Hello everyone!

Due to issues with my previous server, I've decided to boot up one of my old dual core's and move to linux!

The specs of this laptop: AMD Athlon II M340 (2.2GhZ), 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD.

On my previous server I attempted to set up on Debian which went smoothly - however, it seemed to have the same performance as on Windows 7, so I decided to stick with 7 since I also needed to set up an FTP Server and I have practically zero clue on how to do that on Debian or Linux in general.

This time I'm planning to stick and commit to Linux as I feel the need and interest to learn.

Which distribution would you guys recommend for hosting a CS:GO Dedicated Server? I used Debian due to old threads recommending it due to stability, although I'm not too sure about that now. I also read that Valve personally used Ubuntu for their servers, but recently moved to Slackware.

Thanks,

Ryan.

EDIT: I believe I could've squeezed more performance from my first attempt on Debian by increasing the Kernel Frequency to 1000Hz, enabling High Resolution Timers and PREEMPT, or using a custom kernel in general. At the time I didn't know about this and even now I need to learn to do so.

redhat or cent or Debian

Most company webservers run CentOS or Debian Stable. The other free high-stability Linux is Slackware.

In Linux, it's usual to run a server from the command line. The advantages are
> better performance, as there's less stuff running
> quicker debugging if anything goes wrong, as there's less stuff running
You can install a GUI if you like, but set the OS to run without it; then if you want a GUI program or tool, the command startx will load it.

My personal preference is CentOS, as you can see. It's the most user-friendly of the three, especially if you install the GUI for nice utilities (e.g. the firewall configuration tool). You need to get the big installer (2DVD) and to select a custom installation. Then you get a choice of basic server / database server / webserver and you can specify extra GUI stuff as well.
https://www.centos.org/
The detailed installation & deployment guides say they're for RHEL 5, but they still work.

Thanks for the reply John. I'll probably stick with Debian and give CentOS a try since I have the time ^^.

Hehe, I had a feeling it was one of those two in the end! I've read up more old threads and found that Debian has better performance "out-of-the-box", so I'll probably stick with it.. although I do have a heap of time so I will mess around with both! Considering my CPU is 64-bit and I have 4GB of RAM, is it worth it to go for a 64-bit version of the distro? I found out that the game server doesn't gain any performance benefits from running on a 64-bit OS.

In relation to Debian: In order to only run via a command line, do I just choose not to install a Desktop Environment when asked? Also.. what are "standard system utilities"? I normally don't install anything other than the "Debian Desktop Environment" + LXDE and "Standard System Utilities". Because this laptop is old, I'd like to minimize the amount of things I have installed and running. Are "Standard System Utilities" necessary when hosting a Server?

Thanks again!

EDIT: Since I'm only hosting a Dedicated Game Server, an FTP Server and MAYBE(unlikely) a TeamSpeak Server, which server choice would you recommend in CentOS? Basic, Database or Web?

It's so long since I tried anything but the basic Debian installation that I can't remember. You certainly want the system utilities, though.

For CentOS, go for the web-server version.

Oo. That's fair enough. So I guess not much to change! I finally think I got how to install the PREEMPT RT Kernel/Build a custom kernel so now I'm just settling on an OS. Alright, Web-Server it is!

Thanks Again, David!

consider using scp/sftp/sshfs/... instead.

Ooo.. I've never used SSH FTP before, so I'm not sure if it works with CS:GO's FastDL. I'll check up on it though. Thanks Schneidz!