[NTLUG:Discuss] Which Server Distro?

[Thomas Cameron]

On 12/04/2009 08:10 AM, Michael Barnes 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.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, hands down.  It'll work great with those
servers, and it's very affordable - you're looking at $349 per system
for basic (web only) support.

https://www.redhat.com/wapps/store/catalog.html

TC