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Thread: Which distribution of Linux

  1. #1
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    Which distribution of Linux

    I want to setup a web and ftp server from home .I have all the necessary hardware I just need the operating system. I don’t want to spend loads of money on Microsoft products so I’m wondering which distribution of Linux is best for my needs.

    I haven’t got to much experience with Linux so if possible could you recommend me the most user friendly distribution. I there is no such thing as 'user friendly distribution', then can someone recommend me some freeware or open source software for windows or Linux.


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    OpenSuSE is fairly easy to setup as a web/ftp server. It has a system management interface called YaST that will take the hassle out of hand writting config files.
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    Fried Chip Extremist alsenior's Avatar
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    What about debian and the software choice is huge on the default repos
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    If you already have windows installed on this machine - or have access to a windows install, stick with what you know, unless this is designed to be a learning experience.

    There are plenty of shareware or free ftp processes, as I recall windows servers products comes with a free ftp server. You could install any free product on an XP/win2k install.
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    Ubuntu seems to be recommended a lot. Although personally I like Red Hat. As Ikonia said though this could open up a world of pain for you if you just want to plug and go.

    If you want to try a Windows product. Try Filezilla server (FTP) and Apache (WWW). Both free and both very simple to set up.

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    Apache has it's quirks as far as configuring goes. I suggested SuSE because it does have a fairly tidy UI for configuring FTP/HTTP daemons for basic to moderate configurations which will lower the learning curve for installation and setup, you can even configure it headless and use YaST over ssh, making it a good bit easier to work with than most other distros for common tasks.
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    Check out CentOS distros. I think alot of the ISPs use this operating system for web hosting.

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    If you want to try running a server in windows give xampp a bash. It literally does ALL the setup for you - Apache, MySQL, PHP.

    Now the initial setup is strictly a development environment and is seriously stupid to use a live, publicly accessible machine but as for learning and testing I can't fault it.

  9. #9
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    If I were you, I'd avoid CentOS - it's basically Redhat Enterprise recompiled. You can't use a lot of the easy tools which will come with the more friendly distros.

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    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
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    I have been playing with Fedora Core 6. It is pretty easy to set up, and the distro comes with options to install Apache 2.3, PHP 5.something and MySql 5.0.something. As I have only just installed it and on the initial learning curve, I can't say too much about it, but it seems OK.

    Apache is tricky to configure initailly (although it only takes a couple of changes to the config file to get it running, to get the best - and to ensure it is secure, you need to understand it - and the documentation on the Apache Web site is a bit daunting for beginners) and if you are running on Linux, you do need a reasonable knowledge of the Linux file sytem. However Apache will run on Windows so you could try configuring it on that to start with. There are some good reference books which makes life easier - try "Apache - The Definitive Guide" published by Riley.

    While running your own host is rewarding, you do need to consider a few things, particularly if your site is 'mission critical'. A UPS is almost a must if you suffer from brown outs or frequent power cuts. If you are running 24x7 you need to consider the effect on your electricity bill. You need to consider your back up regime if you are hosting an interactive site (such as a blog or BB) and if you really are mission critical, consider raid systems and having a stand-by machine. For those reasons, paying a hosting service may actually be more cost effective.

    If you are running a static site, you could consider getting a Linksys NSLU2 and hacking that you make it into a web server. It runs Apache quite happily, but starts to run out of processing power when you ask it to run MySql and PHP as well! (But it is very low power, and silent in operation - and very small)
    Last edited by peterb; 20-04-2007 at 05:09 PM. Reason: Correction of LINKSYS NSLU2 !!! (Doh!)
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    Senior Member Tobeman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by peterb View Post
    If you are running a static site, you could consider getting a Netgear NSLU2 and hacking that..
    *Linksys NSLU2


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    The late but legendary peterb - Onward and Upward peterb's Avatar
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    DOH! Thanks Tobeman (corrected on original so an admin might like to delete these posts!)
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