Ubuntu as server?
 

Anyone using Ubuntu as a server? I am using warty (soon to be hoary) as my desktop and I'm looking around for a distro for a webserver. I see a lot of recommendations for debian and fedora, so i was wondering what people thought of ubuntu for the job. I haven't used fedora since core 2, but was revisiting the idea of using that once core 4 gets stabilized and debian stable is too slow/behind for me.

i am also considering a file server (for 2 win xp and ubuntu) down the road a bit.

anyhow, what ya got to say?

Any Linux will work for a server. Ubuntu will work fine, but I prefer Slack.

well, yeah, I know linux distros will work for servers. I am just seeing if other people have used ubuntu in that capapcity and how it compared to using fedora or vanilla debian in terms of setup, config and stability.

why do you prefer slack? have you used ubuntu as a server?

Ubuntu is built for desktop usage. It'll work as a server no doubt - the packages are there - but I think only in Universe (unsupported) and you may have to jump through a few hoops to get things playing nice. Or, you may have no problems at all. It's rather iffy with desktop-optimized distros.

Red Hat's setup is excellent for a server, and works rather easily. However, I've found Red Hat to be notoriously slow, especially RH 9 and Fedora 3. Perhaps my mind plays tricks on me, but I doubt it.

I second the recommendation of Slackware. It's simple, very few default services (pretty secure), and fast. Add Webmin to any of them and running a server becomes near perfect. (It comes in most handy on Slack)

I have Ubuntu as a server and it's just fine. While yes, the major packages are centered around desktop usage, there's more than enough there for stability! If you're in doubt, visit the Ubuntu forums and you'll find we're not the only two doing the same with success.

I also use ubuntu (hoarty) as a fileserver (mp3's and samba shares) without any trouble. I did the server installation (no X-windows), then did apt-get for samba, and after configuring /etc/samba/smb.conf I was all set.

Optional: I didn't want to take up space with a monitor or keyboard (server sits under my desk/worktable) so I also installed ssh. That way I can get a terminal to configure remotely and even reboot if necessary. I also use sftp for file transfer. ssh was extremely easy to set up (basically just start the service) and is more secure than telnet/ftp.

This is all running on a PII 450 wiith 128 MB ram and it runs quite nicely, even with mp3's being played straight from the server. My wife reported an occasional glitch when playing mp3's over an 802.11b connection to an XP box upstairs, but I don't know yet whether it was the connection (just being a slow "b"... the signal is strong so it's not that) or the server slowing down.

Anyhow, it was very easy to get going. Much easier than getting my workstation the way I want it!