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Which Linux for Professional Admins?

Posted by Cliff on from the best-for-the-enterprise dept.

LazloToth asks: "Short and sweet: with so many distributions of Linux to choose from, and so many of them good to excellent, which Linux delivers the best balance of stability, high-level support options, security, rapid updates, and ease of administration? If an admin wants to standardize on one Linux distribution and have the best of all worlds on everything from file-and-print servers to database boxes, what, in the experience of the Slashdot pros, is that Holy Grail of Linuxes - - the one that does it all while also making upper management feel warm and fuzzy?"

6 of 934 comments (clear)

  1. huh? by bano · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    they all pretty much suck, so just choose on that you personally thinks sucks the least.

  2. Hmmm NOTA. by telemonster · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, IRIX, Win2k, then Linux.

    --
    Southeastern Virginia REPRESENT!
  3. SLACKWARE by evilone · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Slackware is GOD

  4. Dead Rat by Medievalist · · Score: 0, Flamebait


    Because you asked the question the way you did, the answer is Red Hat Enterprise (in the USA, at least; rumor has it that SUSE is better suited to European businesses).

    For all its failings, RHE offers the best balance of the attributes you desire, and it's a viable option in the eyes of the PHB (unlike, say, Gentoo, which will terrify the typical PHB even more than debian).

    It's unlikely that you really need the "best balance" of these features, though - you probably need some more than others. Which might give you a different answer (for example if you need solid LDAP integration). Prioritize your needs and do some research - but in a lab, not on ask slashdot.

  5. None of the above by nurb432 · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    If you are a real admin, you will just use FreeBSD and not mess with complications of using Linux.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  6. Re:Not Gentoo by AintTooProudToBeg · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    1. How do you update config files?
    2. How do you update your packages (emerge -Du world)?
    3. How do you specify package keywords?
    4. Do you read the messages at the end of a package's emerge?

    I found that the answers to the above are generally:
    1. Incorrectly
    2. Incorrectly
    3. Incorrectly
    4. No

    I've been using gentoo for a year. I update about 4 times a week. Only once did I break my system (for about 15 minutes -- thanks gentoo forums) and it was because I didn't read am emerge message regarding hotplug/coldplug.