System Configuration and Design

Server Installation Packages

A Linux server is capable of doing a lot of things, everything from file and print serving to email, web, VPN, and many other services.  At Freelock, we recommend splitting services up to distinct hosts. A host may not be a physical machine; it may be a virtual server running alongside other servers. However, every host that is connected to the Internet needs to have somebody keeping an eye on it, applying security updates, patches, etc.

Freelock provides both installation and maintenance packages for Linux servers of all types. Here are some common packages we do.

Full Server installation on bare hardware (does not include email)

We have several types of installations we do. Installation includes getting all hardware working, as long as there are current Linux drivers available, and configuring the system in one of several different ways:

LAN File/Print server, internal web server

Includes setting it up on your network, configuring up to a dozen local workstations to use it, configuring backups, setting up a basic LAMP stack for business applications, and configuring outgoing email to use your ISP's mail server. This server can also act as a base to install many of our Small Business products.

Some optional add-ons we can perform are:

  • Local IMAP mail service to retrieve mail from outside mailboxes and make available for local access
  • Windows domain controller for single-sign-on:
  • Hosted backup space
  • OpenVPN Certificate-based access

Internet-facing Web Server

Includes installing Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, configuring up to 6 virtual hosts/SSL configuration, IP addressing, backup configuration, locking down services, and installing up to 6 web applications. Training and application support is not included in this package.
If we're configuring a virtual server that already has a base Linux install, the price is $600.

Desktop/Laptop installation

We love working with Linux on the desktop, though for most of our clients it's still a bit costly. That's because getting it to work with the wide range of hardware out there can be a real challenge, and almost always takes a fair amount of time to get working right. Once it's done, you can kiss your virus and spyware problems goodbye, though you'll likely have a good learning curve before you're comfortable. We provide 6 months of phone support with a desktop Linux install.

Email Server installation

Email servers are considerably more complex than web servers, and if it sends/receives email directly over the Internet, is targeted by spammers/virus writers, and also needs regular attention and interaction with system administrators at major services to get mail through. Because of the challenges and time necessary to set up and operate mail servers, we charge extra.

Note that this is for servers that send and receive mail directly on the Internet. In most cases, if you can live with a slight delay, we can set up local IMAP mailboxes on an internal file server, deliver mail through your ISP, and pick up mail delivered to mailboxes at your web host. This option is for offices that want to manage their own mailboxes entirely.

The other people who buy this option are those with an Exchange or Domino server who want better spam/virus filtering. We can set this up as a “relay server” and filter mail before it hits your main mail server.