Servers

[Smokey]

Okay, I'm thinking of setting up a small server park using second hand ProLiant 1u dual PIII servers so i can practically learn stuff like database management, hosting, network administration etc...

Now my question is what i should install on those servers Windows 2000 family, 2003 family, Linux/Unix fammily?

And what software can be useful for me to learn...?

[Cocklemessedup]

That aside, I think you should use linux. I've heard good things about its server ability.

[Smokey]

true, but i also want to learn mainstream software/OS used by company's so i can stay up-to date with current business developments...

[Kiso]

Dude... UNIX/Linux is code for mainstream in the server world. You can actually go for either of the two sides (MS or Linux/UNIX)... but I suggest you to test both before doing anything else.

[Smokey]

Then i will go for Linux first, since MS server licenses cost Billions...

Any specific distro you like?

[IanDanKilmaster]

Second what Kiso said, I would have said it first, but he beat me to it.

I can't really tell you which distro would be best in terms of which would make the best server, but I know as a desktop distro, Ubuntu is the most easily accessible for Windows users.  I'm guessing more important than anything else is what software you'll be running on the OS, wouldn't that be Apache?

[Smokey]

Yes, apache would be good software to learn about...

And other mainstream sevices (filesharing, mailserver, printserver, domain control etc) are handled by the OS itself, if i'm not mistaken...

But i've also come to like Fedora (okay, i admit, it's because of the awesome way it looks, but hey...), could she be up to the task of running a server park with webhosting and other server tasks?

[IanDanKilmaster]

I don't know if there is a "server edition" of Fedora, but Fedora is based on Red Hat Linux, which is probably the most popular server OS there is.  I really wish Bella-san was here, she should know a good deal more than me on this subject.

[Smokey]

I was also kinda hoping one of the admins would notice this thread... ^_^
But i will also give fedora a try, those servers have hot swappable disks if i'm right...

Added after 11 hours 20 minutes:

Come to think of it, what are the bandwith requirements to host a forum like this?

Cuz if i have the servers up and running and start collecting (wich i will, believe me, i'm a hardware addict, plus the servers i'm aiming for (1GHz+ PIII 1u rackserver) cost about â,¬100,- a piece ^_^) i can dedicate a server or two to host a site...

Added after 6 hours 1 minutes:

Oh, crap, this may get way out of control...
I am finding some nice (obscure) systems from SUN, IBM, HP, and even Cobalt and SGI... I need to move... to another apartment so i can store them all and so the electricity bill doesn't get out of control... (gotta love rent-inclusive, with water/gas/electricity incorporated in a fixed rent ^_^)