Linux distro for a semi-serious home server

[dkm777]

Hi guys,

My father has bought a Fujitsu Primergy TX200 S7 server (yeah, I know...) and wants me to set it up. I will run a web server, a MySQL database, Samba and whatever else he feels like in the future. Since this server is certified for RHEL I'm leaning towards CentOS, but I never used it before and have no idea how hard it is to configure and maintain when only the command line is available. I have some experience with Debian but that was a long time ago and I'll have to relearn everything anyway. What would you guys suggest in this case - CentOS or Debian Stable? Or maybe there is another stable server distro I could use? However, I would like this experience to be useful in finding a new job someday, so including in my resume that I am using some obscure Linux distro will not impress anyone.

I also have another question - what filesystem to use for long term storage? I need something that is reasonably fast and is reliable as far as power outages are concerned. I don't mind losing a file that was copied during a power outage, but general corruption is unacceptable. It will be used for a RAID10 array.
I know I should be using a UPS, but this machine will be located in my father's "office" (read: mancave) and he wants everything to be as quiet as possible. I have a powerful UPS powering the controls of the heating system in my house and it has a really loud fan that kicks in when charging the battery. My father wants none of that. I'll try to convince him to get a UPS anyway, but in the meantime a very reliable file system is needed.

 

[bobross419]

You really can't go wrong with either CentOS or Debian Stable. Hell, even Fedora and Debian's beta version (someone will come in and remind me what the name is lol) wouldn't be too bad. ArchLinux might be considered as well if you're really serious about (re)learning *nix, but I wouldn't recommend it otherwise.

Ext4 is really fine for a server. Unless you're really needing some really high performance things (in which case you should probably be using separate servers) you shouldn't see a major difference between various file system types. I've always wanted to play with ZFS, but its not supported in Linux yet so I would just stick with ext4 myself.

As far as "work experience" goes, as long as you are administering it from a command line and learning how to both find things and navigate the file system it really doesn't matter too much what distro you're using. Being able to intelligently ask a question like "What is the httpd equivalent on an Ubuntu system?" isn't anything to sneeze at. I know its a bad example, but its pretty easy to correlate between distros once you know what to ask/google about.

Whichever you choose, keep in mind that you are gonna be your dad's IT guy whenever anything happens with the server. If you aren't super serious about learning Linux you might also consider looking into sticking something like ISPConfig or Webmin on there to make some of the more general administration tasks a little easier (since these are GUI based, old dad might even be able to pick up a thing or two).

 

[dkm777]

Thank you for taking the time for such a thorough reply, Bobross419. I'm reading up on CentOS right now and I already like it. Since CentOS and RHEL are really popular with the local hosting companies I think it will be the most valuable to learn it properly. I'll start by installing it in a VM when I get back from work and essentially model the installation of the server over the weekend. Hope my skills are not gone forever and I'll be able to get things running in no time.

 

[Nothinman]

You should see if you can put ESXi on the server and then you can play around with whatever Linux distros you want without making you rebuild everything every time.

I'm a big Debian zealot, I just don't like the RH way of doing things any more. In addition to the subtle philosophical differences the package repository in Debian is huge and the package quality is higher, IME. But in a professional setting you'll most likely still have to know some about RHEL for support reasons.

I would say ext4 is good for starting but others like XFS have decent advantages in certain scenarios.

 

[Paperlantern]

That server runs a E5-2400 Series Xeon processor. It is nothing to sneeze at at all. It will take up to 192GB of RAM. It will most definitely do ESXi. Nothinman is completely correct, putting ESXi on that would be the absolute best idea. I dont know hoe much memory it has, but even if its as low as 4GB, you could still run a couple VMs in ESXi with very little effort. If it has more like 8GB or even 16GB and beyond, you could run four to eight VMs, literally allowing you to try any flavor of Linux you want.

I have a DL320 G5. It has a modest 2.4 GHz Xeon dual core in it, and I run a CentOS box for a Minecraft server for myself and half a dozen friends that runs like a beast, it has 2GB of the installed 6GB on the host. I also run a Server 2003 box for a file server and print server, it uses 1GB of the 6GB, leaving me 3GB for future VMs. I have plenty of headroom on it, even as low end as the server is, to run up to probably 2 more VMs quite comfortably, and maybe 5 or 6 more if they are capable of running with little memory. ESXi is also capable of oversubscribing its memory, presenting more to its VMs as long as the total used of all the VMs doesnt exceed the total installed.

You have a much more robust server there than even I have. Definitely rock the ESXi, youll have a lot of fun, I promise.

 

[Using OpenBSD]

dkm777,

Debian is a great OS with deep ties in the linux/unix community and the majority of modern distributions are built from it like ubuntu, and then ubuntu itself has been used as the foundation of even more distributions.

http://www.debian.org/
http://www.ubuntu.com/

CentOS, the "free-er" open source version of RedHat Enterprise Linux, is great and proven the enterprise standard linux for most enterprises in general. CentOS will put you in a good position if you are looking for work as a linux adminstrator.

http://www.centos.org/


Slackware, the oldest and most pure version of linux, is where few travel, but is definitely the distribution to use if you are wanting to learn linux to the fullest, and truly get a handle on "what is going on" and how to configure your system.

http://www.slackware.com/


The only level harder than Slackware, will be LFS:

http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/

 

[_Rick_]

I've been running Gentoo (hardened) on my server for almost a decade now.
It's got the advantage of a lean base install, knowledgeable community, optimized/customized performance and package feature customization.

On the downside, it was stuck on kernel 2.6.28 for about 2 years (hardened only), until a kernel patch situation was resolved. Compiling packets takes a moment, updating the entire system can be tough on very full featured installations. I currently have a kernel bug, in the latest release, and my last working kernel isn't compatible with the latest udev.

As for the UPS: Just go for a small "shutdown power" UPS, that gives just enough power to do a worst-case shutdown, and not much more. You might even put a cpufreq script in the "on-battery" script, to instantly reduce power to a load the UPS can safely handle.
Of course, in the end it comes down to whether you need high availability or just data safety, in case of a power failure.

 

[Demo24]

You could put a GUI on these server distros if you really wanted to. We use Ubuntu server at work, effectively for all the same purposes you want to use it for. Works fine, no real problems, and enough support out there in case of problems. I've done training on centos, and apart from some slight differences in commands and package locations you'll most likely never notice the difference. There might be a bit better driver support ( only run into this with LSI raid cards) and some less common programs may be most easily available in rpm format, otherwise its minimal these days.

 

[smakme7757]

+1 for giving ESXi a try. It will give you some more flexibility and allow you to leverage the hardware more efficiently.

I'm currently running a few CentOS and debian(7) servers at the moment in Hyper-V. Both work well however I'm more comfortable with Debian, personally.

I'm using Ext4 however ZFS parity self repair system seems exciting. Buy I don't see any problems with Ext4.

Let us know what you end up with?

*Mobile post*

 

[dkm777]

Whoa, ESXi is really cool. I could use a Debian VM for a "smart home" data logging application, since that's what the vendor reccomends and a FreeBSD/FreeNAS with ZFS for storage duties. I could also secretly make my brother a Minecraft server that he really wanted :sneaky:... And best of all it's free. Since the server is vSphere certified then ESXi it is, thanks guys for a great idea. But I feel I'll have to upgrade the RAM since this box only comes with a single 8GB stick.
Now I have a question - which subforum is best for virtualization related questions? Because it's the first time I'm ever touching a bare metal hypervisor and will definitely be stumped at one point or another.

 

[bobross419]

ESXi is a great option. Its likely that you won't need more than 8G of RAM for home use.

 

[Paperlantern]

ESXi is a great option. Its likely that you won't need more than 8G of RAM for home use.

Yeah for a home server, REALLY, 8G is more than enough. A file server only needs at MOST 1 - 2GB and Minecraft should only need like 1.5 if you give Minecraft java instance the standard 1024MB. Heck even bumping that to 2048 and giving the system 2.5GB still only puts you at MOST at 4.5 between those two servers, and if you give a large 2GB to the logging server that puts you at 6.5. You'd still have room for one more VM at least depending on what you do with it.

Id say you are fine with 8GB. I wish my server had 8GB, lol. But even as it sits now with my MC server and my file server, i only use about 3.5 - 4GB of the 6GB it does have.

 

[dkm777]

The Smart Home application has a really fancy graphing and statistics module written in PHP and using a MySQL database. I'm afraid its RAM usage will balloon in no time. Also it need to connect to the control module over serial. Is it possible for ESXi VMs to access serial ports?

 

[smakme7757]

Id definitely buy more RAM. it's cheap enough and there is no point skimping on RAM when you're planning on running a few servers on that one server. vSphere has a virtual limitation of 32GB as far as i know but that should be more than enough for you.

Just as a FYI install ESXi on a USB drive. That will free up your entire primary storage for use as a data store.

*Mobile post*

 

[dkm777]

I figured more RAM would help. If I buy two more sticks for triple channel operation I will still be under limit with 24GB RAM. And is it possible to install ESXi on a USB thumb drive? That would be a very cheap and convenient option as there are plenty of older USB2 4-8-16GB thumb drives on clearance now.

 

[Demo24]

I suppose that's possible, I've never done it though. Keep in mind the install size is all of about 600MB.

 

[dkm777]

Then I guess I'll just buy the cheapest thumbdrive and try in out. I'll be out of a few bucks if it doesn't work.

 

[Paperlantern]

My ESXi instance is on a 1GB stick. It works great. I will warn you though, do NOT go cheap. Get the smallest GOOD QUALITY drive you can find. Ive had one instance already crap out and just suddenly cease to boot, I think the thumb stick failed, plain and simple. I used a name brand PNY thumb stick this time and havent had a problem since on multiple maintenance reboots.

Try to get like a Kingston, PNY or the like, you'll be glad you did.

 

[dkm777]

I figured it was a chance to upgrade and bought a SanDisk Extreme USB3 flash stick to replace my rock stable, but rather slow these days Kingston Data Traveller. I installed ESXi onto the Traveller and although it does take a while to boot I won't be rebooting the host that often. I must say, for something so complicated, the ESXi setup was probably the smoothest experience in years. Probably because I used a special ISO made for my server line. I got a VM up and running in no time. The biggest challenge was figuring out VMWare's website. That thing is a monster.

 

[deaner]

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