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Which free server OS to use?

Asked by whitebread,

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whitebread

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I need to setup a basic no-frills LAMP server. The machine I'll be running it on is fairly old but was originally (about 6-8 years ago) some sort of enterprise server. I don't have the specifics ATM but it has 512MB of RAM and 4 processors (2 2-die Xeon).

What OS should I use? I was thinking of Ubuntu because of the wide-availability of how-to guides, but as I was researching I found guides claiming OpenBSD was the "paragon" of security for server OSes and that OpenSolaris/MySQL are the most "compatible" because Sun (and now Oracle) developed both.

The server will only be used for https requests coming to/from a BlackBerry application and making outgoing http requests to RIM's servers (for their PUSH APIs).

Which OS should I use?

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bolerodan

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Honestly.. I dont realllly feel it matters too too much for a personal or small project such as this. You will find a lot of people will suggest different things

From Linux Distros like Ubuntu, CentOS to the BSDs like FreeBSD, openBSD.

I know openBSD strives on being a hardened OS, however I feel this can be accomplished with some patience on other OS or distributions as well.

i say just pick one that catches your eye.

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Brian M. Veteran

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Use whichever linux distro you feel more comfortable with (or, to say it another way, which you've had the most experience with).

I personally use Debian on all linux servers, because it's the distro I've had the most exposure to (can't remember why I chose it in the first place). At the end of the day, if it's properly managed, any linux distro is as secure/reliable as any other.

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Jen Smith

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For my own uses, I like BSD but that's just because I'm used to it.

The software itself (Apache/lightttpd/whatever, MySQL, PHP, etc) is going to be pretty much the same regardless of which one you pick, just make sure that the distro in question is current with security fixes and whatnot.

Debian (or Ubuntu) is a pretty decent platform to work with. I've set a few up with that, pretty easy to deal with. Ubuntu has an install specifically catered to a server setup, kernel's tweaked a little differently, console only, etc etc. Tons of help out there for it. Last time I worked with it, it was pretty solid. Throw on Webmin for easymode administration.

If you want something a bit more user friendly if you're new to the Linux end, ClearOS is pretty decent too. Complete setup right out of the box. Personally, I think you're better off building from the ground up yourself though, learn how things work, but this one looks pretty good. Based on Centos, the free version of Red Hat Enterprise.

Nothing stopping you from using a Windows based server too, you can get Apache, MySQL, PHP, etc etc going as well, if that's what you're used to. (Granted, not free unless you qualify for DreamSpark, or 'alternative methods'). I've messed with the Abyss server which is actually rather good for a freebie too. Pretty fast, seemed secure, and easy to set up. (There's a better paid version if you need multiple domains and the like.)

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boogerjones

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I need to setup a basic no-frills LAMP server
Then don't listen to all these people recommending the OS used in their "corporate setup" or that "the hosting industry has largely standardised on RHEL/CentOS so I think you'd be best using it"

There are a few people who said "stick with what you're most comfortable with" and that's the best advice you're going to get. Ubuntu will install a LAMP server as part of the initial install. And you're considering OpenBSD because some online tutorial said it's the "paragon" of security? LOL. Keep things simple for yourself, homie.

I've got Ubuntu running on a 12 year-old laptop with 512 MB of ram that's able to serve up 20-50 concurrent LAN connections to a PHP/MySQL stack without breaking a sweat.

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crawling_nanny

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I need to setup a basic no-frills LAMP server. The machine I'll be running it on is fairly old but was originally (about 6-8 years ago) some sort of enterprise server. I don't have the specifics ATM but it has 512MB of RAM and 4 processors (2 2-die Xeon).

What OS should I use? I was thinking of Ubuntu because of the wide-availability of how-to guides, but as I was researching I found guides claiming OpenBSD was the "paragon" of security for server OSes and that OpenSolaris/MySQL are the most "compatible" because Sun (and now Oracle) developed both.

The server will only be used for https requests coming to/from a BlackBerry application and making outgoing http requests to RIM's servers (for their PUSH APIs).

Which OS should I use?

Personally just used Ubuntu Server. I usually have some very silly questions and the forums at Ubuntu always seem to hold an answer.

When I was working with a professional developer (15+ years experience) he used CentOS. But I always came back to Ubuntu..

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