Linux server round-up

Over the past year, we have discussed many different schemes for Linux servers, which included many Linux distributions. Here is a quick overview of the major players in the Linux server market.

Redhat Enterprise Linux – With the biggest financial revenue in the Linux market, Redhat is a force to be reckoned with, but whether they are right for your web hosting company depends on how much you can afford. If you like Redhat, you might consider CentOS.

CentOS – A free alternative to RHEL, based on the same source code, minus Redhat’s guarantees, technical support, and logo artwork.

Fedora – The cutting-edge testbed for RHEL. This is a community driven OS with a lot of community support but not paid technical support.

Debian – A community-based distribution known for its stability and large software repository, Debian might be perfect for a server that might not need the latest apps but needs to work consistently.

Ubuntu Server Edition – Although it is famous for its desktop Linux offerings, Ubuntu, a Debian-based OS, is a force to be reckoned with.

SUSE Linux Enterprise – Novell’s direct competition with RHEL, this OS is backed by Novell’s long history of server support and also some deals with Microsoft that have brought a degree of controversy.

Slackware – Described by “distrowatch” as “highly technical” and “clean”, Slackware sticks to the principles that made UNIX rock solid for decades but comes in a nice free Linux package. You need to know your stuff to use Slackware, and don’t expect a lot of glamour.

Gentoo – One of the newer major players on the block, Gentoo is a complete rethinking of the way a Linux distribution should be handled, largely build around the FreeBSD “ports” feature, which builds packages from source automatically. It is highly customizable but can be time consuming and unstable for those who are not experienced with it.

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