Looking for a mentor/adviser

Fri Jan 29 18:18:08 MST 2010

All,
	I am only new to Linux, been working on computers for longer than I want to admit. But there is as much bad info/advice about Linux out there as good and it's not easy to figure that out when your new. How tos don't always fit the situation and there isn't a lot of helpful direction after that. I can get opinions about which app is best or what distro I should be using, which isn't my problem. I could care less at this point what I use... I just want it to work. Once I figure out what's even possible I can decide to try variations. I don't want to move to Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 if I can help it.

	I had set myself a goal to see if I could eliminate/minimize my dependency on Microsoft products, and learn/use Linux in 12 months, I'm 7 months into my timeframe and I haven't gotten much to actually work. I have attended several gatherings and I've spoken to several people. I've frequented the IRC channel and other forums looking for advice and perhaps some guidance. I have tried to implement various small scale projects to test functionality and to build up my experience.   My attempts to do this on my own have failed. People I've spoken to say; oh, you'll figure it out.... So far numerous books and multiple attempts have shown that I haven't just figured it out. I can make Windows Server do just about anything, but I'm not getting some critical part of Linux toward making it work for me. Hence my post.

	I didn't ask someone to build a production environment for me or to provide step by step training. I asked if someone was willing to offer me help while I worked on this project, somebody who would talk through my plan and point me in the right direction, and maybe someone who could help me through some of the rough spots. Hopefully along the way I'd learn some as well.

	If all this is too much to ask without having to compensate people or hire them as consultants, then I guess I misunderstood what this user group was all about. I intend to do the work, I even agreed to share the experience with anyone else who wanted to work toward my goal. I didn't think I was being selfish and expecting someone to do it for me.

	 I was only asking if someone was willing to offer me advice in a more one-on-one environment.

My apologies for causing such a disruption.

Sean Parsons

-----Original Message-----
From: plug-discuss-bounces at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us [mailto:plug-discuss-bounces at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us] On Behalf Of Lisa Kachold
Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 4:38 PM
To: Main PLUG discussion list
Subject: Re: Looking for a mentor/adviser

Hi Sean,

I would call this Mentor/Advisor a "tutor" or "systems administrator".

What is the pay?

Generally, Linux noobs, until they learn the whole concept of open
source, open minds, where they don't pay another for knowledge, since
it's all freely available, just share it, on boards like this one,
will ask for someone to come along and think for them.

You will find that building your own systems, playing with virtual
systems, building your own OpenExchange, Samba, VirtualBox to cross
platform integrate with Linux and Windoze is GREAT FUN, and very easy,
once you learn to read and follow the directions?

Seriously you might find someone willing to do this should you barter
goods or services, but that would be more of an on-topic post for
craigslist.org in the Gig or barter sections?

You might come to the InstallFest and hang around listening to people
like Craig, and Ryan Rix, any of which will answer your questions
happily?

Welcome to the FOSS world, hold onto your hat, this is a fast furious
and fantasticly fun ride!

On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 4:16 PM, Sean Parsons <sean at theparsonsfamily.com> wrote:
> Matt,
>        I haven't selected a distribution, I tried Ubuntu and Debian, and
> didn't have a lot of success. My original post was simply to get someone
> willing to mentor me to help me build as much equivalency as possible so I
> can see if it can be done. How we were going to do this was yet to be
> determined.
>
>        I will insist that "IF" I determine it is feasible that support
> contracts will be investigated for at least the short term.
>
>
> Sean Parsons
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: plug-discuss-bounces at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> [mailto:plug-discuss-bounces at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us] On Behalf Of Matt
> Iavarone
> Sent: Friday, January 29, 2010 2:13 PM
> To: Main PLUG discussion list
> Subject: Re: Looking for a mentor/adviser
>
> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:55 PM, Stephen <cryptworks at gmail.com> wrote:
>> oooo i finally found it in some mail archives...
>>
>> http://www.freeipa.org/page/Main_Page
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 12:52 PM, Stephen <cryptworks at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Actually there is this project:
>>>
>>> http://directory.fedoraproject.org/
>>> http://directory.fedoraproject.org/wiki/Howto:WindowsSync
>>> http://directory.fedoraproject.org/wiki/Download
>>>
>>> There is a spin off that i cant remember the name of, but it combined
>>> with that project and adds some additional ease of use with Active
>>> directory.
>>>
>>> That alone is a great start. as for what can be done it really boils
>>> down to what you want i to do. What about exchange do you use? what on
>>> those windows servers do you do what services and functions. knowing
>>> what services you are running will help us advise you on alternatives.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 11:25 AM,  <sean at theparsonsfamily.com> wrote:
>>>> I know I am absolutely not interested in muddying the waters by trying
>>>> this with virtualized systems, maybe after I can actually get them to
>>>> work..... I posted previously that I have dedicated hardware to use.
>>>>
>>>> You are also describing a combined network and I have already abandoned
>>>> that idea, so putting another windows server together is not going to be
>>>> what I'm looking for. As far as I can tell Linux doesn't have an AD
>>>> equivalent except Samba 4 which isn't out yet.... Samba 3.x destroyed 2
>>>> domain controllers trying to join it..... Not going to try that again
>>>> anytime soon....
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sean Parsons
>>>>> I know that personally if you have just a desktop i would start with 3
>>>>> virtual machines.
>>>>>
>>>>> AD server (windows) Linux server for new AD and then A client
> workstation
>>>>>
>>>>> Virtualbox comes to mind as a nice portable interface for this. and it
>>>>> is cross platform.
>>>>>
>>>>> issue with that is you will need about 4gb of ram to function on this
>>>>> or there about.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 9:58 AM,  <sean at theparsonsfamily.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Ok, How would I build this sandbox as a list discussion?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sean Parsons
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I personally agree that this would be great on list discussion.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> even if it is using Linux to support a MS platform, it still would be
>>>>>>> educational for me at least.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 8:16 AM,  <sean at theparsonsfamily.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Craig,
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> ----
>>>>>>>>> Wouldn't it be more useful and instructive to keep your questions
> on
>>>>>>>>> list? You would benefit from a greater availability of opinions
> too.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Also, it seems a bit unfair to want private advising and deprive
> the
>>>>>>>>> list of the knowledge that is gathered by solving problems which I
>>>>>>>>> would
>>>>>>>>> gather would be rather typical for many offices/businesses.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> There is no need to make changes to an AD environment to add Linux
>>>>>>>>> servers and/or workstations.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Craig
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>>>> This message has been scanned for viruses and
>>>>>>>>> dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
>>>>>>>>> believed to be clean.
>>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you
> from
>>>>>>> rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Stephen
>>>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------
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>>>>>>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
>>>>> rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
>>>>>
>>>>> Stephen
>>>>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>>>> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
>>>>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
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>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
>>> rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
>>>
>>> Stephen
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from
>> rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
>>
>> Stephen
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>>
>
> This leads to another important question.  What distro are you looking
> at?  Does your company require support contracts for the OS and apps?
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