The Server Distribution of Linux

Boxes · 2011-12-14 03:04:23

What's a good Linux Distro for Servers? I heard that Debian was a really good one.... but people on Debian's user forum(s) seem like complete snobs, which may just be my misinterpretation of what they're actually saying but they didn't seem very friendly.

Boxes · 2011-12-14 03:06:41

And specifically, I'm talking about what's the best distro for a web server. Although the best distro for servers in general is also a welcome topic.

fukawi2 · 2011-12-14 07:26:12

Depends what you're comfortable with administering. Personally I prefer CentOS/RedHat, but I can administer Debian also.

IMHO, anything with a long support lifetime is best. For example, I don't like Fedora on servers unless I KNOW the server is going to have a short lifespan.

I still can't take Ubuntu (even LTS) on a server seriously though.

Boxes · 2011-12-14 07:30:54

I'm going to try FreeBSD, partly because I don't like what I've seen of the Debian community so far...I hadn't thought about using CentOS really... is it any good... I mean, like I'm willing to Admin anything (the harder the more fun it'll be), but I want something that isn't going to break all that well. I want something that I can kick in the seat of the pants and watch it keep on working like nothing happened..... well... maybe not quite like that... but I want something that's capable of running well on old hardware.

/dev/zero · 2011-12-14 07:35:20

Boxes wrote:

What's a good Linux Distro for Servers? I heard that Debian was a really good one.... but people on Debian's user forum(s) seem like complete snobs, which may just be my misinterpretation of what they're actually saying but they didn't seem very friendly.

I've never had a need to go to the Debian forums. My Debian server works too well.

Boxes · 2011-12-14 07:40:26

/dev/zero wrote:

Boxes wrote:
What's a good Linux Distro for Servers? I heard that Debian was a really good one.... but people on Debian's user forum(s) seem like complete snobs, which may just be my misinterpretation of what they're actually saying but they didn't seem very friendly.
I've never had a need to go to the Debian forums. My Debian server works too well.

0_0, really? Sweet! Then I might just use Debian after all; I have had a rather pleasant experience using Aptitude, and I was kind of upset that I wasn't going to be able to enjoy having fun with Aptitude. *he likes anything that will run from inside Bash* Okay, so I guess I'll try out all three of them that why I can figure out which one works best for me and then I'll go from there. (Note: I wasn't actually on the Debian forums looking for support, I was just browsing and came across a weird topic that made me not really want to be around the Debian forums all that much.

Last edited by Boxes (2011-12-14 07:42:34)

Boxes · 2011-12-14 07:41:00

I mean, the topic I read wasn't that bad, but it made the Debian community sound really unfriendly.

Last edited by Boxes (2011-12-14 07:43:28)

/dev/zero · 2011-12-14 07:44:10

I'm on the Arch forums because Arch has better hardware support for my shitty laptop. If it wasn't for that laptop, I'd be happy to stick with a Debian Netinst for the rest of my life. It is as minimal, elitist and customisable as Arch is. It depends on whether you're after stability or bleeding-edgeness.

Last edited by /dev/zero (2011-12-14 07:44:34)

Boxes · 2011-12-14 07:50:08

~_0 uhh.. I see, I think..... yeah, I think I get it. So you're here because Arch supports a more recent kernel, and therefore more drivers, than Debian?

/dev/zero · 2011-12-14 07:54:07

Boxes wrote:

~_0 uhh.. I see, I think..... yeah, I think I get it. So you're here because Arch supports a more recent kernel, and therefore more drivers, than Debian?

More or less. Arch is just a whole lot more friendly to new and weird hardware, all round, thanks to AUR. I initially tried Debian on the laptop. I could get some things working, but not to the extent or with such ease as in Arch.

I also liked what I saw on the Arch Wiki, so that helped sell me on Arch as well :-) The next time I need to do a fresh install on a desktop machine, I will feel a bit torn between Arch and Debian Netinst. They're both so good :-D

Awebb · 2011-12-14 11:07:07

For someone displaying his phone number on his facebook page, you ask an aweful lot of questions that could be answered with a minute full of google, red wine and cap'n crunch.

cybertorture · 2011-12-14 12:31:13

Awebb you make my day
As for "server distro", well what is wrong with arch ? It is so called "LTS" and most important - version-upgrade-crash free

ZekeSulastin · 2011-12-14 15:57:05

cybertorture wrote:

As for "server distro", well what is wrong with arch ? It is so called "LTS" and most important - version-upgrade-crash free

Do we _REALLY_ need to start this again? Also, arch is pretty much the exact opposite of an LTS distro, and if you try to use it that way you WILL run into the same crap people associate with dist-upgrade when everyone else tells you to update before they'll help you. Just because we have kernel26-lts doesn't mean we suddenly support and provide security patches to a known stable set of software and versions for 2/3/5 years.

For that matter, I'm pretty sure I've had an easier time with dist-upgrades since Ubuntu Server 9.04 (first Linux install etc.) on my home server and going from Debian Squeeze to Testing on my old iBook: the iBook needed exactly one special intervention (manually add pata_macio to the initramfs) and I'm still waiting on the Ubuntu box to break so I have an excuse to stick Debian or one of the BSDs on it. Contrast that with the people popping into IRC not having updated in a month or two ...

I think an unasked question is what is Boxes actually intending to do with his server? Is he running a home server, getting an account at some remote hosting site, running his own business or above server? Each of these has very different concerns, and depending on the specifics of each choice (how important is a stable set of software to him, how old is the hosting company's install media, etc.)?

Last edited by ZekeSulastin (2011-12-14 16:11:50)

Boxes · 2011-12-14 20:33:55

Awebb wrote:

For someone displaying his phone number on his facebook page, you ask an aweful lot of questions that could be answered with a minute full of google, red wine and cap'n crunch.

~_0 You plainly are not a student of psychology. Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?

Last edited by Boxes (2011-12-14 20:34:18)

Boxes · 2011-12-14 20:37:53

ZekeSulastin wrote:

cybertorture wrote:
As for "server distro", well what is wrong with arch ? It is so called "LTS" and most important - version-upgrade-crash free
Do we _REALLY_ need to start this again? Also, arch is pretty much the exact opposite of an LTS distro, and if you try to use it that way you WILL run into the same crap people associate with dist-upgrade when everyone else tells you to update before they'll help you. Just because we have kernel26-lts doesn't mean we suddenly support and provide security patches to a known stable set of software and versions for 2/3/5 years.
For that matter, I'm pretty sure I've had an easier time with dist-upgrades since Ubuntu Server 9.04 (first Linux install etc.) on my home server and going from Debian Squeeze to Testing on my old iBook: the iBook needed exactly one special intervention (manually add pata_macio to the initramfs) and I'm still waiting on the Ubuntu box to break so I have an excuse to stick Debian or one of the BSDs on it. Contrast that with the people popping into IRC not having updated in a month or two ...
I think an unasked question is what is Boxes actually intending to do with his server? Is he running a home server, getting an account at some remote hosting site, running his own business or above server? Each of these has very different concerns, and depending on the specifics of each choice (how important is a stable set of software to him, how old is the hosting company's install media, etc.)?

My point exactly, and this is why I'd rather ask than use Google. Google is stupid--not to imply that using it is stupid, but computers are stupid. It can't evaluate what I type in and realize that what I really need is y instead of x

Boxes · 2011-12-14 20:41:33

Boxes wrote:

Awebb wrote:
For someone displaying his phone number on his facebook page, you ask an aweful lot of questions that could be answered with a minute full of google, red wine and cap'n crunch.
~_0 You plainly are not a student of psychology. Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?

Plus, all machines are stupid; there are at least some people that aren't.

jasonwryan · 2011-12-14 20:43:06

It depends on what you ask it...

Also, please learn to use the edit button: you don't need a new post everytime an idea appears in your head.

lifeafter2am · 2011-12-14 21:37:44

Boxes wrote:

Awebb wrote:
For someone displaying his phone number on his facebook page, you ask an aweful lot of questions that could be answered with a minute full of google, red wine and cap'n crunch.
~_0 You plainly are not a student of psychology. Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?

Enjoying communicating with someone doesn't make you a student of psychology.

On topic; what are you going to use the server for? I generally tend towards BSD, but if I am using Linux then usually either Debian or Slackware .... though I do also have a few Gentoo servers that are live as well.

/dev/zero · 2011-12-14 21:38:56

Boxes wrote:

Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?
...
I'd rather ask than use Google. Google is stupid--not to imply that using it is stupid, but computers are stupid. It can't evaluate what I type in and realize that what I really need is y instead of x

It's true, I don't think the forums exist just for the sole purpose of telling people to google things for themselves. Threads with a philosophical flavour have fared well in the past, eg consider the thread on programming languages of the future. OTOH, you should demonstrate that you've already tried google, various wikis, and past forum threads. This would help show that you're not just a dabbler in the arts of laziness, unfounded speculation, or trolling.

Maybe, think of an opening post to some new topic as a small, semi-formal paper: you're not just here for idle chit-chat, you have a challenging (to you) or interesting (to everyone else) problem to try and solve. You demonstrate that it's an open problem, and that it is challenging or interesting, by reviewing the existing literature and discussing what approaches you've already tried, what difficulties you're facing, etc.

lifeafter2am · 2011-12-14 21:44:22

/dev/zero wrote:

Boxes wrote:
Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?
...
I'd rather ask than use Google. Google is stupid--not to imply that using it is stupid, but computers are stupid. It can't evaluate what I type in and realize that what I really need is y instead of x
OTOH, you should demonstrate that you've already tried google, various wikis, and past forum threads. This would help show that you're not just a dabbler in the arts of laziness, unfounded speculation, or trolling.

Very well said .... this should be in the rules somewhere!

Boxes · 2011-12-15 04:18:33

lifeafter2am wrote:

/dev/zero wrote:
Boxes wrote:
Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?
...
I'd rather ask than use Google. Google is stupid--not to imply that using it is stupid, but computers are stupid. It can't evaluate what I type in and realize that what I really need is y instead of x
OTOH, you should demonstrate that you've already tried google, various wikis, and past forum threads. This would help show that you're not just a dabbler in the arts of laziness, unfounded speculation, or trolling.
Very well said .... this should be in the rules somewhere!

I agree, it should be in the rules. In fact, perhaps that was why I started this discussion in the first place, OTOH, perhaps it wasn't--just some food for thought.

Last edited by Boxes (2011-12-15 04:18:53)

Boxes · 2011-12-15 04:20:26

lifeafter2am wrote:

Boxes wrote:
Awebb wrote:
For someone displaying his phone number on his facebook page, you ask an aweful lot of questions that could be answered with a minute full of google, red wine and cap'n crunch.
~_0 You plainly are not a student of psychology. Why use a machine to get something when I can just ask somebody and enjoy being able to communicate with them?
Enjoying communicating with someone doesn't make you a student of psychology.
On topic; what are you going to use the server for? I generally tend towards BSD, but if I am using Linux then usually either Debian or Slackware .... though I do also have a few Gentoo servers that are live as well.

No it doesn't, but understanding how we utilize and why we need socialization in our daily lives, does. I appreciate your concern, though.
As for the use, I haven't decided. I'm currently still just having trouble getting the system to run, which is quite perplexing to me since it should be in working order. I even checked to make sure all the cables were connected correctly. I think that the problem might be that I'm trying to install using a USB instead of a CD, because every time I try to boot into an liveusb I get a beep-code error.

Last edited by Boxes (2011-12-15 04:22:08)

Boxes · 2011-12-15 04:23:25

jasonwryan wrote:

It depends on what you ask it...

Also, please learn to use the edit button: you don't need a new post everytime an idea appears in your head.

I'll keep that in mind , and thanks for reminding me concerning the existence of said button.

Mr_ED-horsey · 2011-12-20 01:34:27

Boxes wrote:

What's a good Linux Distro for Servers? I heard that Debian was a really good one.... but people on Debian's user forum(s) seem like complete snobs, which may just be my misinterpretation of what they're actually saying but they didn't seem very friendly.

Debian does make a great server, but regarding their forums, that's not just you. Don't get me wrong I love Debian as distro, but they have lot of people posting there that seem to have some serious emotional issues

If you don't like their forums, just use the Debian section at LinuxQuestions.org. Don't let a few bad apples stop you from using a good distro.

ngoonee · 2011-12-20 02:59:33

This thread is going off-topic fairly quickly. If it doesn't get back on topic then it goes TGN.

To the OP - as much as you may enjoy communicating with people, please use the IRC channel rather than the forums. The forums are not a psychology experiment, and you're EXPECTED to do your own research before asking here.

Arch Linux

#1 2011-12-14 03:04:23

The Server Distribution of Linux

#2 2011-12-14 03:06:41

Re: The Server Distribution of Linux

#3 2011-12-14 07:26:12

Re: The Server Distribution of Linux

#4 2011-12-14 07:30:54

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#5 2011-12-14 07:35:20

Re: The Server Distribution of Linux

#6 2011-12-14 07:40:26

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#8 2011-12-14 07:44:10

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#12 2011-12-14 12:31:13

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#13 2011-12-14 15:57:05

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#14 2011-12-14 20:33:55

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#15 2011-12-14 20:37:53

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#17 2011-12-14 20:43:06

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#18 2011-12-14 21:37:44

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#19 2011-12-14 21:38:56

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#20 2011-12-14 21:44:22

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#21 2011-12-15 04:18:33

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#23 2011-12-15 04:23:25

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#24 2011-12-20 01:34:27

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#25 2011-12-20 02:59:33

Re: The Server Distribution of Linux

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