[NTLUG:Discuss] Which Server Distro?

[Kipton Moravec]

On Fri, 2009-12-04 at 09:16 -0600, Robert Pearson wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:10 AM, Michael Barnes <barnmichael at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I need to build up a couple of basic servers, primarily for ftp use, a
> > few small web pages and a handful of small bash and perl scripts. No
> > DNS, DHCP, SMTP, Samba or other complicated stuff.  These are no
> > budget enterprise machines, the ftp boxes see around 3 GB of transfer
> > daily.
> >
> > I was thinking of using either Ubuntu or CentOS, possibly OpenSUSE.  I
> > haven't fooled with CentOS for a while, but I'm using Ubuntu (or
> > Kbuntu) on several desktops now with good results.  I need something
> > that is going to be viable for a couple years at least.  That was a
> > real problem with my SUSE machines.  Every time I turned around, a new
> > version came out and I had to fiddle with my apps to get them running
> > again, or just stay with the original install.  Hence, I have a bunch
> > of SUSE 9.? and 10.2 machines I can't get updates to.
> >
> > What distro suggestions might any of you have for something I won't
> > have to worry will be EOL next year and can just build it and leave it
> > for a while?
> >
> > BTW, new hardware is a bunch of used Dell 2850 servers.  I don't know
> > yet how much memory, but they have five Seagate SCSI drives of unknown
> > size.  I do know the drives are U320 series.
> >
> > Thanks for your comments,
> > Michael
> >
> 
> Dennis' Debian recommendation is a fine one.
> 
> Here is the Ubuntu Release Schedule. it looks like we are in between
> LTS releases...
> <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases>
> 
> You might want to install Ubuntu 9.10 (end of life April 2011) as an
> interim fix and then do the online upgrade to 10.04 LTS sometime after
> April 2010. Release 10.04 LTS has a "server" end of life in April
> 2015.
> I have been very happy with Ubuntu 9.04 on the desktop and the
> commentary on the upgrade to 9.10 is good.
> 
> I have been very happy with the slow pace of the updates for Linux
> Mint which is based on Ubuntu. Unfortunately it has no server version.
> 
> Everybody else seems to have gone to the short cycle upgrade. At least
> in the major "free" Linux players.


I would go just the opposite way. :)

Since you do not need the latest and greatest, I would go with Ubuntu
Server 8.04 LTS and then upgrade a couple months after the next Ubuntu
LTS is released.

There has been some problems with 9.10 and the issue was it was released
too soon with too many changes and not enough testing. These changes may
or may not be an issue with a simple server, as most of the problems
were with the Desktop. (Although the one computer I did upgrade to 9.10
did not have a problem.)

So I would go with the 8.04 LTS server. Stick with something you know as
opposed to a different distribution which may do things a little
differently. KISS

Kip



-- 
Kipton Moravec AE5IB .- . ..... .. -...

"Always do right; this will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
--Mark Twain