP let alone a cybercafe, mail, news web/ftp proxying, firewalling, masquerading if you want it, etc. You can really configure your firewall to incredible precision with Linux. Keep up to date with the security announcements (that way you find out things like Sendmail.Org releasing a module for sendmail to block the ILOVEYOU virus the day after the virus itself appeared). For the machines the users themselves use, we reckoned the best thing was to use iMacs - they're bloody fast, they're very easy to use in their own right, and they have the important MS software to keep people happy - IE, OE, Office etc., (and as a side-benefit, Outlook Express on the Macintosh is not vulnerable to these viruses). Also, SuSE are coming out with a version of Linux which runs on them too, which is nice. :-) Keep Windows out of the picture entirely, is what I say. It's just too much of a security risk *especially* as you'll have strangers on the *inside* of your network as well as outsite, let alone the reliability problems you *will* have. NT is quite reasonable and reliable, but only under relatively light loads. Once things get busy, it starts to crumble. And I respectfully suggest that if you need to buy a "cybercafe program" to run a cybercafe, then you really need to learn more about networking. :-) You really want to be able to look after yourself in this sphere. The investment in self-training and gaining the expertise now will make life a *lot* more pleasant in the future. VMWare is nice technology, but I don't think it'll serve you well in the use you're imagining. If you really want to run your cybercafe off NT, you're better off running it on real machines. VMWare won't protect you against viruses in any way that keeps the system at all useful. -- Rachel -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/Support/Doku/FAQ/
participants (2)
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brumsey@world-net.co.nz
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rachel.greenham@enetgroup.co.uk