Want a Linux home server - which Distro?

Audigex · 3 May 2012 at 22:45

Hey guys

I'm thinking of converting my PC into a part-time server - I spend 95%+ of my time on my MacBook nowadays, so the PC is just sat there for an occasional couple of hours of gaming... I figure I may as well use it.

I intend to use it for:
-* An Apache MySQL PHP stack for testing stuff
- A smart-home server - ie a (probably Java) app to control a load of Arduino stuff (over Ethernet) that I'm ********ing about with.
-* Media streaming/file sharing server on my home network
- Backup server for my laptops etc
-* SVN/Git server
-(*) Print
-* VPN

* = stuff I intend to be accessible from outside of the network, I doubt that makes any difference.

What do I want?
- Something that I can run with or without a monitor, keyboard and mouse - preferably with a GUI for VNC'ing in, rather than doing everything on the command line.
- More importantly, I want to be able to do as much as I can with GUIs. I can
make my way around a terminal, but I'd rather avoid it.
- As easy as possible to set up the above services, and more importantly easy to set them up securely

Any suggestions?

Essexraptor · 3 May 2012 at 23:56

u mean your sig rig ?

aln · 4 May 2012 at 01:40

Pretty much every distro will do the job; you get nutters who run Fedora on their servers and have no problems, but if you want a box that is stable, and you don't need to mess with go with Debian or CentOS - those are distros which are server centric.

As for GUIs - I actually think it's fairly stupid to not go headless of a server, it's actually fairly automated to type "aptitude install php5" especially considering your requirements are pretty much 90% 1 time setup and GUI usage on your client machine, not the server, but if thats the way you wanna go it'll work too.

If your hardware is supported by the kernel, you basically can't go wrong.

Audigex · 4 May 2012 at 01:59

Essexraptor - yeah the sig rig but probably put the CPU back to stock as I doubt I need the overclock, and likely removing the GPU unless I leave a windows dual boot for gaming.

Aln, thanks - it was more that I want to have a GUI available than having to do everything via GUI... I'm intending to run the home management software with a visual element on the server, so I can see the house status at any time. It would likely be available to view on clients, but I want the server to always have it shown.

tombruton87 · 4 May 2012 at 04:18

ubuntu server edition is a good option and has really good documentation to do everything you want to do. Its all command line(you can install a gui if you want) but there are a load of web interfaces you can install.

By default all your server installs are going to be pretty damn secure. Its when you start adding programs and if those programs have security issues. Also locking down your ports?

What router do you use, id personally recommend bulding ur own using something such as smoothwall. It uses snort as its ids/ips which is one of the leading products in its field. Also look at how you setup apache to ensure others cant browse and do what they want with all the files on your pc. Oh and make sure your databases are secure.

Also if you are using it as a web server even for your own use ul want to look at a ddns service

SMN · 4 May 2012 at 07:34

Ubuntu and webmin.

KIA · 4 May 2012 at 11:19

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18381827

Roland0 · 5 May 2012 at 01:20

debian, or centos perhaps

aln · 5 May 2012 at 20:51

Audigex said:
Essexraptor - yeah the sig rig but probably put the CPU back to stock as I doubt I need the overclock, and likely removing the GPU unless I leave a windows dual boot for gaming.

Aln, thanks - it was more that I want to have a GUI available than having to do everything via GUI... I'm intending to run the home management software with a visual element on the server, so I can see the house status at any time. It would likely be available to view on clients, but I want the server to always have it shown.

I have a server which I installed fluxbox, and tightvnc on in order to run a wine server application. Whilst I don't particularly recommend any particular software, those 2 + xorg, and setting up a config file and I could login to do everything needed.

The steps were pretty much "aptitude install xorg fluxbox tightvnc" google how to make tightvnc + fluxbox work, put a config file in place and login with vnc. As you can tell, I use debian, but like I said any distro will do the trick.

I'd say just go ahead and pick one, install it, and then ask more specific questions when you get stuck.

Audigex · 5 May 2012 at 23:09

I've decided the easiest way to test it out is to run a VM on my laptop and test it out over SSH/webmin. Just installed Ubuntu Server headless with as few options as possible and openssh-server. Thanks guys, I'll post back how I get on in a few weeks.

aln · 6 May 2012 at 00:30

Audigex said:
I've decided the easiest way to test it out is to run a VM on my laptop and test it out over SSH/webmin. Just installed Ubuntu Server headless with as few options as possible and openssh-server. Thanks guys, I'll post back how I get on in a few weeks.

Good lad. Bear in mind if you want a gui later, it's a few commands away.

Staffy · 6 May 2012 at 20:59

My home server runs on Centos, that's because I used it for a about 5 years on web servers, my own and for others a couple of years ago.

So I would say Centos and as a second choice Debian.

With webmin if you have to, although it is a useful skill to learn (command line).

Audigex · 7 May 2012 at 03:19

I did try it with a GUI - but it went to some insanely big resolution and I couldn't click anything :s I'm assuming it was just some VMWare messing about - re-installed and am just leaving it command line for now. I'm doing most of it via SSH (figure it's better to get used to it like that), with some WebMin use.

I wouldn't mind a GUI being available, but is there a way to have the option of whether I boot into the GUI or just command line? I keep messing with network settings and have to use the VM to get the IP to SSH back in, or to reset the eth0 interface when I move location (won't bore you with why)

I've got basic command line knowledge from OSX, so I'm comfortable enough navigating my way around, apt-get seems like the easiest thing on the planet, permissions are taking a little getting used to and apache/FTP seem fiddly, but my biggest problem is detesting VI... I would quite like a text editor where I can just move around and type/backspace as if within a textedit/notepad window, then press a key combination to save. Any suggestions?

I've also got a slight problem with Apache index pages not loading - instead I get a download (named simply download) in chrome. PHP is installed fine, I can go to http://localhost/index.html or http://localhost/phpinfo.php and both work fine, as do phpMyAdmin and WebMin but when going to http://localhost/ then it does the download thing... can't work out what's wrong. I'll leave the details out of here for now so as not to confuse the thread.

craptakular · 7 May 2012 at 09:17

debian and nano for text editing. Think nano is pre-installed

nano textfile.txt

Audigex · 7 May 2012 at 13:17

I like nano, thankyou! That's just made command line a whole lot more pleasant to use.

aln · 7 May 2012 at 21:11

Not trying to start a holy war, but aptitude is so totally the debian recommended package manager, and is easier to use (for a newbie) than apt-get because it's just one command.

With regards to the gui, I'm fairly sure you can setup vnc in such a way that it'll startx when you login, and kill it when you logout. Either way, if you have x on 24/7, or find a more elegant solution, theres nothing stopping you logging in with ssh.

With regards to your apache problem, whats the page that downloads?

Audigex · 7 May 2012 at 21:37

I fixed it either by removing and installing apache2, restarting apache2, or rebooting the system... I couldn't tell you which one, I just noticed that it started working again

just having a play around with SVN now.

I wish commands were more standard across the system, or that webmin had a better SVN module - I'll see if I can find a few more, I'm using VirtualMin Subversion repositories at the moment, but VirtualMin doesn't seem very good at telling me how to access the things I just created... I'd kill for a "Repository jontest created, access it using (web address here)" when using SVN and "Virtual server created at (web address here)" when using apache. It makes playing around with these things hard work, because I can't tell if I've messed up when creating it, or am messing up while accessing it.

olibb · 9 May 2012 at 14:03

I use; Ubuntu Server - Install SSH on it. Then just admin from where ever. Learn command line - its easy once you get use to it - it will be worth it in the long run. I run lots on mine, GTA SAMP Servers, web servers, freenas & openfiler, and a few CSS and TS2 servers. Great fun!