silentknight329 Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 yah so i got this computer from my great grandad and i dont know what the specs are but i am turning it into a linux server.. what would my best bet be for linux os i know there are quite a few out there thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joerg Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I personally would use Debian or Ubuntu without a X-Server to save resources. Anyway, you can just install some distros and see if they're working well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNFERNoN Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I'm with Joerg. Using apt to install / remove packages will make your life very easy. I know rpm and yum on Fedora / Red Hat are supposed to be nice, but I've never taken the time to learn them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparda Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Might be worth getting a new PSU for it. Old PSU's can be very inefficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentknight329 Posted July 5, 2008 Author Share Posted July 5, 2008 k i'll keep that in mind if i can get a psu i will. i think i'll give redhat or ubuntu a go those names seem familiar so i'll try it thanks for all the help.. and on a side note.. completely off topic but i got a phone w/ bluetooth and when i connect it to my computer it requires a pin... but i dont know my pin for my computer.. is there anyway to find this out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K1u Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Fedora 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanMulvey Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I've been running Ubuntu Server on an old machine I have for a little over a year and I have loved it so far. I am currently in the process of trying out FreeBSD (just for the heck of it), but I would definitely recommend UbuntuServer, especially if you are somewhat inexperienced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparda Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Running "Ubuntu Server" has almost the exact opposite of implications as running (say) "Windows Server". /me is attempting to maintain neutral I just want to make this clear. (In case of any confusion) "Ubuntu Server" does not mean the OS you install has things like Apache, MySQL or LDAP installed by default (though you are asked about such things when you do install). "Ubuntu Server" is a fork of Ubuntu that has no desktop or desktop related applications by default. It also doesn't have services such as CUPS enabled by default which makes it use less resources and run better on less capable hardware. This makes it good to install on older computers then manually install a desktop environment (such as fluxbox) that is far lighter than KDE or Gnome. "Windows Server" is almost the literal opposite of this despite the similarity in title. Moonlit: Is my new neutralness intact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKo Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Running "Ubuntu Server" has almost the exact opposite of implications as running (say) "Windows Server". /me is attempting to maintain neutral I just want to make this clear. (In case of any confusion) "Ubuntu Server" does not mean the OS you install has things like Apache, MySQL or LDAP installed by default (though you are asked about such things when you do install). "Ubuntu Server" is a fork of Ubuntu that has no desktop or desktop related applications by default. It also doesn't have services such as CUPS enabled by default which makes it use less resources and run better on less capable hardware. This makes it good to install on older computers then manually install a desktop environment (such as fluxbox) that is far lighter than KDE or Gnome. "Windows Server" is almost the literal opposite of this despite the similarity in title. Moonlit: Is my new neutralness intact? Ubuntu Server and Windows Server 2003/2008 aren't even in the same ball park. If you want a *nix OS for a server, use something like FreeBSD. Ubuntu is a toy for geeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonlit Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 Moonlit: Is my new neutralness intact? Close enough. I've not used Ubuntu Server but I'd like to note for all the "servers don't have GUI" crowd that Windows Server 2008 comes in many versions, one of which is Server Core, which means you don't get Explorer or any of that other fun desktop stuff installed, just a Command Prompt (which admittedly it a Command Prompt in a GUI environment rather than just a plain ol' CLI). Still, less stuff running, less exploitable stuff running, less resource-using stuff running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beakmyn Posted July 5, 2008 Share Posted July 5, 2008 I just installed ubuntu server on an old 500MHz Dell laptop. It now serves as my VPN. Works great. In case you do need a graphical web browser, no worries, just install links2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SETone Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I have tested a lot of distros, but always end up with Clarkconnect on my servers/gateways. http://www.clarkconnect.com/ Nice and easy. Web GUI for the default configuration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakey Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 BT3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dejai Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 The best thing to do would be to try WUBI a windows installer for Ubuntu, get used to it learn how do some basic terminal and then maybe install Lubi and mess around with a bunch of installations. I have settled on Fedora Core 8 but just experiment and have fun. You can't really say ones better than another, they have their own purpose. Ubuntu is made friendly to beginners. Its one of their goals. Thus you should take a look. If your a fan boy of live usbs you could install a fedora live usb! Or a ubuntu live cd either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antirem Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I would suggest using ubuntu if your a virgin to linux, its gentle and the communtity is great. Gentoo is really fun.. but really hard at first. If its a server I prefer to use SME server... but you better enjoy ssh'ing in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metatron Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Linux from scratch if you want to learn about Linux, if you just want a server and you want something that will give you real world experience use CentOS. I'd recommend OpenBSD but it helps if you have an idea about what your doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krandor Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Really it depends on how old "old" is. If you're talking a machine that's about 500Mhz w/ 92MB of RAM, a GUI-less version of Ubuntu would probably work (and since it seems you're new to linux, Ubuntu is also very friendly to use and install). If the machine is older than that, then even some of the newer distributions might be too much, going with something small like DSL (which i love because you can burn it to a business card CD or USB drive). Personally i've been a huge fan of Gentoo for years (back when you'd have to bootstrap the system from nothing). The distro has come a long way and there's a lot of community support. And it's lots of fun to play with. Depending on what your system can handle and what you think you'd be comfortable with should be the big criteria you should be considering for your choice. Ubuntu - easy to install, good community support, easy to use Gentoo - a bit more hands on with installation and configurations, great community support. DSL - easy use (just boot from a bootable device), great if you want to do something like a disk less system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakey Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 dsl is a nice distro. Good for just browsing the net, irc and such. Built in ssh and other things is a plus aswel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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