Topic: Is there an x Windows for SME 7

[steve288]

Can anyone tell me if there is an xwindow  and internet browser for sme.

 I find it hard to use lynx.

Regards

[CharlieBrady]

Can anyone tell me if there is an xwindow  and internet browser for sme.

No. SME server is a server and gateway distribution, it's not a workstation.

[steve288]

I recogonze that but sometimes when Iwant to download something or test some things lynx for example isnt very easy to see.

Regards.

[raem]

steve288

>...I want to download something....

use wget to download files
do
man wget
for usage syntax
or search these forums and howtos for many examples of its usage

[william_syd]

I recogonze that but sometimes when Iwant to download something or test some things lynx for example isnt very easy to see.

Regards.

Try elinks as well.

Or look at

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=32204.0

However, wget is good except for downloading files hidden behind scripts.

[steve288]

Thanks I will take a look at it.

Regards

[hendrikus]

Hi,

I just installed the SMEserver, I like the concept and I'm sure I will do some development on it, I'm agree with the statement that a server needs a userinterface so I have the problem steve288 has, an answer like

No. SME server is a server and gateway distribution, it's not a workstation.

is for me too easy, in my opinion the server has to be a tool for business managers and not nessesaraly for linux specialists.

I'm using now a OpenSuse server with a very minimal 'fluxbox' userinterface just to use Yast, I like the desktop apps to control quickly diskspace use, memory use, network trafic, temp of the cpu, drives and other controls without tying all kind of linux codes. Why suffering when you can do it easyer.

The intention is to install this server in small and medium enterprises, mostly companies who have no system manager, why it's such a blame to use a graphical user interface.... ok, you don't need to install office applications, but a webbrowser, a editor other than vi is no problem in my opinion.

I have no problem puting 1 Gb internal memory extra in my server when I'm able to do my job easyer.

Regard's
Hendrikus

[CharlieBrady]

... in my opinion the server has to be a tool for business managers and not nessesaraly for linux specialists.

That's exactly what the web management interface(server-manager) is for. Have you read the User Guide?

[hendrikus]

Dear CharlieBrady

I growed up with VAX VMS after that I enjoyed the graphical userinterfaces when I worked for Silicon Graphics, real evolution.... do I realy need to use al these commando's again to simply mount harddisks, install RPM's, printers and other equipment ? I didn't saw that in the server-manager, a centos userinterface would perform this perfect. Just enjoy the 20 year improvement.

... in my opinion the server has to be a tool for business managers and not nessesaraly for linux specialists.

That's exactly what the web management interface(server-manager) is for. Have you read the User Guide?

I'm sure I will install a user interface, just to make simple tasks easyer and being able translate this in the local language.    i will tell it nobody ok.   PS. I allready translated the user guide  

Friendly regard's
Hendrikus

[bpivk]

hendrikus instead of naging you could just tell us what you really want and what do you know... maybe we already have a contrib for your needs. You can enhance the server-manager pannel with them (stock doesn't cut it for me).

You said that you don't want to install trough yum via ssh but trough interface... well you can find a contrib for that.

P.S.: I installed my printer trough interface and it worked quite well.

[hendrikus]

Hi,

I just try to change the strange opinion that a server don't need a graphical X userinterface. I love the concept of the SMEserver, a perfect product and it seems to fit for many companies here in Indonesia. If I want to learn my employees LINUX commands, it's a difficult taks. A X interface on the console could make the SMEserver even a bigger succes. I hoped someone already created a setup for it.

Hendrikus

[raem]

hendrikus

> I just try to change the strange opinion that a server don't need a graphical X userinterface.

sme server has been pared down to a minimal set of features to get the job done securely & reliably. Anything not specifically needed and considered a security risk has been removed.
X on sme is considered a security risk in that unknowing end users could easily tamper with underlying settings & open up security holes.
The supplied GUI server manager has been designed to give end user administrators the tools they need to do most/all required configuration in a practical situation without unnecessarily exposing the command line.

The reasons you quote in asking for an X interface are really not end user administrative tasks, they are a technical system administrator tasks only usually done at the time of setup/install or during major upgrade. As such it is felt that a technical user has (or should have) the knowledge to perform these setups using the command prompt, if they don't then they shouldn't be trying to do that task as they may well break something and/or introduce security holes.


> A X interface on the console could make the SMEserver even a bigger succes.

I don't think anyone will disagree that a X GUI with appropriate command line type commands/menus would make the sme server easier to administer from a technicians viewpoint, but unfortunately it also opens up too many possibilities for (admin type) end users (with root access) to stuff things up.

Further to the above there is the additional work of maintaining the X code and making sure it has no inherent security holes etc.
The developers decided long ago that an X interface had too many issues associated with it so left it out, deliberately.

With X there would also be the temptation to use the server as a workstation which goes against all the principles of good server design & usage.

That's not to say you can't add one in, but the developers and many others would probably advise & prefer you not to, as it only opens another "can of worms" full of potential problems.

There has been a huge amount of work ensuring the security of sme and this is ongoing and the development team is very small. There is not really any desire by the developers as far as I know to implement X as part of the base or even as a add on contrib.


> I hoped someone already created a setup for it.

Having said all the above there were posts in these forums about adding a X interface in the last few months or so, so do a search.

[bpivk]

If i might add to RayMitchell's comment.
If you'd like a x user interface use centos. Sme is great because it's so server oriented that you can do simple day to day (admin) tasks trough server-pannel.

[raem]

hendrikus

> I hoped someone already created a setup for it.

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=32204.0

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=22173.0

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=28241.0

[hendrikus]

Thanks Ray,

I have good reasons for installing X on the server. We replace Windows2003Server systems based on illegal software, these companies having 5 till 20 workstations and mostly a dial-up connection to the internet. Linux don't need a lot of support like Window Servers, but it's hard to provide telephonic support when using a terminal.... and sorry, these companies can't afford a linux expert.

The OpenSuSE server we build was even starting from a flashdisk, running in memory, the harddisks are connected to USB. We did this to easely provide service changing the flashdisk and reboot. When the computer was broken we just swap the FlashDisk and the Harddsiks to another computer. The only problem is that I can't find a Linux expert here to build-in functionality like SME Server.

The choice for these small companies is paying $2300 for a Microsoft license or pays nothing for the software and less for the support.

Additional we install web based OpenSource software to learn them manage their business conform ISO9001 standards This is actionaly the goalsetting.

For workstations we try to implement a modified Slax distribution starts from a flashdisk and using only the server for data. Harddisks fails here within one year because of the electricity condition.

We don't give anyone root permissions to prevent uncontrolled changes. We only provide a kind of dashboard with information about swap, hard disk’s, temp, modem, network and others.... and browser to be able control the server with the server-manager on the server.....  Memory is cheap.... Linux experts are very expensive here.

Regard's Hendrikus