Which Distro to use??
So I am setting up a new server in place of my old Fedora 10 server. I want to make a brand new install and I want to know what Distro You think would be best for a simple server. I have heard openBSD is a great server distro however I am familiar with fedora so I might want to just install fedora 14. I am not totally sure what the pros and cons of those two are and what other Distros might be a good alternative to those two.
Any comments appreciated! |
Centos/Debian/Slackware
These are linux distros most suitable for servers. You shouldn't even consider Fedora. It's a Red Hat's testing ground. Since you have been using F10, you'll probably be most comfortable with CentOS. |
The Fedora 12 based 'Scientific Linux SL 6.0' was released four days ago.
It's an exact copy of RHEL 6. ( Like CentOS 6 : Not yet released.) CentOS 5.5 http://www.centos.org/ http://distrowatch.com/index.php?dis...h=all&year=all |
Go for Debian / Centos
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FWIW, I use Fedora for servers in loads of areas, and have not had a drama yet. Anywhere from Fedora 10 to Fedora 14 are still active as servers providing critical services.
If you're happy with Fedora for your servers and know what you're doing with them, then go with them again. If you've not had any problems, then why not continue to not-have-problems? If you're after trying something new, then great, do that. If the learning curve is not a factor, then great, by all means go for it. |
I second CentOS.
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For a server, I think Debian would probably be best, with CentOS as my second choice.
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Fedora is fine for a server, assuming you're comfortable with its update period. Many people (such as other posters here) believe that a server should have a long update cycle - that you should strive for longevity of an install, even if that means, for instance, you wind up struggling with older versions.
This is a false choice: you can achieve server-level uptimes while still updating frequently. You should, of course, test updates before applying them to a production server, but that's true no matter what frequency you prefer. Fedora is NOT merely "Redhat's testing grounds". It's a fine distro suitable for systems where you want up-to-date versions - it's not crippled or compromised in any way. I would not hesitate to run Fedora on servers, though in fact I prefer Centos for the ones I'm currently running (for the reasons above.) That said, there are other distros which may suit your taste - and taste and/or experience is very much a valid and dominating factor in this choice. |
If you like a distro that is stable and doesn't upgrade every other day I say Slackware 13.1 or SalixOS 13.1
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It can also depend on if you're into virtualising your servers. You can then migrate and upgrade with greater ease (lower cost) without sacrificing what you've got. All in all... with the feedback given, has it yielded an answer for you that you're happy with? |
But Fedora 10 is end of life for more than a year and doesn't get updates, not even security fixes. So why do you think it is safe and no problem to run an unsupported system on a server (except it is not available from the net)?
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People have already mentioned CentOS, and you being familiar with Fedora, CentOS is the best deal as of now for you.
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Then there's everything in between - hence the range of server versions. |
I started to work on openSuSE (then suse) some 13 yrs ago and thus I also run all my 3 servers on same OS and am very happy with all aspects of OS.
oS offers all I need and want. No missing features. |
Slackware, Debian, or CentOS.
I prefer Slackware. Despite what you may have heard, it's easier to configure. Debian would be my second choice. |
Slackware.
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Openwall GNU/*/Linux, a small security-enhanced Linux distribution for servers
http://www.openwall.com/Owl/ : Openwall GNU/*/Linux (or Owl for short) is a small security-enhanced Linux distribution for servers, appliances, and virtual appliances.
An example of what kind of well thought-over security features there are in Owl: they have ["completely got rid of SUID root programs in the default install"](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2010/11/08/3) (and they do not use capabilities for this). Read more about Owl: a review at LWN Openwall Linux 3.0: Linux for the security-conscious |
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