hi

which linux distribution you'll take (suggest) for an internal DNS / PROXY server ?

HARDWARE:
P4, 1GB RAM, 14 GB HD

greetings
cccc

There are lots of "which distro" threads but what it comes down to is:

- They have broadly the same drivers and software.
- You need a distro that that provides updated packages for the length of the lifespan of the service. Most distibutions only provide updates for a version for eighteen months.
- Package quality varies between distributions.
- Most graphical configuration tools for servers suck, so don't choose based on graphical tools since you'll end up using Webmin or the command-line anyway.
- Ignore distributions that involve source compiling or have no package dependency checking - you want your server to keep working. Ignore people who think that such distributions are viable for servers.

CentOS and Debian stable are sound choices (and free). Red Hat Enterprise if you need support. SUSE Enterprise might be OK - I have no experience with it to say.

thanks,

and what about GENTOO or SLACKWARE ?

did you recommend them ?

do they have all these options you wrote before ?

can I do online software updates, like by debian ?

greetings
cccc

Most distributions can do online software update and installations like Debian, although Debian has the best developed tools for it. I wouldn't recommend either Gentoo or Slackware for servers partly because they don't manage software the Debian way - the developers of those distributions use other methods that don't really work very well. Unfortunately a lot of people don't get this and recommend those distributions inappropriately.

The other reason is that they can't support their releases for a long time - Debian, Red Hat, CentOS and SUSE are pretty much the only groups that can provide Linux distributions with the lifespan and level of testing you need for a corporate server.

but can you do an online update by GENTOO,
or you cannot do any online updates by GENTOO ?

Gentoo doesn't work like that - rather than just downloading the packages it downloads the source code and then compiles the software on your machine. It updates software by downloading newer source code and recompiling the software all over again. Each compile might work, or it might fail, or it might produce software with glitches.

that's a little bit dangerous, isn't it ?

Yup. The Gentoo system does automate the process, and the developers fix broken things once they're reported, but every time you pull some software there's a chance the particular combination of compile options and existing software on your system will cause something to break. It's OK for bleeding edge developers and enthusiasts, but some Gentoo fans are overkeen and recommend it when people ask about production servers...

thanks,

but what's "overkeen" ?
I've never heard this word before.

Choose the Distribution your most familiar with and feel most comfortable with.. it's your choice, not ours. Your only going to get opinions if you ask others.

1 members found this post helpful.

flamewars have been known to break-out over less flammable comments... LOL...

anyways, cccc: yeah, it's like trickykid said - all you'll get from these kinda threads are opinions... what you need to do is pick a few distros and TRY THEM, then YOU will be able to choose the one you like the best...

any of distrowatch's "top 10" distros is a fine choice to start-off with...

http://distrowatch.com/

thanks,

I decided for Debian Sarge

does PCLinuxOs compatible in using BIND name server ?