Suggestions for a Server OS

[GT98]

Well I'm using my current rig with a G400 in it to set up a file server to serve as storage for my Desktop and Laptop. Can anyone make any suggestions for a free lunix distro? I'm also going to be running a Promise RAID card also.

[spadnos]

I've liked Gentoo recently.

For easy installs, either Knoppix, Morphix, or Mepis. Mepis was the only one of the three to install perfectly on my laptop, so it gets a nod for that.

Debian is probably a good choice, but I've never quite gotten my head around its installation and maintenance. Once you "get it", it's supposed to be easy, but until then it isn't.

I've used multiple Linux versions on systems with G400s for about 6 years (pretty much since the G400 came out), and I've never had any problems. (at least, after Petr added G400 support to the mga driver.)

- Steve

[K6-III]

Nothing better than the BSD's for a server...

[Marshmallowman]

Suse 9.2's not to bad, the dvd iso is available for download so it quite an easy install.

The raid stuff seem to be very easy to use, just created a RAID0 array out of 4 old 4G wide scsi drives.

[magog]

I still like OS/2 which is now called eComStation (eCS) and developed (extended) by Serenity Systems and sold by other companies like Mensys.nl.

I've got two SMP servers running with eCS and they are really stable.

I only needed to reboot so far because
1.) I had an electrician at home and I needed to pull the fuse.
2.) Memory upgrades - I don't think hot plugging is possible yet.
3.) Softwareupgrades that included new drivers
4.) Kernel updates

Graphic card support is excellent through SciTech Software (http://www.scitechsoft.com).

[Fluff]

what about open source solaris 10

[Byock]

I second BSD. Open BSD makes a killer firewall/server..

[Wombat]

Originally posted by Fluff
what about open source solaris 10

You're a sadist.

[Kooldino]

Originally posted by magog
I still like OS/2 which is now called eComStation (eCS) and developed (extended) by Serenity Systems and sold by other companies like Mensys.nl.

I've got two SMP servers running with eCS and they are really stable.

I only needed to reboot so far because
1.) I had an electrician at home and I needed to pull the fuse.
2.) Memory upgrades - I don't think hot plugging is possible yet.
3.) Softwareupgrades that included new drivers
4.) Kernel updates

Graphic card support is excellent through SciTech Software (http://www.scitechsoft.com).

Looks like BeOS...

[magog]

Originally posted by Kooldino
Looks like BeOS...

IBM does still work on it (updated drivers, Kernel updates,...). It's the minimum level but that's enough for most people.
The community and some companies do the rest (see Mozilla, Firefox, Sunbird,..., Apache, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Java (GoldenCode, Innotek), OpenOffice (Innotek), driver development (Scitech Software + Individuals),...)
OS/2 is still more alive than BeOS, because IBM supports it to 31. December 2006 and after that if you pay for support.
Someone at IBM said there are customers that asked for support until 2017 (no typo).

It still looks pretty good despite the "OS/2 is dead" messages since 1996/1997.
At least in Germany there are several banks that still use it in their daily work. There are plans more or less ready to replace it, but the majority still uses it.

The base that's currently used is the OS/2 Warp Server for e-Business that was finished in 1999 (July). Windows 2000 has been released in October 2000.

By the way yesterstay I had to restart my server...and also several other computers because of roommate that played to much with a old waffle iron that caused the fuse to kill the power.
On those days you want to have a uninterruptible power supply (UPS).