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protocol77 · 2014-07-01, 04:24

I want to move away from my current server to a new one and with a new server i want to try a new OS my current server is running Windows but i want to try out a linux one now from what i read for a beginner like myself people have been saying that Ubuntu server is a good distro to use

mostly i will be doing file sharing, Usenet Downloading (maybe some torrents) and backups

Can people here recommend Ubuntu for a home server for a beginner

also does anyone know a good simple easy to follow guide for doing this so i can just follow through it to set it up

el_cabong · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-01, 04:29 by el_cabong.)

after the initial install, which is pretty streamlined now for both server and desktop versions of ubuntu, look for the LaSi.sh script. that will give you a menu to install some media management tools (sickbeard/sab/etc). as you need other specific things like file sharing, google search is the best ive found so far. there are some good write ups for web/mysql installs and configuration as well.

linux seems more complicated, and aside from the user permissions which may take a little to figure out, everything else ive found to be much easier than running a windows server.

**teeedubb** · 2014-07-01, 04:36

I wouldn't use Ubuntu for a server os - too much bloat (libre office etc) plus it has that horrid unity interface. Mythbuntu is a great server os, yes its built around mythtv but you don't have to use mythtv. Its lightweight and doesn't come with much desktop bloat at all, though you can install anything from regular Ubuntu that you need.

kdnoel · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-01, 05:35 by kdnoel.)

Download and install Ubuntu server instead of the desktop if you want a full blown server. Amazon and Google can't have it all wrong with all those Ubuntu servers offering up cloud services and such.

If you want a real lightweight test drive be sure and checkout XBMCUBUNTU http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=XBMCbuntu

protocol77 · 2014-07-01, 05:56

sorry guys i should have specified when i said ubuntu i was referring to the ubuntu server version Smile

**teeedubb** · 2014-07-01, 06:19

Its probably not the best choice for a Linux newb - after installation you will have a barebones install where you will have to do a lot of configuring via the command line. I recommend something with a desktop environment so you can slowly familiarise yourself with Linux while having the familiarity of a desktop.

OmniBlade · 2014-07-01, 10:34

I humbly disagree in this case, a bare bones setup is a much better learning environment as he will be forced to get familiar with the command line from the get go rather than cringing when he comes across something that doesn't have a GUI. This is a server he is setting up and learning to configure, not a desktop, best to learn to do it right.

kdnoel · 2014-07-01, 15:58

Friends Ubuntu server install allow you to choose different configurations during setup.
Being a no cost option just install it and try it. If it's not for you then format the drive and install some bloated piece of software with a horrible interface like Windows 8 since Windows Server is cost prohibitive.

**teeedubb** · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-01, 17:39 by teeedubb.)

(2014-07-01, 10:34)OmniBlade Wrote: I humbly disagree in this case, a bare bones setup is a much better learning environment as he will be forced to get familiar with the command line from the get go rather than cringing when he comes across something that doesn't have a GUI. This is a server he is setting up and learning to configure, not a desktop, best to learn to do it right.

Undoubtedly it could be a great learning experience, but in saying that it could also frustrate them to the point of giving up and never trying Linux again. I guess it depends on the user - are they going to RTFM or blindly copy and paste from guides with little understanding of what the commands mean? Installing a desktop doesnt magically make a linux machine a windows clone. You can still use the terminal when you have a desktop installed and there is nothing stopping them from switching to a minimal install (or even stripping their current install down to a minimal setup) after they have wet their feet and are more confident. Starting off with a distro that's pre setup to act as a server machine, such as mythbuntu, will give a new user a great starting point for learning how to set one up manually in the future, while having a server that is ready to use without learning how to use a OS thats totally different from what they've know their whole lives. Also another thing is that, for me atleast, I want my server to "Just Work", hence I never use it as a testbed or a place to learn.

On a side note, removing the desktop from my server would reduce its usefulness - my favourite audio conversion software (dbpoweramp) is GUI only, xbmc runs every so often to automatically scrape for artwork of recently added material, its quicker and easier to vnc in and make some quick edits to music tags with mp3tag than to do it via a network share/cli, while I do have watch folders for encoding videos automatically with handbrake its easier to do one off encodes with special settings via the GUI, steam runs on the server to download 15+ GB games while it's on, using a VM for testing or software that doesn't run on Linux (though this isn't very often these days) etc...

Having a desktop gets me more use out of my hardware and I dont see any compelling reasons to not have one installed.

oldpoem · 2014-07-01, 17:36

My real issue using Ubuntu based distro as server was Samba performance. It's much slower than other linux distro. Otherwise it's good option.

**black_eagle** · 2014-07-01, 17:45

Whilst leaning towards teeedubb's comments, if all the OP wants is to serve file over NFS, or SMB if he's gonna have windows clients, then a full on server distro is overkill IMHO. Ubuntu 14.04LTS desktop will do that no problem. Admittedly it doesn't come 'out of the box' with NFS and samba, but that's just part of the learning curve Wink

I agree that unity is not that nice, but I hide the horrible bar and use cairo-dock as my launcher, so it's not too bad !!

Ubuntu is well supported, there is loads of software available, as well as a lot of help.

oldpoem · 2014-07-01, 18:52

I'd say it's the opposite. Server distro usually come without desktop environment. Instead it's desktop distro usually overkill in this purpose with Desktop Environment and bloatware that come with it.

If I really want to use desktop distro in this case I'd go with Lubuntu (Ubuntu + LXDE) or Xubuntu (Ubuntu + XFCE)

OmniBlade · 2014-07-02, 13:55

(2014-07-01, 17:25)teeedubb Wrote: Undoubtedly it could be a great learning experience, but in saying that it could also frustrate them to the point of giving up and never trying Linux again. I guess it depends on the user - are they going to RTFM or blindly copy and paste from guides with little understanding of what the commands mean? Installing a desktop doesnt magically make a linux machine a windows clone. You can still use the terminal when you have a desktop installed and there is nothing stopping them from switching to a minimal install (or even stripping their current install down to a minimal setup) after they have wet their feet and are more confident. Starting off with a distro that's pre setup to act as a server machine, such as mythbuntu, will give a new user a great starting point for learning how to set one up manually in the future, while having a server that is ready to use without learning how to use a OS thats totally different from what they've know their whole lives. Also another thing is that, for me atleast, I want my server to "Just Work", hence I never use it as a testbed or a place to learn.

I'm not saying your POV is wrong, its just that if part of the use case of setting up a new server OS is to learn it, you don't learn if the setup hand holds you and does everything for you IMO. Of course if you just want a server up as fast as possible and don't care to know how it works use an insta-server distro (or Windows), by all means. Then again, we all use package managers for most software rather than building from source and manually installing, just depends on hw much abstraction you want to deal with Wink

I do agree that once the server is doing what you want of it, you don't tinker anymore beyond installing security updates. That is how you justify the second sever purchase to your significant other, production and testing Wink

**.:B:.** · (This post was last modified: 2014-07-02, 22:57 by .:B:..)

If you don't care how it works, it will just cost you more time when it breaks. You're just delaying the learning curve.

Install Ubuntu's server edition, find out how to install/configure the software/services you want, and go from there. Do it step by step, prepare to spend some time on it, and the occasional (or recurring frustration). There are a lot of howtos for virtually everything on Ubuntu, so it shouldn't take too long either. And if you mess up, keep in mind: it's the best way to learn - that's the stuff you remember.

Once you get around on the command line, such a setup can be very rewarding.

Good luck Smile

nickr · 2014-07-03, 10:02

If you want a server with a gui I would go for one of the lighter ubuntu distros like lubuntu.

The same packages are available for every version of ubuntu, but if you aren't comfortable yet with the command line, something like lubuntu will give you a gui with very little overhead.

I use mythbuntu for my home media server because it doubles as a myth backend.

I use ubuntu server at the office because the server there doesn't have a screen, and I am familiar with ssh, and I know how to do basic server admin.