Future target

It looks like you are interested in working with servers. If you have the resources, I would try to build a server or two from some parts. You already have Server 2003, so that's a decent place to start. If you can, partition your hard drive or get a second one to put a Linux distro to play with too. If you've never used Linux before, give Ubuntu a try, it's a good spin-off of Debian. Suse Linux is also a good distro for new Linux users. Hopefully, you have a personal computer too, so all you would need to do to get a basic network is a switch, or a router if you want to get into routing.

I'm sure your money is tight going to school, so I'm trying to think of affordable rigs. Just build it up as you have more money. Build everything from the ground up, including the cables, and your server(s), and that should give you a good taste of the basics.

I'm sure your money is tight going to school, so I'm trying to think of affordable rigs. Just build it up as you have more money.

Im second year at collage and i also have a part-time job which pays sort of generous rates lol. Im saving for my own personall computer which i should get sometime this year, hopefully soon. As for Linux i have the option, provided i bring in the CD's i can copy Knoppix fo free and experiment with that OS, but how would i come to get my hands on distro, ubuntu and Suse?

ps when you mentioned about creating my own cables, do you mean crimping them etc?

ps when you mentioned about creating my own cables, do you mean crimping them etc?

Yes to your question. A good place to look at Linux distros is distrowatch.com , it ranks the individual distros by page views, which I guess would be indicative of their popularity. As I write this, Ubuntu is #1 as it has been for a while. Doesn't necessarily mean it's the best distro since each has it's own merits and flaws, but it's as good of a place to start as anywhere. Knoppix is great, if you have the disk, maybe you can give it a try live on a friend's PC.

Linux User Groups are usually great about getting people started on Linux, so check out your area to see if there is one. Most universities in the U.S. have one nearby. That would also be a great place to meet people of all levels of skill. Of course, if you have questions about Linux or anything else, the boards here are great, too.