Need some help badly!

[Dustin Eward]

Roadburner wrote:

>Hello all,
>
> I am trying to make a reliable service to repay those that have helped me
> in the past. Today I brought home a Dell 3.2 Ghz PC with Windows
> pre-installed. I have no problems changing the OS.
>
> I also bought a battery backup for it. Seems intermittent power outages
> and constant barrage of OS updates wreak havoc with my XP Tor node.
>
> The box will be devoted to Tor and I hope a Type 3 remailer. It will just
> kind of sit on my home network doing its thing (without interruption I
> hope). I have a KVM to switch between the two.
> 
> I have a reasonable bandwidth with Comcast, and reasonable financial
>outlays
> to accomplish what I want are not out of the question.
>
> Question is, where the heck do I start? I am a PhD in EE but not computer
> science. Linux, Unix, Wine, very confusing. I spend a lot of time at work
> so I really need help. I just can't spare the time from my business.
>
> Help!!!!! Anyone please!!!
>
>  
>
Start here: http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml  Read 
the whole thing about 3 times, and then go download a livecd iso!  ;-)

Tor is a good cause, I'm glad you've decided to make this effort.  My 
box is up 24/7/365, no accounting.

I highly recommend you try Gentoo for this system, other distros are 
just too bloated and difficult to secure.  Gentoo gives you only what 
you need, unless you ask it for more.  See if there is someone local to 
you who is familiar with the Gentoo distro.  It's touted as a tough nut 
to crack, but it's what I learned on.  Their documentation is 
impeccable.  Even if you don't understand a word of it, just cut and 
paste the commands and it'll work; and you'll be learning what most 
distros don't teach.

I'm sure you can find someone familiar with Gentoo at a local Linux User 
Group.  I know they'd be more than happy to help you get a box going.  
It's not even half as daunting as you may have heard.

There are many distros that are "easier" to install, but you'll be in 
the dark when bad things happen.  And they will.  With Gentoo, you'll 
know how to fix things before you even get it installed.

My $0.02 anyway.