#280647 - 25/04/2006 18:38
Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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This is a sole question from the thread I started a couple of weeks ago. I need a recommendation on a linux distribution to set up on a generic machine to handle serving my office (and remote developers) with access to our source repository (SVN), bug tracking (FogBugz), forum (IPB) and likely a file share. Original thread: http://empegbbs.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/279929/an/0/page/1#279929Something packaged within one huge download would be nice. Otherwise a list of things to download and install is fine. Bruno
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#280648 - 25/04/2006 18:47
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14485
Loc: Canada
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Just the usual: Ubuntu. With the GNOME GUI (I hear it's especially good for newbies).
The package management will drive you insane on any non-Debian based distros (Ubuntu is Debian based). Look for the "synaptic" package manager GUI on the System/Admin menu.
Cheers
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#280649 - 25/04/2006 21:19
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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Done deal, thanks. I'm going to have my business partner do the install/setup as he's a unix veteran (though Mac OS is the closest he normally gets to unix these days). That, and I just can't be bothered.  Bruno
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#280650 - 25/04/2006 22:07
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14485
Loc: Canada
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If you can deal with life almost on the edge, the new Ubuntu Dapper series is in Beta right now, and is shaping up very nicely. But there'll be lots of churn (package updates) between now and June (final).
I should drop in on you sometime, when I'm in the TO area, and check out the new biz!
Cheers
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#280651 - 25/04/2006 23:19
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Solaris x86?
Open/Net/FreeBSD?
_________________________
Bitt Faulk
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#280652 - 26/04/2006 07:16
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5682
Loc: London, UK
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Quote:
If you can deal with life almost on the edge, the new Ubuntu Dapper series is in Beta right now, and is shaping up very nicely.
It looks good, and I was considering throwing it on my laptop (which is currently running Breezy Badger), but nowhere can I find instructions for performing an upgrade, rather than a complete installation...
_________________________
-- roger
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#280653 - 26/04/2006 10:12
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: Roger]
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enthusiast
Registered: 21/08/1999
Posts: 381
Loc: Northern Ireland
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Quote:
It looks good, and I was considering throwing it on my laptop (which is currently running Breezy Badger), but nowhere can I find instructions for performing an upgrade, rather than a complete installation...
Upgrade from Ubuntu 5.10
I tried it the other night, but it failed somewhere in the middle of the night, so I grabbed the iso and will try again soon. It should detect that an upgrade is available and ask if you want to get the beta version.
Edited by Geoff (26/04/2006 10:14)
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#280654 - 26/04/2006 12:52
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: Roger]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14485
Loc: Canada
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Quote:
Quote:
If you can deal with life almost on the edge, the new Ubuntu Dapper series is in Beta right now, and is shaping up very nicely.
It looks good, and I was considering throwing it on my laptop (which is currently running Breezy Badger), but nowhere can I find instructions for performing an upgrade, rather than a complete installation...
Dapper suspend/resume (RAM based) fails on my notebook at present.. someday I've got to fix that (again) and send them patches (again). Breezy is fine.
Cheers
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#280655 - 26/04/2006 13:20
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: mlord]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
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I guess I might as well as a couple of other questions...
I've got an assortment of ATA drives from 40-120GB and a 250GB SATA model. I will eventually get something like the ReadyNAS 4-drive enclosure so i can do a lot of media streaming and backups.
But for now... How do you suggest I configure the server with regards to drive space? The cautious part of me thinks I'd do well to have the base linux install on a separate drive from the all the DB content. But should I do that on one of the ATA disks or on the SATA and then buy an additional one or two SATA drives for the DB content?
Would the performance with an externally connected ReadyNAS device (gigabit ethernet) be satisfactory for running storing all the DB contents instead of trying to set up a single or dual drive RAID config inside the server?
Bruno
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#280656 - 26/04/2006 13:27
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: hybrid8]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 29/08/2000
Posts: 14485
Loc: Canada
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Other people here may recommend particular answers to those questions.
All I have to offer is, Linux has *blazingly fast* block I/O, and the kernel page cache does a super (and transparent) job of caching data. Give the machine as much RAM as you are comfortable (budget, power) with, and don't worry much about where the data resides. So long as it's on ATA, SATA, or GigE, the pipe is plenty fat enough. Even USB2 (~35MB/sec) is probably quick enough.
Cheers
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#280657 - 26/04/2006 14:55
Re: Recommend Linux Distro for office DB/SVN/Bug/Forum server?
[Re: hybrid8]
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enthusiast
Registered: 11/06/2003
Posts: 384
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Quote:
Would the performance with an externally connected ReadyNAS device (gigabit ethernet) be satisfactory for running storing all the DB contents instead of trying to set up a single or dual drive RAID config inside the server?
If you go with the ReadyNAS for your dbf files, you will really want to consider jumbo frames as well as gigE. You'll also need to play with/tune/optimize your NFS mounting config, I've only been able to mount it as nfsv3 not nfs4 so far.
And consider the impact of all of this in regards to the rest of your network. What happens when a 100Mbps laptop is plugged into the network and how does it talk to all of the gigE+jumbo frame configured nics? How do you prepare for the once in a blue moon nfs freakout when your db can't talk to its files? How do you coordinate UPS info and auto-shutdown to the server and the NAS, since only one is connected to the UPS?
The ReadyNAS isn't as much as an appliance as it seems; there's a lot of room for tweaking that really makes a difference as far as performance. It =does= work out of the box as promised, but there's a =lot= of room for tuning.
You'll have two options for the config, X-RAID & Standard RAID. X-RAID is a single volume (multiple shares and mounts) that can automatically grow by adding drives one at a time, or replacing each drive with a larger disk -- when all disks have room to grow the volume is automatically expanded. Standard lets you manage logical volumes and carve up the disks however you'd like.
another difference is that the stripe size is significantly different, X-RAID is larger and is meant for single-user/streaming/sustained sequential reads. Standard is built for multi-user and more "random i/o" with a smaller stripe size.
I've had a handful of minor problems with my X6, but none that would cause me to disparage the kit or the support. There are just a handful of caveats, and configuring a ReadyNAS for max performace quickly has very broad impact on the rest of your network.
--Nathan
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