Linux Servers

Question

What is your preferred flavor of Linux for a server environment and why?

Answer 1

I usually choose between 3 different distros based on need.

Speed and customization - Gentoo
Stability and reliability - CentOS
If the first 2 are not an option - Debian.

Answer 2

Debian, CentOS in that order.

Answer 3

Debian Stable release. Easy to install, easy to maintain.

Answer 4

Debian 'stable', hands down. It is as rock solid as you can get. While it does tend to get a little "stale" after a while, in my experience there are usually only a few packages you absolutely need the latest version of, and it's pretty trivial to either backport those from 'testing' or install from source in /usr/local.

Answer 5

I tend to prefer openSuSE, but that's probably just because I'm partial to that distro. I started learning Linux on SuSE 9.0, and it's grown on me. It has a good amount of customization without forcing a package manager down your throat should you need to compile some newer binaries.

Answer 6

Ubuntu or Debian for the apt package manager. CentOS if you'd rather use RPM.

Answer 7

Personally I've stuck with Debian variants (mostly Debian itself and Ubuntu), but I've helped manage the occasional Fedora Core server too. I just like the way Debian organises things better.

I think most of the differences come down to personal preference. I'd suggest experimenting a little with a few different flavours and see what you like the best.

Answer 8

Debian Debian Debian. in that order.
It was the first, it's stable as hell (I have an HD that has been in 6 different systems without ever not working perfectly), and for a server environment pretty much everything is easy.

Answer 9

I have been setting up Ubuntu servers for work and it has been successful.

Answer 10

+1 for Debian stable. Nothing better on the server IMO.

• It has an easy net install CD to get minimal packages
• apt-get is awesome on a server
• packages are actually compatible with each other and they seem to be tested properly (gasp!)
• Less packages + less complexity + compat packages + super stable packages (no shiny stuff) == more stable server == more happiness == happier customers == more money ;)

Answer 11

Debian.

I have experience with RH servers, but Debian is definitely my first choice. The APT package management is really superior to any other package management system.

Answer 12

I tend to use Gentoo. This is mainly so that I can get exactly what I want on my server, and because I tend to find it easier to configure apps by using their config files rather than using an often rather broken GUI config editor. Gentoo also lets me run things fast - which is good when you're running on cheap/old servers like I am.

Answer 13

I look at what I need and who I'm installing it for.

At work, when it's something that needs support, I'll always go for RedHat or SuSE, depending on who's offering the best deals on support at the time. If I don't need to justify support (for example in a lab), I'll go with Debian for it's lean footprint, mostly because I'm scared of Slackware!

For my personal servers, I alternate between Fedora or CentOS and Ubuntu or Debian (depending on which is the distro de jour), and for what I want it for. A good example of this is that the last machine I built was to be a PVR, so I installed Mythbuntu, and when that wasn't used for that after a couple of weeks, I stuck Ubuntu on it. Before that, it was running Fedora.

I think the real trick to Linux Servers is to weigh all the needs up, and then counter that with which distribution you prefer at the time. In a commercial environment; it's always got to be Novell's SuSE or RedHat, although Canonical's Ubuntu Server will be one to watch in a year or so.

Answer 14

See Centos or Debian as a server OS? for a related discussion

Answer 15

It really depends:

• How long will the server "live" without major upgrades?
• How important is it that much of the software is of the latest and greatest version?
• How much time do you want to spend on upgrades and maintenance?
• Do you want to build software packages yourself or depend on what's in the distribution?

Answer 16

Debian for the single reason of being able to do major version upgrades in-place without worry. I understand that even RH is still not very good at this, but there are systems in the field that are up to date and functioning that I deployed almost 10 years ago. For server work you want 'stable' and 'upgradable' over all else - between the two you're guaranteed to have a useful system for a long long time to come.

Answer 17

If you want really stable, go with Slackware or Debian.

Slackware is good if you really want to roll your sleeves up and dive in (including compiling many packages from source). It's probably the most stable linux out there, although the community is a lot smaller. There aren't many available packages (hence compiling from source) and the default package manager (pkgtools) doesn't go too far. There are third party package tools (slapt-get, swaret) that attempt to resolve dependencies, and do quite well most of the time, but aren't to be trusted fully if you're running a production environment.

Debian is a great choice if you want to install the OS, do a bit of config, and not have to worry about anything else. The apt packaging system is effective and easy to use, and there are more packages available than you'll ever need. It really just depends what you're looking for.

If you're comfortable with Linux, try slack. It's screaming fast, light, and stable. If you haven't set up a server before, I'd go with Debian. You'll find a lot more support and helpful packages.