A file server is a specialized PC that holds large numbers of files that many people on a network can access. It "serves up" files to everyone instead of each person having files on his or her own PC. The good news is that you don't have to be a network guru to set up a basic file server. If you followed the Easy Linux Install steps in Part 1, you are ready to set up a Linux PC as a file server.

While there are many ways to set up a network and a server, this article concentrates on the simplest approaches with the highest chance of quick success.

Your Linux platform must connect to the network with a NIC, or Ethernet adapter.

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