Which distro for a small server?

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Skara
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Which distro for a small server?

Post by Skara »

As much of a hassle as it would be, I'm thinking about switching distros. I currently have Fedora. There are things I like and things I don't like. I don't mess with my desktop locally too much. I mostly log in through ssh from my laptop.

Ok, so here's a list of what I want in order of how I want it:

* Fast. I've heard Slackware is fast, but I haven't heard anything about any other distros.
* Easy to use. I don't need a gui, but I don't want to be lost in the dark with obscure commands and little reference either.
* Easy to update and configure. I've heard apt-get is nice in Debian.

Yeah, pretty much what everyone wants. I've used SuSE and I don't like it. I've tried to install Debian and it gave me such hell I gave up. I've heard Slackware is kinda hard to mess with unless you really know what you're doing (correct me if I'm wrong, though). I've heard nothing but good about Ubuntu, but I've heard more about Slack, Debian, and Fedora. I've also tried Mandrake (now Mandriva), the live version of Ubuntu, Knoppix, and Slax.

As for how much I know... I've upgraded apache and compiled php with 20 some-odd modules. I also ran an IRC server for a bit. If I'm writing php, I do it in vi. That's about as far as my knowledge goes as of yet.

What do I use it for... I host a few websites that probably get 10 to 20 visits a day; I use it as a test-server for the web design work I do; and I mess around with things, just trying to learn. ;)

So, any suggestions? :)
thegreatone2176
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Post by thegreatone2176 »

I personally like slackware but there is not much support for packages initally but you can install slapt-get which is the same as apt-get or you can install emerde which is the same as emerge on gentoo. If you do decide to install slackware read the book on http://www.slackware.com its really not as long like a book only a few pages. and read the post here http://www.bitbenderforums.com/vb22/sho ... tid=311808

You might also go with gentoo and people says it hard to install but if you do a stage 3 with genkernel and follow the guide on the site it walks you right through it. Gentoo has the best documentation and emerge makes installing as easy as on windows.

So basiclly if you like package support use gentoo, if you dont mind then use slackware.
Syranide
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Post by Syranide »

In my opinion, don't run Slackware unless you really really need to, Slackware sure is fast and pretty light, but as "thegreatone2176" said, it doesn't have any good support for packages, so compiling or binaries is all you get, and brings you to a lot of work if you want to update and so on. I don't like it at all, having some more computer power you will just end up with less because you don't feel like maintaining it all the time.

The only reason I run slackware myself is because it is a 166MHz... I'd guess I'd recommend Gentoo or Redhat (not being a fan of that though).
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Pyrite
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Post by Pyrite »

Actually I disagree, warmly. Linuxpackages.net has good slack packs.
jayloo
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Post by jayloo »

All of these distros have their place but sometimes it really just comes down to the experience level of the user and personal preference.

Personally I like FC3 as a server and desktop/laptop workstation. It is easy to install and easy to update (kernal and packages). Since the user base for Red Hat stuff is large it is quite easy to get help in a hurry.

Slackware is an excelent distro for an experienced user. It is fast and lite. The user base is not too huge so finding quick support may be an issue. I no longer use slack because I got tired of spending more time trying to install stuff then being able to use the server or workstation.

BTW, Gentoo is next to try on my list.

My 2 cents.
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Post by McGruff »

Gentoo, apparently, is pitched more as a cutting-edge distro using all the latest versions of software as soon as they are available. This might make it less useful as a server. A server just has to work, aways, with low maintenance. I've heard people complain Gentoo is much less stable than something like Debian and more of a headache to maintain, despite portage.

In saying that, I'm installing Gentoo for use as an office server as we speak. Portage was what swung it for me - we'll see how well it works in practice.
Dave9191
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Post by Dave9191 »

I would have to say Ubuntu. Its a debian based distro, great community support and stable. apt-get to grab you the packages you need. The server install is quick and works wonders for me. I had my ubuntu server up and running in 40 min from install to web, php, mysql and ssh. Its not as widely known as others becasue its new, but its a rapidly exanding distro.

Gentoo is nice for people who want control, optimisation, and the latest code from portage. But its a bitch to install and takes a long time to configure. I dont think any of its benefits are worth the time and hassle for a server.

You might also want to take a peak at BSD for running servers :)

Dave
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Chris Corbyn
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Post by Chris Corbyn »

Dave9191 wrote:Gentoo is nice for people who want control, optimisation, and the latest code from portage. But its a <span style='color:blue' title='naughty'>smurf</span> to install and takes a long time to configure. I dont think any of its benefits are worth the time and hassle for a server.
I've just taken out VDS/UML hosting and I'm running Gentoo... I personally really like it. Admittedly I didn't have to install it from scratch, just from an image but in terms of package management it's great. I like the idea of portage but sometimes it wants to do more than it really needs to (with emerge I mean) I'll give you that. My next desktop system I set up next month I'm gonna try Gentoo as a workstation system rather than a server ;)
Dave9191
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Post by Dave9191 »

Im running kubuntu on my laptop now, its great and everything works out of the box. But I want something which I can boot quicker and where the repositories are updated more often, not an issue for a server tho.

Im going to put gentoo on again when I have more time. A mere 24 hrs of compiling on this comp and then the week or so of configuring things like standby and hibernate ;)
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AnarKy
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Ubuntu

Post by AnarKy »

Ubuntu and Kubuntu (Ubuntu + KDE) is also quite good,
apart from a installation interface which might be a
bit tricky for an inexperienced user. :?

The community support is amongst the best,
plus the "enterprise" edition is always free.

Also, it is a South African distro....
And I am Proudly South African. :D
McGruff
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Post by McGruff »

I took a peek at Ubuntu the other day and was very impressed. I started off browsing around the site and thought to myself, well I might as well download it while I'm reading. Before I knew what had happened it was installed, up and running. My Wacom tablet even worked right out of the box.

It "feels" good. Definitely the quickest and easiest distro I've ever installed. I think I'll start recommending this rather than mandrake to first-time linux users looking for a desktop OS.
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