I am doing a college computer project where I have to deliver a low cost Linux based fileserver for around 10 windows desktops, part of the design process to choosing which distro to use. That’s why im posting…..

Having installed ubuntu server virtually on my machine I found that it would be able to do what I needed of it, but I know there are plenty more around I can use.

My requirements are:
-Must run on a low spec machine (AMD-K6 551Mhz, 160 mb Ram)
-Must run Samba
-Reliable
-Secure…. And so on..

As a newbie to Linux I was hoping you can suggest the best alternative’s to ubuntu server and highlight their advantages. Ideally I would like to identify a distro that meets my requirements and is light enough to run well on the low spec

Many Thanks

You can make most any distro work for this. Debian is good (Ubuntu is based off of it so you may already feel comfortable), Slackware, Gentoo, CentOS, Ubuntu server, etc. Basically, the best way to make it lightweight is to disable any unneeded services, especially the graphical interface (go command line only instead). On an old machine, you may also get some mileage recompiling the kernel and leaving out any hardware drivers you don't need.

Here's a good Debian site for setting up servers without a windowing system.

I'd consider a floppy based distro or command line build. Might even look at zipslack and install what you want. You don't need a full distro.

Don't forget Arch! Like Debian Arch is set up with just the core system and lets you install what you need and nothing more. But yes if your used to Ubuntu, than Debian would probably be the best next step. But most distros out there can also do the job as pljvaldez stated.

-Jessica-

You could also try a couple of really small distros: DSL (Damn Small Linux), Puppy.

Thanks Guys and Girls, I have some reading to do