Which Linux should I start with?

alvyn

Hi

I am more proficient in Windows based, however when come to Linux, I am totally confused.

In order to build a low cost or "free" Linux Server equipped with DNS, DHCP, Firewall, VPN Server, RAID Capable, Dynamic DNS, Remote Access, WEB etc..

What should I use? And how and where to start from as in the selecting the appropriate applications.

Can I say, download a free Kernel such as Mandriva Free 2010 and addon other apps like Apache for WEB, or BIND for DNS and integrate them together to function like a Server?

Hope you can enlightened me on this.

Thanks

Alvyn

mfillpot

Pretty much all Linux based distros can handle the services you listed. In most cases there is no difference in the potential between desktop and server versions, you can upgrade the desktop versions to include full server capabilities. However in some cases the Server versions have slightly different kernel options chosen that put emphasis on services rather than individual application speed which make them better for a server system.

I would recommend trying out Ubuntu Server since the setup is very straight-forward and simple, but it also has the options to run with or without a GUI. As for using SUSE or Mandriva, those and company supplied distros which generally segregate functions in a fashion more like windows, so I am not completely confident that they would have all of the optional software in the repos to upgrade the free desktop versions full servers.

cmmedeiros

i have to agree with mfillpot, i have tried most of the linux based distros and so far i have liked and used ubuntu the most

Goineasy9

And to add my own 2 cents to the recommendations. Centos 5.4, the current free release of the Red Hat Enterprise distro, is worth looking at. It uses the same installer as Fedora (my current favorite for the desktop), and the documentation is impeccable, especially on the server side.

alvyn

Hi All,

Thanks for all for the advice. I think I will have to use Ubuntu and play with it for now.

Once again, a million thanks to your precious advice.

Cheers

Alvyn