Ubuntu Servers

[The VAR Guy]

All the Ubuntu buzz seems to involve PCs or ... with growing interest in handhelds and smart phones. But what about servers? Does Ubuntu have any momentum on servers? Anyone heard of any major deployments? Or are Red Hat and Novell bound to dominate the Linux server market?

[Steve Richardson]

I'm new to Linux and Ubuntu, but doesn't Ubuntu have a server version? I downloaded it and it includes LAMP, but maybe it doesn't have the power of the Red Hat and Novell versions.

[Alex Turner]

That all depends on what you mean by power. The main 'power' behind any Linux distro comes from the mix of kernel and drivers which in conjunction allow you to get the most out of your hardware. If you mean features built in - the apt-get system is very effective so there is little difference.

As an architect, I would not recommend Ubuntu server for a major (> $ 200 000 us) job yet. Fedora or RH Enterprise linux have a longer pedigree in this regard. However, if you have a settup with Ubuntu clients, then a Ubuntu server makes a lot of sense to reduce the total system complexity.

If you can enumerate a little more what you are wanting from your server, I'll be happy to give more advice.

Best wishes

AJ

[Steve Richardson]

Longer pedigree meaning . . . If both have solid kernels and drivers, along with LAMP and the apt-get system to fill in the gaps, where does Ubuntu stand when compared to Fedora or RH Enterprise? Pardon my ignorance, I haven't tried to install or configure Ubuntu Server yet, and I certainly don't know enough about Linux to compare distros, I am just curious. Is it a matter of the kernel and system handling a large network demand when you talk about large jobs?

[Alex Turner]

I've not heard much of Ubuntu in the server market. I suspect that will come later. Ubuntu has the momentum in the desktop market, that will raise the brand etc.