6 replies to this topic

[DJCinnamonSnow]

So I am turning my old desktop computer into a server. I am reinstalling an operating system on it and I read that fedora or ubuntu would probably be the best operating systems to use to run a server. Is this true or should I be trying to use something else? Also if it is true, which one is better fedora or ubuntu? Any advice would be great!

[starscream]

Fedora is perfect if you want to run a server. Ubuntu is good if you are looking for desktop dsitro. The packages in fedora are more compared to ubuntu and the most of the pacakges are suitable for server administration. You'll find it easy to operate if you're thinking about fedora. Ubuntu is simple but more suitable for desktop administration and the packages and the universe table reflects that. You should analyze your needs and then decide what's good for you -desktop or server. Or you want to do both ? if you want to do both then suse is much better than these two packages.

My opinion for desktop OS is divided between mandriva and ubuntu. I prefer mandriva over ubuntu and you should choose which one you find comfortable. It's not about the distro once you know how to manage your own packages and connect to repositories. This aside, i think you should choose fedora for server and ubuntu if you need desktop OS.

[Xarex]

So I am turning my old desktop computer into a server. I am reinstalling an operating system on it and I read that fedora or ubuntu would probably be the best operating systems to use to run a server. Is this true or should I be trying to use something else? Also if it is true, which one is better fedora or ubuntu? Any advice would be great!

I loved Linux when I was using it. And searched extensively around Google to figure out this answer. I came down to Fedora and Ubuntu as well. And while Fedora definitely looks beautiful, Ubuntu is just as customizable. I went with Ubuntu as I read that Ubuntu has a lot more help and support for people who are just learning the system. it was very easy to install. Probably the easiest thing I attempted to install ever. I tried to instlall Red Hat and Knoppix a few years ago (on my Windows computer) and was not successful.

I suggest you install a Virtual Machine first and then test both of them that way to see which you like more. This way, you won't have any problems and you can just delete the file and eventually install the one you like on your primary system.

I was pretty impressed.. Ubuntu seemed empty when I first installed it, but after typing a few things into the Terminal, which is essential to learn and use, you'll have an OS filled with software. I also went to the download area.. and everything was free. So many applications, games, etc. The only thing I could not get to work was the animation effects which are just eye candy anyway. As for usefulness and space.. the Linux package is very small, doesn't require much space, and you shouldn't have too much wait time for application to launch. Although sometimes, I did notice you had to click the application twice in order for it to launch.

And as for viruses and anti-spyware that slows down machines ... Linux stands unimpressed and unhindered by most.


Even just being familiar with Linux gives you this feeling of confidence of knowing What Lies Beyond ... the normal Mac OS and Windows operating systems. I think more advanced users of PC, programmers, etc. should have at least experienced Linux once or twice in their life

[starscream]

I have to agree with xanex here. Virtual machine is really good idea to use linux if you have some decision making conflicts for distros. You can run as many distros depending on hard disk size. You dont need to partition real hard disk as virtual machine is run on it's own file format. This way many conflicts with host system are avoided. You can also test, update and use linux by connecting to host internet connection sharing system. This helps you update linux distro as well.

Virtual machine comes with software - that let's users interact with host OS. For example your host OS is windows XP and want to use file transfer as drag and drop from windows to ubuntu linux. It is then possible to do just that. You have to install that software in virtual machine OS and it is possible. So you see, there are some good advantages of using virtual machine for testing any type of linux distro. You'll find ubuntu and mandriva much more customizable than fedora. But in any case, these are some good distros no matter which one you pick.

[wutske]

If I had to choose one of the two you suggest I would definately go for Fedora since it's roots are Red Hat which is a good server operating system. Ubuntu's roots are debian, which is also a very good linux distribution, but the goal of Canonical was the make an easy as possible desktop operating system which inevitably makes it less suited as a server.

However, if you're not familiar with linux then maybe Ubuntu isn't a bad option. If you're more experienced I'd suggest you to install Debian on it, configure SSH and make it a headless server

[evought]

I will third the idea of testing under a Virtual Machine and add the suggestion that most distros have live-DVD distributions making it really easy to boot it up and see how it works. Most hard-drives these days and Logical-Volume Management (LVM) support make it pretty easy to actually install several distros on the same hard drive and throw away what you do not like.

As far as Fedora-vs.-Ubuntu specifically, I have found in the last few years that Ubuntu/Kubuntu have been much less stable on what I would term less-mainstream hardware. Trying to install Ubuntu/Kubuntu on older hardware, including my CF-29 Toughbook, was an absolute nightmare with constant crashes even after I got it "working". Fedora 13 did much better with tweaks to get the touchscreen and DVD-burner working, Fedora 14 installed and worked right out of the box. Fedora packages seem to enjoy more testing on a wider array of machines, especially if you stay one major release behind. When it works, I think I like Ubuntu better, but when it doesn't work... fixing it is HARD.

You say, "server", but that does not necessarily mean "no graphics". If you still will sit at the console to perform maintenance, you want a good desktop and admin tools. Even over the network, you can run graphical apps remotely using the X-windows protocol. Fedora seems to be decent at letting you get at the guts from the command-line or the GUI, the GUI being better and more stable in Gnome than KDE currently (in my experience). I used to use WindowMaker ( http://windowmaker.org ) often, especially on servers because it is light and fast (and pretty--- I always liked NeXTStep), but Fedora 13's packages for it were HORRIBLE and very buggy I have not yet tried it under FC 14.

Fedora does have a very steady stream of package updates which is good and bad. We have satellite, which is slow and bandwidth-metered. Every time I log in with Fedora it wants to install and update something new. I have not had any real problems with updates breaking existing functionality, though.

[manuleka]

Agree with above poster on testing out through Live Media... but if you want a thorough testing then throwing it on Virtual Machine would be more convenient, this means you can alter and save settings...

Both distribution will run fine as a server... what services will the server mainly focus on?