How to Configure and Manage OWA on Exchange Server 2007

Mobile messaging has become widely used since the release of Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2), which provided much needed functionality. SP2 has been able to offer remote access users much of the same functionality as users working within the network.
Outlook Web Access (OWA) provides remote users access to their messaging system via any compliant web browser, making mobile messaging universally accessible to any user with a browser enabled device.


The release of Outlook Web Access 2007 further increases the functions available to the remote user, including:

• Out of office messaging
• Scheduling assistant
• Access to SharePoint documents within the browser
• Web-ready document viewing within the browser
• Access to managed e-mail folders
• Voice and fax access via UM
• Search access to GAL
• Access to RSS feeds

Configuration and Management Tools

OWA is made available via the Exchange Server, deployed in the client access server role. There are five tools available to manage and configure OWA:

• the Exchange Management Console graphic interface
• the IIS Manager
• direct registry configuration settings using the Registry Editor
• the Outlook Web Access Web Administration tool
• the Exchange Management Shell which provides command line and automated plug-ins

Some settings are only configurable via certain tools; settings, such as the PublicClientTimeout, TrustedClientTimeout, and SSLOffloaded values can only be configured by using the Registry Editor.

Configuring the Virtual Directories

When you install the client server access role on the Exchange Server, four default virtual directories are created to be used by Outlook Web Access. The directories are:

• /owa – which is used for mailbox access
• /Public – used to access public folders
• /Exchange – used to access mailboxes and provide backwards compatibility
• /Exadmin – which provides access for administrative settings and properties

These directories are usually sufficient for most deployments, but you can create additional virtual directories if you require them using the New-OWAVirtualDirectory command. Note that the forms based auth and secure socket layer encryption enabled by default in the /owa virtual directory will not apply to the new directory and these security services must be enabled manually.

Simplifying the OWA URL

Users like simplicity and simplicity reduces the need for tech support from the IT helpdesk. The URL that users use to access their mailbox via OWA can be simplified using the IIS manager. The process simply employs an http redirect and you can also set the IIS web page to automatically send the user to the secure http URL.
Simply create the html redirect code to URL=https://servername/exchange, open the IIS manager and program the redirect in the properties of the default web site.

Modifying Attachment Handling Settings

A new service introduced in Exchange Server 2007 is Web Ready Document Viewing, which allows users accessing the messaging servers via OWA to view certain types of common documents rendered within the browser.
The document types include Word, PDF, Excel and PowerPoint. You can use either the Exchange Management Console or the Set-OwaVirtualDirectory command under the manager shell. In the console, the settings are located under Web Ready Document Viewing settings under the OWA properties in the server properties Client Access settings.
Public and private file access can be configured to either allow access, block access, or force save the file to the client’s device before viewing. All attached files with either a default or a known file extension, are by default set to one of these three options.
You can also choose one of the options for unkown file extensions. Again, you can either use the Exchange Management Console or the Set-OwaVirtualDirectory command under the manager shell.
In the console you can set the file name extensions in the allow, block or force save list under the Direct File Access settings page. To modify the list you must select Customize direct file access and Direct file access must be enabled. There are two sets of settings, one for public file access and one for private file access.
Available only in Outlook Web Access Premium client, SharePoint and Windows File Share (UNC) integration provides read-only access to documents. Administrators can configure OWA to allow or block access on individual servers, allow or block access from private or public computers, create a list of remote servers to be treated as internal (only documents on internal host can be accessed via OWA), and allow or block access using segmentation.
To set access to individual servers simply add the host name to the block or allow list under Remote File Servers in the OWA configuration settings. You can also use the Set-OwaVirtualDirectory command in the manager shell.
To allow or block private or public computers, enable or disable the Windows SharePoint Services or Windows File Shares under the OWA setting. You can also enable or disable via the command shell using the Set-OwaVirtualDirectory command.
To add a domain suffix to be treated as internal, simply add the suffix to the list of domain suffixes to be treated as internal under the Remote File Server tab in OWA settings. To set access to individual virtual directories or to individual users you must use the command shell commands Set-OwaVirtualDirectory and Set-CASMailbox respectively.
Other configuration and management tasks for OWA include: configuring authentication methods, modifying language and character handling settings, configuring Gzip compression settings and disabling Web Beacons.
But we’ll save these for another time …

Top 10 New Features in Exchange Server 2010

It’s difficult to read any technical journal or website today without finding stories on cloud computing. In an effort to reduce costs and network complexity, some organizations are opting to move at least some software or services to the cloud.
In response to this need, Microsoft released the first new version of Microsoft Exchange since 2006.
Exchange 2010 has a lot to offer including more flexibility, a better user experience, simplified administration, and much more.

What’s New in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

Exchange has been known for its extensive feature list, including: email, calendars, contacts, and storage management.
With the 2010 update, they have addressed a few long standing issues and included additional functionality to help solve a crop of new, modern business problems.
The benefits? Unification, lowered costs, higher availability, and improved security.
Let’s review the top 10 new features.

1. Webmail

The new outlook web access (OWA) webmail client allows for delegation of administrative tasks. It also includes updated self-help options, intended to reduce help desk calls and ultimately, costs.
The Exchange Control Panel allows users to set their own email rule-set, create distribution groups, and track message delivery. And, if you lose your phone, you can remote wipe from your browser.
Another import feature is the inclusion of support for Firefox and Safari as well as Internet Explorer.

2. Legal Hold

By now, most corporate employees are aware that email should not be considered private. In fact, email has been subpoenaed for court cases.
But corporate policies that outline conflicting message retention dictates make balancing legal requirements against increasing storage costs, a challenge. In response, Exchange now has a legal hold feature that allows for the retention of email, even if archived or deleted.

3. Multi-Mailbox Search

As a tie-in to the legal hold feature, the multi-mailbox search function will allow for searches spanning multiple users’ inboxes. This feature will prove useful for enterprises that need to search their entire systems, perhaps based off a few keywords.

4. Exchange Control Panel

The Exchange Management Console and Exchange Management Shell have been joined by the Exchange Control Panel. This is a new, user-level and administrator management tool that lets users perform basic tasks, and allows admins to perform tasks remotely, using a web interface.
The more an end user is able to accomplish with help desk intervention, should translate to lower costs.

5. Database Availability Groups

Exchange 2010 introduces the concept of database availability groups. The idea is to allow you to designate multiple servers to host copies of individual databases. This is a feature designed to provide for a type of automatic backup. If one database fails, data can easily be restored from one of the availability groups.
This will definitely prove to be an essential tool for business critical email.

6. Database-Level Failover

In previous Exchange versions, a failure would affect an entire cluster. But with the 2010 update, a database failure will be contained to only that database.

7. Voice Mail Transcription

Instead of storing email messages only as sometimes difficult to access attachments, Exchange 2010 now has a speech recognition engine that will automatically transcribe voice mail messages.
The message will still appear as an attachment, which will allow for indexing, but will include a written text preview of the message.

8. Call answering rules

At some point, we’ve all encountered an automated attendant, directing us to press an option on our keypads to handle call routing. This nifty feature has found its way to the end user.
Call Answering Rules allows employees to setup their own call routing rules. For instance, they can send certain calls to voice mail, to their cell or home phones, or to ring through to their desks.

9. Personal Archive

Users in this version of Exchange have a new tool to help manage often unruly inboxes.
Personal archive allows for essentially two mailboxes — a primary mailbox and an archive mailbox. The archive is as readily available and easily browsed as the primary inbox.

10. Retention Policies

With the new retention policies in Exchange 2010, users can determine when messages should expire. This can be done at the folder or individual message level.
Permissions can be tricky and determining resources access requirements can be a time-consuming activity. However, using role-based access control greatly simplifies this process.
Rather than assigning permissions, an administrator can indicate tasks that a resource will perform. The appropriate permissions will then be assigned automatically.

Try Exchange Server 2010

If you think this sounds like an impressive feature list, you’re not alone. An Azaleos survey finds that 44% of enterprises plan to migrate to Exchange Server 2010 within 18 months. Which means that you must be ready for Exchange 2010 if you want to be a part of the action.
Microsoft is providing you with three ways to try Exchange 2010 for free:

• 120 day software trial download
• 60 day web-based test drive
• 30 day online trial

Cloud Computing 101: Private vs Public Cloud

The “cloud” is a term with a debatable meaning. Even in the enterprise, surveys have revealed that there are some who have yet to develop a clear understanding of cloud computing. A recent survey by Virtacore Systems published in this CompTIA SmartBrief estimates that 48% of IT professionals at mid-sized companies don’t understand what the term actually means.
Perhaps some of the confusion comes from the fact that there are two types of clouds: public and private. Let’s take a closer look at what the main differences are between private and public clouds and later, what you should take into consideration when looking for a cloud computing provider.

Private vs Public Clouds

A public cloud is one in which a service provider serves customers, with functionality like applications, infrastructure, and storage. These services are available to businesses and individuals over the Internet. Public cloud services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage model; sometimes it’s referred to with the -aaS acronym, meaning “as a Service” as in IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service). More on this here: What Cloud Computing Really Is.
This is a scalable service provided by a vendor, designed to be easier to setup and administer with less cost, in addition to reducing waste from lesser used data center resources.
The idea is to eliminate physical location from the data and system access equation. Data from several corporate or individual clients are segmented but do share server space — called, co-location.

The private cloud describes an internal computing model and architecture which provides hosted services similar to those of the public cloud, but reserved for corporate users and those that are approved; essentially, a private cloud is not open to the public and us usually setup behind a firewall. In a sense, this turns the IT department into the service provider or vendor for cloud resources. For those interested in reaping the benefits of virtualized cloud architecture, yet needing more control and security, this is a popular option.
Virtualization and data center automation allows for the scalability, maximizing hardware usage, and flexibility to support internal corporate clients. And, if your organization is so inclined, metering also allows you to charge departments based on their usage.

Top 5 Things to Look for In A Cloud Computing Provider

For many organizations, the benefits of the public cloud outweigh the risks. But before making a decision on shifting an application or service to the cloud, there are a few things to consider. The first question is whether or not the intended application is suitable for use in a cloud-based setting.
Assuming your application has been deemed a good candidate for the cloud, the second consideration is who to trust with your data.
So here are the top 5 things you should consider when selecting a public cloud vendor.

#1 Is the company viable?

Before handing over your critical applications and data, an important first step is to assess the financial viability of the company. Find out how long the company has been in business. Given the relative immaturity of this market, it may be unlikely to find vendors with several decades of presence, but you almost certainly don’t want a company that has just set up shop either. In addition, look for any indicators of past or future economic issues, along with frequent leadership changes.

#2 Are service level agreements offered?

For organizations entrusting mission critical data to a vendor, you’ll want to ensure that your systems will not suffer from frequent or extended outage periods. Downtime can have disastrous consequences both in terms of financial loss and damage to company reputation. For this reason, a service level agreement with negotiable terms, should be available. This agreement should outline provisions for everything from server or software issues, to more detailed disaster recovery plans.

#3 Is customer service a priority?

One guarantee with corporate networks is that something often can and will go wrong. In these instances, it is imperative that the vendor respond quickly, efficiently, and professionally. You should determine things like: response times, dedicated vs. general support, and phone/email/chat availability. Depending on the nature of the application that the vendor hosts, you may find that a dedicated support engineer, with 24×7 availability better suits your needs than calling a general help line and waiting in a call queue.

#4 Will my customers have the same level of performance?

Another issue cited with cloud services is the perceived negative performance impact. Customers and employees have an expectation that no matter where data is housed, they will enjoy the same level of performance. The cloud provider should be able to define how they measure performance and be able to provide real-time and ongoing measurements and statistics to back this up.

#5 How is security handled?

Perhaps the most frequent reason cited for not pursuing cloud computing is security. Many organizations have invested considerable financial and human resources in order to secure their network environments and the thought of abandoning that level of control and comfort to an unknown entity can seem like an unnecessary gamble. Any reputable vendor should be able to outline their security practices and modify them based on your requirements, particularly as it relates to any industry-specific regulatory requirements you have.

Summary

The decision to pursue cloud computing is one that many organization have or will make as this technology grows and matures. But this decision need not be one fraught with uncertainty. With a little due diligence, and answering a few key questions, you can ensure that your cloud vendor selection is a sound one.

Choosing Between Private and Public Cloud Computing

Are there advantages to having a private cloud network operated within a company’s own infrastructure over having a public cloud? Should smaller companies outsource their servers and information to external public cloud networks like Microsoft’s Azure or Amazon’s Web Services? The difference between public and private cloud computing can be summarized by looking at where the infrastructure or data is being hosted — is it within a company’s own firewall or outside of it? However, the question related to what should a company choose to rely on for its own network and infrastructure is much more complex.
Let’s first take a look at the three main service modules as they relate to cloud computing:

SaaS

Software as a service may refer to something like Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365 which allow you to access productivity suites through the cloud. The advantages are numerous. For example, the cost of this sort of software is generally based on the pay-as-you-go model and this eliminates huge upfront expenses. You don’t have to purchase an entire suite from Microsoft, but instead you can pay a monthly fee for the privilege of having your employees use it. It is also flexible in terms of how many employees have access to the software and the types of features that can be enabled or disabled on demand. In a private cloud, SaaS can also exist within the ranks of the employment force. For example, an e-mail client who is only accessible to the users within the same firewall could fit under private cloud.

IaaS

Infrastructure as a service may reference computers, servers, storage units, and the building blocks of a company’s IT section. IaaS may refer to virtual machines as well as physical hardware.

PaaS

Platform as a service refers to the layer of software hosting that the SaaS sits underneath— and relies on it to function. For example, an operating system can be considered a platform. Many PaaS, including Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), offer a wide range of platforms and operating systems for companies to choose from or alter — thus offering great elasticity and scalability.
According to Amazon’s EC2 description page, “Amazon EC2 presents a true virtual computing environment, allowing you to use web service interfaces to launch instances with a variety of operating systems, load them with your custom application environment, manage your network’s access permissions, and run your image using as many or few systems as you desire.”
Now let’s take a look at public and private cloud computing and compare their advantages or disadvantages as they relate to companies of different sizes and needs.

Public Cloud

For SMBs and startups public cloud computing makes all the sense in the world. These companies often don’t have much capital and have less risk in losing information due to theft or security breaches. For SMBs, cloud computing saves them a lot of money and the need to build extra infrastructure.
Smaller businesses and startups really enjoy the pay-as-you-go flexibility that public cloud offers and the cost savings associated with it. Most service providers, like Amazon with Web Services and EC2, offer a lot of scalability so businesses can scale their operations only to the needs that they have.
For example, if a company’s demand grows and more employees get hired, the public cloud provider will allow the company to have access to more infrastructure as a service and servers hosting the data that will be need for the additional employees.
David Linthicum, CTO and founder of cloud computing consolidation firm, Blue Mountain labs, emphasized this recently in an interview I conducted with him for another story. He said that a company’s workforce should never see a server and should only bring on-site computing devices like laptops to their workplace. The actual infrastructure should be in a public cloud and any computing device — be it a laptop, tablet, or tower PC — should be able to access it.
However, questions arise when you talk about bigger companies or ones with a lot of sensitive data to keep track of. Should they rely on a public cloud option or host their own private cloud?

Private Cloud

Private cloud makes a lot of sense to these bigger companies because it is based on a model where they run their own servers and infrastructure. The idea is to control your own infrastructure and only allow workers within the same firewall to access all the content from the cloud.
Whether or not your company is sharing a network with users outside your firewall is a key part that separates public cloud from private cloud. This may or may not mean the servers are on-site, but connectivity is probably done through a VPN connection and there are a lot of encryptions that keep anyone else from accessing the network. Public clouds also have a lot of security, but your company is sharing software, computing or infrastructure with other companies using the same network.
Another key aspect of private cloud is that management is done within the organization itself. This means that if something goes haywire the company has someone to blame within its own ranks rather than has to rely on the provider of the cloud service to fix the issue.
The private cloud platform can also scale on demand, to the degree to which the company can purchase equipment on a whim. It still makes sense from a financial perspective for any company instead of not using a cloud at all and purchasing all software and hardware upfront.

Hybrid Cloud

There is also another category called the hybrid cloud. This is a form of cloud computing where a company may manage its own infrastructure and thus rely on private cloud for IaaS, but at the same time allow this infrastructure to go outside the firewall for other cloud computing tasks such as SaaS. This model has aspects of both private and public cloud in different areas of the company’s operations. Another example of the hybrid cloud, as outlined by SearchCloudComputing, is if a company uses Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), which is a public cloud service to store archival data, while it relies on in-house storage infrastructure for customer data being used on a daily basis.

Conclusion

Cloud computing is much more complex and varied than meets the eye at first. The idea isn’t just based on an on demand network with freedom of infrastructure accessibility. There are also both self-hosted private cloud networks running within companies’ own ranks, and companies like Amazon that are embracing the cloud for the public enterprise market. It will be a very interesting in the next couple of years to see how bigger companies embrace the public cloud. They are the most reluctant to make the switch due to the fear of loss of control, security, outages, being tied down to an external network, and other things that these enterprises have to consider when choosing an infrastructure. Cloud computing, both public and private, however will continue to evolve and offer more options for both smaller companies and large enterprises.

Guide to Installing and Setting up Linux — The Easy Way

So you want to try Linux but don’t know how. Well, it’s actually pretty simple and you have a few options before deciding to fully commit to a Linux based operating system.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is which Linux distro do you want? I recently read an article on Digg about the top 35 Linux ditros out there.
Don’t worry, I won’t bombard you with all the different choices you have, but the three that you should consider are Ubuntu, Mandriva, and OpenSuse.
I like OpenSuse and Mandriva because of the interface, usability, and because it just looks really cool right off the bat. Ubunto is also a great option and the ease of installation makes it a great choice for any Windows user to try out.
There are a few things that I am going to address in this article:

• I’ll talk about how to use the Live CD so that you can try out Linux without actually installing it
• I’ll also discuss how to do a complete install for those of you who have given up on Windows completely … hey, I don’t blame you, I sympathize
• I will also address another option for those of you who still want to be able to use Windows every now and again while also having Linux

Downloading Ubuntu Linux

The first thing you want to do is go to www.Ubuntu.com and determine how you want to receive your free copy of Ubuntu.
Your options are to either download directly or request a copy through mail. Both options are free but remember, a copy through the mail can take up to 10 weeks. The quick option is to just download it.

You have a few options with the download. The default is the one you will probably want to stick with but you have choices like a 32 bit version of Ubuntu or a 64 bit. Unless you know your graphics card can handle 64 bit graphics I wouldn’t change/or worry about this selection and just stick to 32 bit.
Next you’ll have to select your location. I would just pick whichever location is closest to you and click download. The download will vary depending on your Internet speed but 30-45 min is a good estimate.

Getting Your ISO onto a CD

You’ve downloaded Ubuntu … Now what?
Well what you’ve downloaded was an ISO image. An ISO image is an image of a CD/DVD, so what you need to do is get that ISO image onto a CD. There are a few ways to go about this.
If you have a CD burner on your computer then you probably have software as well. Something like Nero or Toast Titanium will work.
If you don’t have burning software then what you can do is go to CDBurnerXP and download burning software on XP. Follow the steps (each software will be a little different) and ultimately you should see an ISO/burn image option.
Once you have your copy of Ubuntu on a disk it’s time to get the party started!

Try Out The Live CD

With your computer running, go ahead and throw in you copy of Ubunto. A menu will automatically appear with all the options you need — the first being Demo and Full Install.

If you want to demo Ububtu, you will have to restart your computer with the CD in the tray. This is also the best way to install Ubuntu because you have that option in the Demo as well. When your computer reboots it should automatically come up with the Ubuntu menu (pictured below). From there you can go and try Ubuntu without any changes.

Ubuntu will come up and from here you can go ahead and start surfing around.
Do you see the Install icon your desktop? Good! Go ahead and click on that — it’s time to start the install.

Installing Linux Ubuntu

The next question you have to ask yourself is: In or out?
You’ve probably determined by now whether you want to install Ubuntu exclusively on your computer or if you want to install it while keeping Windows. If you haven’t you don’t have much time — make your snap decision now!
The first thing that will come up will be Language preference. Make your selection and click forward.

Next you will have Time Zone selection followed by your keyboard selection.

Pretty simple so far, right?
Your next option will be about Partitioning and there are two options you want to worry about.
Basically, do you want to do a full install of Ubuntu (Guided – use entire disk) or if you have a spare hard drive you will have that option under Guided (just make sure you select the right drive!)
You also have the option to partition your single drive and Ubuntu makes it really easy to use. There is an arrow tool in the middle that you can click and drag and decide for yourself. Just make sure Ubuntu gets at least 10 GB of space; I selected 50/50. Windows will have 50% of the drive and so will Ubuntu.
Once you decide click on the forward button and continue.

Next you will need to enter a name and password for the computer. Almost done!

You also have the option to import some of the documents and settings from your Windows accounts.

The last step is just a review of the installation. If everything looks kosher you can go ahead and click forward.
Note that the installation process will start after this. Go ahead and take a break as the install will take about 30 minutes.

All Done!

Now that wasn’t so bad was it? The install will include everything you need to start using Ubuntu right away (internet, Openoffice.org, etc.).
If you did a complete install your computer will go right into Ubuntu once it reboots. If you installed it alongside Windows, you will be prompted to a selection menu every time your computer starts — you will have to select Windows or Ubuntu.

Don’t Forget To Update

If you have a wired connection then you are good to go and you can start surfing away.
One thing you will want to do is to get some updates. There is a button on the top right corner that will update everything for you. It’s quick and painless and will benefit you for obvious reasons.


That’s all folks and remember there is a ton of Linux distros out there. Not all installs are the same but some are similar in installation, so check them out and make sure you find the right one for you.
Good Luck & Godspeed!

How to Create a Separate Home Partition in Ubuntu Linux

One of the joys of being a Linux user is the flexibility. Virtually every aspect of your system is customizable. Testing and tweaking desktop managers, compiling a new kernel, fearlessly contributing through trial and error, to the open source movement. Yet, all this flexibility is not without its perils.
It’s happened to us all at some point. We’ve tinkered ourselves into a technical abyss rife with grub errors, system freezes, or black screens of death-our systems fried. When all attempts at recovery fail, we sigh, break out our LiveCD and reinstall. While devastating, the pain can become compounded if you have not properly backed up the data residing in your /home directory.

Advantages of a Separate Home Partition

The general consensus among Linux enthusiasts is that the /home directory should be placed on its own partition. There have even been proposals that this be made a part of the default installation process.
The separation accomplishes two things: facilitates cleaner, simpler Linux upgrades and provides a safe haven for your data in the event of a problem with your primary Linux partition. As a side benefit, if you run multiple Linux flavors (i.e. Fedora, openSUSE, Mint, etc.), you’ll be able to use the same /home partition for each of these.
Ubuntu Linux operates on a 6 month release cycle. Clicking the upgrade button in the synaptic package manager will upgrade your distribution – albeit, with varied results. Some upgrades work flawlessly, while others are plagued with problems. Consequently, many agree that a clean install is the preferred option.
A clean install does exactly what the name implies, wiping the hard drive during the installation process. One can easily back up their data and then restore it, but this step can be eliminated if /home is on a separate partition.

Creating a Separate Home Partition in Ubuntu

Convinced? Wondering how to make the change on your existing Ubuntu installation? Great! Without further ado, we’ll walk through the simple steps to repartition your drive, moving your /home directory to its own partition.

It is important to note, that while these steps (or the many variations on them) have been successfully performed many times over, the potential for data loss exists.
It is imperative that you backup your data before you begin. You can use an external drive, online storage systems like Ubuntu One or Dropbox or whatever solution you choose. But I can’t stress the importance of this step enough.

1. Assuming you’ve backed up your data, you’ll need to boot from your LiveCD. Why? Basically, because you can’t alter a partition if it’s mounted. So, after booting, select your language, and then select: try Ubuntu without installing.
2. There are several partition managers available, but for this tutorial, we’re going to be using the Gparted partition manager. From the application menu, click on:
   
   System > Administration > Gparted
   
   
3. When Gparted loads, you’ll see a graphical depiction of all the partitions on your hard drive. You’ll need to decide which partition you want to resize to create space for /home.
   
   
4. Right click the partition you choose and click, Resize/Move
   
   
5. As most important data is stored at the beginning, or the left side of the partition, I suggest you resize from the right side. In terms of size, needs vary depending on the user, but allocate as much room as you can for /home.
   
   Use your mouse and drag left, to resize the partition and then click, Resize/Move.
   
   
6. You should now have a space called unallocated. This will be the home of your new partition. Select this space with your mouse and click on Partition > New from the menu.
   
   Now select the filesystem you want, ideally, this should match your existing file system , ext3 or ext4.
   
   *make note of your partition names, we’ll need these later.
   
   
7. Click Apply twice.
8. Click Close, then Quit.
9. Now we’ll need to tell Ubuntu how to use the new partition. Open up a terminal and type the following commands:
   
   To mount the new partition, (for this example, assuming partitions sda1 and sda2 and file system ext3, yours may be different):

   sudo mkdir /old
   sudo mount -t ext3 /dev/sda1 /old
   sudo mkdir /new
   sudo mount -t ext3 /dev/sda2 /new

   Now backup the old /home and move to the new partition:
   

   cd /old/home
   find . -depth -print0 | cpio –null –sparse -pvd /new/
   sudo mv /old/home /old/home_backup
   sudo mkdir /old/home

   Tell Ubuntu to use the new partition as /home:
   

   sudo cp /old/etc/fstab /old/etc/fstab_backup
   gksudo gedit /old/etc/fstab

   This will open fstab in Gedit, now type the following:
   

   /dev/sda2 /home ext3 nodev,nosuid 0 2

10. Save the Gedit file, exit and reboot. Viola, you should now be using your new separate /home partition!

When Things Go Wrong …

Inevitably, things go wrong. What should you do, you ask?
The Ubuntu forums and IRC channel are an excellent resource. However if you’d like to skip the troubleshooting and start over, type these commands to restore things to their previous configuration:

sudo mkdir /recovery
sudo mount -t ext3 /dev/sda1 /recovery
sudo cp -R /recovery/home_backup /recovery/home
sudo cp /recovery/etc/fstab_backup /recovery/etc/fstab

Creating a separate /home partition may seem like more trouble than it is worth, but in the end, can save you countless hours of exasperated troubleshooting on Ubuntu’s next update.
This isn’t an exercise you should undertake lightly. However, knowing your data is safe and sound is a powerful incentive. Still, as hardware failure looms ever possible, it is best to develop and stick to a consistent backup schedule.

How to Install LAMP in Ubuntu 9.10

There are many reasons that people make the leap from other operating systems to Linux: improved security, embracing open source software, adventure. And then there are programmers, who in their search for a more stable development platform, are drawn to the other side.
PHP has become a popular language for web developers. It’s powerful and easy to learn.
If you would like to set up a web development environment on your computer away from the prying eyes lurking on the Internet, in just a few steps, you can have PHP installed on your Ubuntu system.

What is LAMP?

LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) is an open source Web development platform.
Linux is the operating system, Apache is the web server, MySQL is the database management system and PHP is the language.

PHP vs. Python

PHP was designed primarily as a language for web design. Some of the benefits are its easy integration with HTML, the tons of free scripts available for reuse, and its low learning curve.
And then there are the new frameworks like, CakePHP and CodeIgniter that are designed to aid in rapid development. Opponents though, will point out its inconsistent naming conventions, excessive built-in functions and lazy syntax.
Enter Python. The new kid on the block is rapidly gaining popularity. It is a bit more difficult to setup, but proponents rave about its clean, elegant syntax and large standard library. Its a more general programming language, not specially for web design and uses the Django framework.

LAMP Installation

As is often the case, there are a couple ways to install the LAMP environment.
Command Line:

sudo apt-get install php5 mysql-server apache2

or

sudo tasksel

Press the space bar to select LAMP server. As a lesson from a rather painful personal experience, I implore you to make sure none of the other options are accidentally selected before you proceed.
During the installation, you’ll be asked to enter your MySQL root password. Ensure you use a secure password, including numbers and letters, special characters and remember it — recovery of a lost password is no picnic.

LAMP Installation Checks and Balances

Next, let’s make sure everything is installed properly.

• Apache

In your browser’s address bar, enter this address: http://localhost. You should see the words, “It Works!” in your browser window:

• PHP

Apache is up and running, so we’ll check PHP next. You’ll need to create a file in /var/www called testing.php. Open a terminal and enter:

sudo /var/www/testing.php
restart apache – sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

Now go back to your web browser and enter this address http://localhost/testing.php/. You should see a page displaying version information for your php installation.

Configuring MySQL

In order to use MySQL under the LAMP environment, we need to bind the MySQL database to the localhost IP address – 127.0.0.1. You can verify it with this terminal command:

cat /etc/hosts | grep localhost
cat /etc/mysql/my.cnf | grep bind-address

You should see 127.0.0.1

Optional Install – PHP MyAdmin

If you feel comfortable administering a MySQL database directly, you won’t need to install phpMyAdmin, but I think it makes things easier. You can install phpMyAdmin from the command line. Fire up a terminal windows and type:

sudo apt-get install libapache2-mod-auth-mysql phpmyadmin
select apache2, hit enter, enter MySQL root password from earlier step, create phpMyAdmin password – you can use the same as your MySQL root password

Open your web browser and enter the address http://localhost/phpmyadmin/. You should see a page like this:

PHP Editors

Developers often feel as strong about their editors as they do about the languages they favor. The best way to decide on an editor is to install a few, try them and pick which works best for you. Here are some of the top contenders:

• PHPEdit

PHPEdit is an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for PHP. It has advanced PHP tools, a powerful debugger and real-time syntax checking.
You can check out PHPEdit here.

• Bluefish

Bluefish is my one of the editors I use most. It is used not only for PHP, but a number of other languages. It’s open source, has SFTP support and code highlighting among other benefits.
You can check out Bluefish here.

• GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is also an editor for a variety of file types. It has a large extension library including a project planner, mail and news reader, debugger and calendar.
You can check out GNU Emacs here.

• jEdit

jEdit is one that I tried and set aside quickly, but your experience may be different. It has hundreds of plugins that help extend the editor’s functionality and is a very mature product.
You can check out jEdit here.

• Netbeans

NetBeans is an open source IDE built in Java. It supports several languages in addition to PHP, including C, C++ and JavaScript.
You can check out NetBeans here.

• Vim

Vim is an advanced text editor, based on the still widely used Vi Unix editor, along with a more complete feature set. Check it out here.
You can check out Vim here.

Programming in Ubuntu

For those new to PHP, there are a plenty of resources online to help you get up to speed. I recommend you start at the PHP main website, then move on to Sitepoint’s PHP Forum and w3 Schools PHP tutorial.
Happy coding.