Home Server / Internet Sharing / Firewall Box

[Jonny M]

I was originally using Clarkconnect, but ran out of luck with it dropping the connection, then failing to come back up. Using Windows Server 2003 Standard (evaluation) with it at the moment, but I can't help thinking that there's too much on it, and I don't need most of what it provides. Not to mention the cost .

What OS would you recommend for hosting websites (inc. virtual hosts), and sharing the internet (using a Conexant PCI ADSL modem), and providing a firewall? Mail / web servers could be useful too.

This is running on a P3 600, 10GB HDD, 128MB RAM (will try and get another 128MB stick for it).

Thanks

[gamezfreak]

Linux is the way to go in my own personal opinion, especially for server purposes. There's a whole range of distrubutions to choose from, I haven't actually got a server so I wouldn't really know.

Your best off asking some linux related forums, or even using something like Debian. Linux has the advantage of being stable, with webserver technology's such as Apache.

Or, if your feeling a bit on the wild side, you could go with FreeBSD

[Steve]

What was wrong with ClarkConnect?

I'm sorry to say this, but the reason it wasn't working properly was because it wasn't set up right. Of course, I've fallen foul of this as I'm no linux expert. However, I found that sticking with it helps - it never fails me now, and any issues are fixable in a couple of keystrokes.