I'm trying to build an intranet with a Internet gateway. But I get bogged down in technical jargon. I'd love to set up a mini I-net for my house and possibly for my employers (I do electrical work) with the works - mail, print, web, file and database services. I've been looking in to Unbuntu's Server software. I need some navigational help and a starting point. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who's looking for help on this subject (intranets). Thanks Steve R.
For the other stuff you mentioned I would start by setting up a fileserver and then add on the other functionality from there. There are a bunch of good walk through articles for new users over at the HowToForge. One for a Ubuntu file server is available at http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu-home-fileserver. The print server would follow next, then web, then database (MySQL?).
Then after you get a little bit of experience and read up a bit on IPTables you could tackle the network routing and gateway pieces.
If we can get enough people together this would be a great presentation piece for a face-to-face meetup. Please checkout the newly created Meetup Group at http://www.meetup.com/The-Salem-LUG-Meetup-Group/
Steve, Even though you're calling it an intranet, you'll still need some standard network hardware, specifcally router(s) and switches. It's possible to convert an old PC to a router, but it's easier(cheaper?) to purchase a Linksys or AirLink101 or whatever-brand router. The router is used to keep networks separate. The router connects to switches, which connect to devices on your local network. As for servers, an older PC can be used. I think you could use a single PC for all your server needs if the PC had a fast enough processor and a large enough hard drive. You would have to decide what constitutes fast enough and large enough. I have read in other Linux forums about people who use 166 MHz Pentium 1's for home network servers. I've never used Ubuntu server, so I can't make any expert comments about it. I've played with Ubuntu Live CDs though, and find that newer versions of Ubuntu don't always like older hardware. If you have trouble installing the newest version, you could try installing an older version and upgrading to the newer. I hope this helps a little bit. Dick Dery