OS Question

TPerry

TPerry

Well-known member
The VPS service I just got to play with (Ram Node) has several options for the OS. The 3 I am leaning towards are Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server, CentOS and Fedora. They also have Linux Mint and Debian available. Would Ubuntu be a good choice (I run it on one of my old desktops and it does great there but not sure about for a web server open to the monsters).
 
Ubuntu is used a lot in the server space. There's a lot of information out there about it with regard to web hosting. That being said, I personally got started with CentOS. Cent is probably a bit more stable than Fedora, which I have not tried, but really it's just personal preference at this point.
To really answer your question, yes, Ubuntu would be fine for a server environment.
 
Ubuntu would do just fine, though I would personally just go pure Debian seeing as the option is available to you. Ubuntu sometimes has a number of extra packages that you won't need or ant. Debian is normally more stripped back and you can still use apt and all the other good stuff you're likely used to with Ubuntu.
 
Only reason I ended up choosing Ubuntu was that I was familiar with it... but if Debian is slimmer and the core is the same (which it should be since Ubuntu is based off of it) then after I play with this a bit I'll set up a new server OS. At least I've got the web server up running and have it serving a static page using GeoIP. :confused:
Now I'm battling with iptables (something I never had to do on my local boxes).
 
A good breakdown... courtesy of rackspace...

Ubuntu focuses on being user-friendly and offering newer software versions.

CentOS emphasizes stability and enterprise software compatibility above cutting-edge features.

Debian is similarly conservative with a focus on tested and stable software, but with easier access to a repository of newer but potentially less stable packages.

Red Hat is the best choice when you absolutely need the maximum level of enterprise software compatibility but it costs an extra license fee.

Fedora is laid out similar to CentOS but offers a newer and broader variety of software packages.

Gentoo gives you obsessive control over every aspect of the system and how the software it runs is compiled, making it good for people learning to program for Linux.

Arch is targeted at people who are comfortable running a Linux server and want more control over the server's inner workings


More info here: http://www.rackspace.com/knowledge_center/article/choosing-a-linux-distribution
 
I've been using CentOS for years. It's far preferable to have maximum stability rather than bleeding edge when it comes down to servers. If you want to experiment, do it on a test bed that isn't talking to the world. That way, when bleeding edge breaks something, you don't have users burning your effigy when they can't get to the site.
 
Biker said:
I've been using CentOS for years. It's far preferable to have maximum stability rather than bleeding edge when it comes down to servers. If you want to experiment, do it on a test bed that isn't talking to the world. That way, when bleeding edge breaks something, you don't have users burning your effigy when they can't get to the site.
Click to expand...

Same,

Centos all the way.
 
Anybody wanna provide a "poor boy" with a sample iptables that is secure. I just need to see what the basics are (I have a simple one that will probably work as it drops all traffic except that going to the ports for SSH, FTP, and PING).​
 
hellreturn said:
Centos if you need Cpanel or so.. or Debian.. all the way!!

Debian backports for latest packages:

http://www.dotdeb.org/
http://backports-master.debian.org/
Click to expand...

Got Debian 6.0 up and running right now, have SSH configured (in fact, using my MAC terminal program to access it. Slow learning process - but if I wasn't already somewhat familiar with most of the core it would be WAY slower.:whistle:
I am actually liking Debian - from my research it's right about between CentOS and Ubuntu. The benefits of newer software that is more stable than Ubuntu - but not as stable as CentOS (which doesn't have as much of the newer stuff and appears to be more a bear to install stuff on).
 
Using Debian since last 5 years on my servers. Not sure why people call it less stable. Don't forget to install fail2ban ... it will help banning brute force people.

Running Apache2, php 5.3, MySQL 5.5, xcache, ioncube, suhosin, proftpd, fail2ban, munin and postfix on debian squeeze and all seems fine.
 
hellreturn said:
Using Debian since last 5 years on my servers. Not sure why people call it less stable. Don't forget to install fail2ban ... it will help banning brute force people.

Running Apache2, php 5.3, MySQL 5.5, xcache, ioncube, suhosin, proftpd, fail2ban, munin and postfix on debian squeeze and all seems fine.
Click to expand...

Yeah, been trying CentOS. I'm just outta the loop with yum/rpm stuff. I'm about to delete the CentOS and play with Debian again. This is getting to be fun. :rolleyes:
 
Finalized on Debian. So far the setup has been easy. Got my iptables configured, using iptables-persistent so they should hold across reboots. Got GeoIP installed, Apache 2 (was looking at lighttpd and nginx, but it appears for PHP they are dependent on Apache2?). Now working on installing phpmyadmin and getting my FTP to work. I am debating between vsftpd or ProFTPD. Leaning towards vsftpd, or I may just use SFTP instead.
 
MattW said:
nginx should work fine on Debian : http://wiki.nginx.org/Install
Click to expand...
May play with it in the near future then. Right now I'm in a hurry to get the h*ll away (far far away - in a galaxy long ago) from HostGator and am already familiar with Apache. I have Debian 6 set up, have my DB installed into mySQL and even have a test site up and responding (a virtual site). Right now I'm uploading all the files from my HostGator site to the VPS and will then see if the site is responding - if so, time for the DNS changes - then a submitting a cancellation to HostGator to get 3 years of prepaid hosting (what can I say, had some spare jingle and didn't know better) back. Once that spare jingle comes back I'll be upgrading the (now 512mb) VPS upwards. So far I'm liking Ram Node a BUNCH. Submitted 3 tickets (low priority stuff) and had responses back within 15 minutes. Price is right also ($95 a year for my current setup). 1000Mbps connection, 30Gb space, 2000GB bandwidth for the site. Should be plenty for the 3 active users I have. ;)
Got to thank Ghan_04 for suggesting them... so far I likee.
 
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