What Advice For a Single Parent As Server Admin?

Dragon_Eater, with "lots of experience setting up PCs and a passable knowledge of Linux but severely lacking in the server/client department," writes with a situation that probably faces a lot of parents: I want to set up three kids, 12, 14, and 15, with newer computers so they will stop fighting for time on the one ten-year-old Dell they share now. I can get the individual computers and a server put together without any problems, but the computer-handicapped single parent needs to be able to do the following via an simple application/web page: View client computer status, On/off, sleeping etc.; Deny Internet access, not LAN, just the web; Schedule time usage of computer, ex. 7 am to 10 pm on school nights etc.; Force log-out and/or shutdown of clients, for grounding purposes; and Apply some kind of firewall filter for blocking undesired web content. And as the administrator for this network I would like the following options: Remote virus scanning of client machines, or scheduled task; Some kind of hardware monitor, high temp / fan speed low etc.; and Email alerts for various log files / alarms. Given the lists above I am thinking about a Linux-based router/server machine and running Windows on the clients for game compatibility. I also know that a server and network boot client is possible but not sure where to start on that one."

Comments

Parental controls

[pvera]

Both Windows 7 and OSX have parental controls that enforce usage times in a per-account basis, which apps can be run from these accounts, which sites can be accessed, etc. I have been using these with OSX (a good write up at http://theappleblog.com/2009/01/13/kid-proofing-a-mac-with-parental-controls/) with my 11-year old autistic boy and they couldn't be any simpler. He can only log into the machine at certain times, and I have the option to set a maximum session time per day. He can only run apps that I approve, and can go to sites only if I explicitly allow them. The bad news is that, at least in OSX, Firefox doesn't respect the parental control settings (Safari does it fine).

I checked with Windows 7 and the parental controls seem to be pretty similar. More at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/features/parental-controls.aspx

My only real annoyance is that Youtube doesn't have real content rating, which makes it a pain to filter properly. My son loves to make balloon sculptures and is always checking for new video tutorials, the problems is that while looking for these, he runs into the videos of the balloon popping fetishists. One second I am hearing a video explaining how to twist balloons into a roadrunner, next I hear a 300-pound woman in a bathing suit giggling and sitting on balloons to pop them. Gross.

Linksys WRTG54L

[Splab]

This does most of what you want out of the box.

There is a nice admin interface where you can create profiles based on day of week, per MAC etc. Block certain keywords.

Re:+200 informative

[AndGodSed]

AND, to continue singing the praises of ClearOS as the perfect solution to the server/gateway side of OP's requirement, it includes among other thigs:

- an email gateway/server
- proxy server with content filtering
- protocol filtering (mommy/daddy can limit those pesky torrents or set up time based filters to gaming servers) He could even give some protocols bandwidth priority at certain times of day - more gaming over weekends, more http at other times.
- shared folders for users

Heck there are tons of features, some not really needed but others perfect.

and lots more. ClearOS would be the best to use, also there is an active forum where OP can ask for assistance, and $singleparent can sign on for help.

Heck OP can log into the server remotely and assist with any issues requests that might show up.