[NTLUG:Discuss] Which Server Distro?

[Robert Pearson]

On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:10 AM, Michael Barnes <barnmichael at gmail.com> wrote:
> I need to build up a couple of basic servers, primarily for ftp use, a
> few small web pages and a handful of small bash and perl scripts. No
> DNS, DHCP, SMTP, Samba or other complicated stuff.  These are no
> budget enterprise machines, the ftp boxes see around 3 GB of transfer
> daily.
>
> I was thinking of using either Ubuntu or CentOS, possibly OpenSUSE.  I
> haven't fooled with CentOS for a while, but I'm using Ubuntu (or
> Kbuntu) on several desktops now with good results.  I need something
> that is going to be viable for a couple years at least.  That was a
> real problem with my SUSE machines.  Every time I turned around, a new
> version came out and I had to fiddle with my apps to get them running
> again, or just stay with the original install.  Hence, I have a bunch
> of SUSE 9.? and 10.2 machines I can't get updates to.
>
> What distro suggestions might any of you have for something I won't
> have to worry will be EOL next year and can just build it and leave it
> for a while?
>
> BTW, new hardware is a bunch of used Dell 2850 servers.  I don't know
> yet how much memory, but they have five Seagate SCSI drives of unknown
> size.  I do know the drives are U320 series.
>
> Thanks for your comments,
> Michael
>

Dennis' Debian recommendation is a fine one.

Here is the Ubuntu Release Schedule. it looks like we are in between
LTS releases...
<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Releases>

You might want to install Ubuntu 9.10 (end of life April 2011) as an
interim fix and then do the online upgrade to 10.04 LTS sometime after
April 2010. Release 10.04 LTS has a "server" end of life in April
2015.
I have been very happy with Ubuntu 9.04 on the desktop and the
commentary on the upgrade to 9.10 is good.

I have been very happy with the slow pace of the updates for Linux
Mint which is based on Ubuntu. Unfortunately it has no server version.

Everybody else seems to have gone to the short cycle upgrade. At least
in the major "free" Linux players.