Can I get some guides on setting up a server, on my p2.
hosted via RoadRunner.

thinking of using RH9 or FreeBSD

Can I get some help

Hi, sure, what kinds of things are you looking into? What do you need help with specifically? What kind of server were you planning on running? What else can you tell us about the hardware and kinds of things you wanna do that we can't imagine ?

Cool

Hw is a ClearMax Sun Microsystems P2, 20 gb hd, Cdrom and burner.

Want to have a basic Apache/mysql/php install, want to host two domain names.

Need to be able to Host my vBulletin.

Now, Im thinking What is the best Os for a server ?

Err, Sun P2? It's certainly possible that there are Sun models I'm not aware of, but I'm pretty sure Sun never shipped any boxes with Pentiums...

Ahem, any way... Any OS can be a server, and depending on what you want it to do some might be better or worse. A concensus is forming with hosting providers that FreeBSD is the most stable server platform available, but that doesn't mean it's the easiest to setup. Certainly Linux makes a good server platform as well. The goal is to install as few packages as possible so you only get what you need, and there's nothing extra to cause security problems.

My recommendation for server would be: OpenBSD, FreeBSD, or Debian GNU/Linux in that order. The reason I recommend those is because they have a good reputation for security, stability, and for being minimal in nature. Probably Slackware and SuSE would be other good distros for servers, and NetBSD would make a good server too.

Now there's no reason why you could host a web server on Mandrake, Red Hat, Knoppix, etc... I just tend to think that most of the distros are too bloated and install too many things that you have to worry about for a simple server.

well, for ease of setup I would have to say mandrake 9.1...

you can easily install Apache, php, and mySQL during the install with zero knowledge or work/sweat.

If you want, you can also install webmin very easily. This will allow remote management or even a nice local management interface for editing config files and making changes.

I've found that mandrake 9.1 is very compatible, easy to use, and more than fast/stable enough.

I used to host my own server on one using my road runner connection... 4 HL game servers(with HLstats on counter strike) and web/FTP, SMTP/IMAP, SMB... I hosted several domains as well...

I found that the apache config file made it very easy to do so..

So, my recomendation is with mandrake 9.1

all the guides you need are on the apahce.org website for setting up multiple domains... if you are unfamiliar with linux then you'll just have to isntall some distros and see what you like as well as maybe buying a linux for dummies book and familiarizing yourself with some of the linux basics.

Using something like webmin (www.webmin.com) can really help someone get started, but I would recomend manual configuration of the server files if at all possible. There's just no substitute for digging into the config files and getting your hands dirty.

Im looking for something Small, and Fast.
I only need
Apache
Php
Mysql
Kde or gnome
a browser
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im using JAMD right now, but I think I might try OpenBSd or Slack or Deb. debian because I like atrpms, and I install it on redhat when I can.

Anyone have some more advice ?