Best (Linux) OS for dedicated server

xgarb · 5th August 2008

Hi,

I'm looking around at dedicated servers at the moment and am wondering which OS is recommended for a dedicated server?

Initially it'll be one site. I've used Xubuntu and Ubuntu on the desktop a little bit so know my way round those.

I noticed centOS is used a lot does this check for updates on installed software the same way Ubuntu does? Makes keeping Apache etc up to date easier.

Thanks,
xgarb

pipeten · 5th August 2008

Yes, you can use centOS which is almost identical to RHEL. You can have choice of package managers but you'll find 'yum' is largely preferred.

midnightsoftwar · 5th August 2008

My personal preference is CentOS - which as has been said is basically a 'debranded' version of RedHat Enterprise Linux. Most will use yum for updating/installing software as its quite good at dependency resolution.

BionicInternet · 5th August 2008

Our preference is CentOS. Just works well and it seems to be the tightest.

freethought · 5th August 2008

I always use CentOS unless I have a good reason to pay Red Hat for RHEL support.
I've tried Debian and Ubuntu on the server as I like the apt package management system but CentOS/RHEL are more mature IMHO.
Thinks like iptables just work without messing around with scripts to load and save. All the little config utilitties are time savers as well.

BurtyB · 5th August 2008

I'd advise you to go with what you know best since you'll need to look after and work with it.

Ubuntu do a server edition so maybe that would be the best starting point? Or if you can "play" locally on a spare box/vm/etc you could try installing some other "server" distros and seeing how well you get on with them etc.

I mostly use CentSO but I used RedHat for years before hand.

ChrisB.

JamesSykes · 5th August 2008

^ What he said. It's more important to have a Linux OS that you are comfortable with.

If you don't have a preference then you can't go wrong with CentOS. It's got to be the most widely used in the hosting industry so it's doing something right

Cromulent · 5th August 2008

I know it is not Linux but have you considered OpenBSD? As secure and stable operating systems go it is pretty much the best free version around. Plus as an added advantage it is absolutely tiny compared with the default CentOS install for example.

JonWitte · 5th August 2008

We've been a Debian shop for years with no regrets, but go with what you're happy with, keep that patched and you won't go far wrong.

Karl · 5th August 2008

Problem with OpenBSD unless something has changed recently, is that it can be a real pig upgrading between releases, and then there's the issue of software support.

adammccarthy · 5th August 2008

I'm mainly a Debian guy, although I use CentOS sometimes when it's a 'supported platform' for a particular piece of software. I find Debian 'just works', whereas CentOS sometimes doesn't, although that's probably because I'm more used to it.

It really is personal preference. If you go with most server distros you'll end up with a good system. All we can really say is 'try them out'.

Cromulet: Out of the BSDs I like FreeBSD. BSD somehow feels more mature and thought out than Linux distros, which have an almost 'thrown together' feel in comparison. I have deployed FreeBSD several times but in the long run maintaining them is often more work compared to the equivalent Linux system. Software is often written for Linux too, so the BSD ports can be outdated and unsupported. For that reason I'd normally suggest Linux. One big plus for FreeBSD is pf IMO - iptables is horrible in comparison.

SynergyWorks · 7th August 2008

Another vote for CentOS. I'd say 70+% of our servers are running it.

JamieBeeston · 7th August 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SynergyWorks

Another vote for CentOS. I'd say 70+% of our servers are running it.

Ditto

CentOS / RHEL accounts for about 80% I'd say.

It works, it's robust, secure and reliable, and crucially very easy to use for any unseasoned types.

WebbyCart · 8th August 2008

CentOS got my vote also.

Regards,
Bobby

aXeR · 8th August 2008

Centos seems to have the best support so I'd recommend it on these grounds alone