The next installment...

With an idea of what we wanted to do, the hardware to do it with, and the software to make it all happen, what could go wrong? LOL A lot!... as it turned out.

Anopenmind.ca is all about free and open source software, so it was important to use these types of software in the construction of the site. We decided on Ubuntu OS, MySQL for the database, Apache web server, and phpBB3 for the forum developer. All are licensed under GPL general public license for open source software.

Everything should have been OK, except that the server hardware we had purchased was configured as RAID 5 (more on this here), and the hardware configuration required ServeRAID 6i... I know, this is getting kinda technical, but after we reviewed the requirements, we realised that the software configuration wasn't going to go as easily as it had on the test set-up. We got the machine through POST, which was great, then installed Ubuntu OS, which was a challenge. Apache and MySQL went (relatively) without a hitch, but then the system wouldn't recognise the router. We learned a lot that day. It would, however, be pointless sharing those results here, as every configuration is unique to the hardware and software requirements.

After getting everything to work together (about 4 hours of work), we said thanks to our network friend, fed him supper, and then sent him home to his wife! We tried to connect to the server through a WiFi laptop, but couldn't get past the firewall. It turned out that, because of our ISP, we had to give the router permissions through the firewall to allow port 8000 - 80 is the default, but most residential ISPs won't allow server traffic through port 80. So, we had a connection and the design of the site forums began.

There were a couple of things with the board that we wanted to change, and I thought "Well, I am fairly well versed in HTML and Basic programming. I'll do the mod myself." Wrong, wrong, wrong. We had spent two weeks creating the forums, modifying the look of the board template, and got everything tweaked just right. When I did the board mod, however, the ACP disappeared! I couldn't access anything, not under standard log in, admin., moderator, nothing. All gone, at the press of the Enter key. So, back on the phone again to our network friend. He reconfigured phpBB3 for us, and off we went again.

I have to say this has been, and continues to be, a really interesting project. Next up... SEO.

You can see the results we've achieved so far by visiting us at Anopenmind.ca. Register, give us your feedback, take advantage of the forums... We'd love to see you there.

CUL8R

And then came the server...

So, we started our hunt for the server. We're lucky, in that we have a few friends who really know what they are talking about when it comes to hardware. We were also lucky enough to find an excellent dealer on ebay with a great reputation, who was selling a server that met our needs to a T! And they were great to work with too. We called them, explained what we wanted to do, and they advised that the server would handle it easily.

We called our friend the programmer, and told him we had the server on order. He said he would start setting up a dummy server on his laptop at home to get the settings sorted out, so that by the time the server arrived he would be ready to go with (hopefully) no issues.

The server arrived within a week! And it was heavy! It was a 6U unit (U is a standard measurement for server height, based on how much space it would take up in a rack). 90lbs is a heck of a lot of weight to carry down a flight of stairs! Anyway, we got it into the basement and made a work station area for it.

Our programmer friend arrived a couple of days later and, sure enough, we hit glitch after glitch trying to set up Ubuntu with Apache server and MySql. But, eventually we (he!) got it done and everything was running smoothly.

While we were waiting for the server, we decided we needed a domain name. We chose anopenmind.ca because it really expressed what we were trying to achieve - it was a metaphor for being open-minded towards software usage, and it spoke to those who were already using open source or free software alternatives. We looked for a domain registrar and found one to register the name for $20! This will be an annual fee, and will increase as the value of the site increases - that's just a cost of doing business, so to speak. We also discovered that there are special rules that apply to .ca domains, and an extra registration process that must be completed before the domain is approved for use over the Internet.

So, we had the server, the domain registered, the software installed, and now we were ready to go, right? Well... not quite. More in the next installment... we know, you can't wait, right?

CUL8R

Beyond the theory...

So, after much mulling and discussion, we hatched a plan. We needed a host.

Topic... do we buy a server and host ourselves, or go with an online monthly/annual service fee? We looked fairly carefully online for a reliable, reputable domain host at a reasonable cost.

The free or low cost hosts either had a poor review or ridiculous restrictions - bandwidth choked to a bare minimum, storage so low you'd be losing data every 6 months. We really expect to get a lot of traffic and members at anopenmind.ca, so these limitations were tough for us to justify, even at free or very low monthly cost. So, what about the services that don't choke the life out of you or charge ridiculous over-storage/excess bandwidth fees?

Well, most of them were unaffordable. We didn't want to ask for donations on the site - I'm not a fan of sites that do that - and advertising is not a reliable source of income. So, most of the cost would be coming out of pocket.

OK, option 2 - buy a server. This is what we did, which led to an even more interesting exercise... we had to learn about the different types of server, server software compatibility, RAID options, and so on and so on... Stay tuned.

CUL8R

From the beginning...

So, I got this idea that I wanted to create a website - www.anopenmind.ca - for people who use or want to use open source or free software. I know, there's loads of forums out there, but not a single location where you can find a link and get support for the heinz57 of freeware and open source software. So, I created one. Now all I have to do is let people know that it exists, and have them come take a look, register, and start talking.

This blog will talk about the process, from start to finish, with the idea of helping others do the same thing for the website of their choice.

It all began last Christmas. My wife and I were sitting around talking about computers, software... I'm a bit of a technofreak (bugs her to death LOL), and I am always looking for opportunities to make my tech stuff work in a less money-bound way. For example, I have a Smartphone (Samsung Omnia), but I didn't like the default OS (Winmo 6.1) so I surfed around and found a few sites that talked in general about modding the phone, using various software for support, and some of the sites even had forums. I was really pleased, and set about modding my phone. Then I downloaded some other software (apps) but had to go to other websites for support of those applications. I realised that this was common for most software. If you wanted the software and the support for more than one software, you had to visit multiple sites. Why not have this all available on one site?

So, like I said, my wife and I were sat discussing this. Free and open source software, all from one location, with experts signing up to help others (like myself) who needed help using the software. The germination of an idea began...

CUL8R