[SOLVED] Best Linux Flavor for IoT

Hello:

We are spinning up a project that will deploy hundreds of small little linux boxes to run some scanning code we have. I have to build a light weight infrastructure to be able to update the code (python) from an FTP site as needed. Each little box will have a SIM card for connectivity once deployed.

We're at the very beginning so I can pick any linux flavor I want. I typically work in CentOS because our web servers use WHM.

So I would pick CentOS for no reason. Any insights that suggest one flavor would be better than another for managing field deployed python apps at a distance connected via SIM cards?

It kind of depends on the hardware and what you mean by lightweight. If your using x86 based hardware then distribution in most cases does not matter. However, CentOS does support ARM hardware.

Originally Posted by michaelk It kind of depends on the hardware and what you mean by lightweight. If your using x86 based hardware then distribution in most cases does not matter. However, CentOS does support ARM hardware.

Thanks its x86 little intel atom processors.

I assume a 64 bit Atom? desktop or command line only?

CentOS 7 does have support for 32 bit but it is maintained by a special group and not by the CentOS developers. CentOS 8 was just released but do not know when or if there will be a 32 bit version.

Originally Posted by michaelk I assume a 64 bit Atom? desktop or command line only? CentOS 7 does have support for 32 bit but it is maintained by a special group and not by the CentOS developers. CentOS 8 was just released but do not know when or if there will be a 32 bit version.

Yes thank you 64 bit. I was looking at CentOS 7 (8 is to new)

Originally Posted by michaelk desktop or command line only?

Sorry missed this. I put gnome on out of shear laziness it just easier for some things, but primarily command line. When in the field they are user-less..

What is this like a mini, fanless desktop PC? Infinite power, memory, hard disk? By that I mean, greater than 1 GHz CPU, greater than 4 G RAM, greater than 10 G drive space, and A/C powered?

Put anything on it which you're comfortable with. Older ATOM's had a non-convenient graphics bridge chip (Poulsbo) which was a problem that Ubuntu kicked, but this is 10+ years ago, the more recent ones are better.

Stick with Cent if you get it to run, you appear to know how to configure and tune that one. Any questions you have about making it headless or auto-starting things, etc, please expand here or ask in the CentOS forum, or also Newbie and/or Software forums here on LQ.

Now if instead this is some SOM where the RAM, ROM, etc are limited and you're on a power budget, then please let us know. I'm not sure this is the case, because those ATOM's require a lot of power WRT situations where a battery might be used. They don't WRT A/C line current.

Originally Posted by davelady Sorry missed this. I put gnome on out of shear laziness it just easier for some things, but primarily command line. When in the field they are user-less..

Gnome is light-weight?

Originally Posted by Samsonite2010 Gnome is light-weight?

Originally Posted by rtmistler What is this like a mini, fanless desktop PC? Infinite power, memory, hard disk? By that I mean, greater than 1 GHz CPU, greater than 4 G RAM, greater than 10 G drive space, and A/C powered? Put anything on it which you're comfortable with. Older ATOM's had a non-convenient graphics bridge chip (Poulsbo) which was a problem that Ubuntu kicked, but this is 10+ years ago, the more recent ones are better. Stick with Cent if you get it to run, you appear to know how to configure and tune that one. Any questions you have about making it headless or auto-starting things, etc, please expand here or ask in the CentOS forum, or also Newbie and/or Software forums here on LQ. Now if instead this is some SOM where the RAM, ROM, etc are limited and you're on a power budget, then please let us know. I'm not sure this is the case, because those ATOM's require a lot of power WRT situations where a battery might be used. They don't WRT A/C line current.

They are little fanless 2ghz dual core atoms, 2 gb memory, 32 gb primary storage. I haven't found any reason not to use CentOS other than its currently not seeing the wifi network card just the hard port (but to your point that s a different forum question).

Thanks for the insights, just didn't want to blunder into the 'everyone knows not to do that' world..