Kitz Forum

Computer Software => Linux => Topic started by: g3uiss on July 14, 2018, 05:44:22 PM

Title: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 14, 2018, 05:44:22 PM
I’m looking to move both my DSL Stats instances, off my windows servers, onto two small Linux distro’s  I can run on my ESXi 5.5 host.

This has plenty of resource and would enable continuous monoitoring, as with the windows servers they get rebooted at least monthly if only for patching.

Any recommendations as to a small distro just to run DSL stats ? I’m familiar with Ubuntu but not recently in its early days so something quite standard I suspect. I had thought of Pie, but having the ESXi box seemed unnecessary expense.

Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: burakkucat on July 14, 2018, 05:56:56 PM
I use RHEL but it would be quite unnecessary for your usage case.

Perhaps something like PCLinuxOS (https://www.pclinuxos.com/get-pclinuxos/) might be appropriate?
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 14, 2018, 06:03:19 PM
Thanks. I will give that a try. I’ve used KDE before so will try that. Should be a faily quick process to try :)
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: johnson on July 14, 2018, 06:19:53 PM
Thanks. I will give that a try. I’ve used KDE before so will try that. Should be a faily quick process to try :)

The beauty of VMs is its so easy to try anything out.

I run fedora day to day, but on a scratchpad VM almost always use ubuntu, just less to worry about.

If you are not currently running a linux instance on your esxi host I'd recommend latest ubuntu for the first DSLStats, easy transition back into linux (sorry if I misunderstand but sounds like you have not run linux in a minute or so), then once you know exactly what you want go and find something slimmer or more suited for the second.

Can I ask why you run 2 instances of DSLStats? Just added redundancy?
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: chenks on July 14, 2018, 07:03:49 PM
as with the windows servers they get rebooted at least monthly if only for patching.

why is that a problem?
just have dslstats set to open on startup.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 14, 2018, 07:38:02 PM
why is that a problem?
just have dslstats set to open on startup.
It’s not a problem and I have it starting using GPO. I am trying to get my servers consolidated and might just end up needing a home for one of my lines monitoring. Seemed a simple and clean solution.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 14, 2018, 10:08:14 PM

Can I ask why you run 2 instances of DSLStats? Just added redundancy?
Two lines one for each service. Yes used Ubuntu before. Might try what B*Cat suggested first as you say very easy as a VM's delete and try again  :)
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: johnson on July 14, 2018, 11:08:51 PM
Ah gotcha, 2 lines, silly me!

Does esxi support containers? That would be the neatest way to run several instances of DSLStats on the bare minimum. I only have experience of proxmox as a virtualisation host, it can cook up an LXC instance in a couple of clicks that could run DSLStats with a tiny storage and memory footprint.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 14, 2018, 11:15:56 PM
No not as such, but it’s so easy to clone a VM, so once one is running with appropriate software just clone and change IP and ready to go. A basic distro really doesn’t need much resource at all, compared even to a simple windows machine.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: johnson on July 14, 2018, 11:22:30 PM
Sure but then you have 2 full blown systems running for what is really a very simple program.

I know docker feels like another "latest thing" fad, but this kind of use case really suits it. You could run one linux instance (that can do other things) and run the 2 DSLStats in containers.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 15, 2018, 09:56:43 AM
Don’t know about Docker ?

Any links to look at ?
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: burakkucat on July 15, 2018, 06:41:50 PM
Only the Wikipedia and home website pages --

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)
https://www.docker.com/
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 15, 2018, 09:49:25 PM
Um

I think 2 Linux vm’s look like a simple solution. 2gb RAM each and a tad of HD space not a huge overhead.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: johnson on July 15, 2018, 11:50:01 PM
Certainly the easiest option to start with.

Once you have a linux instance running you could try playing with docker for fun, here is a container set up to run DSLStats with a VNC server for viewing:

https://hub.docker.com/r/rossallan/dslstats/

There are lots of nice getting started tutorials, the one on their main website is a good start.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 16, 2018, 12:59:50 PM
Certainly the easiest option to start with.

Once you have a linux instance running you could try playing with docker for fun, here is a container set up to run DSLStats with a VNC server for viewing:

https://hub.docker.com/r/rossallan/dslstats/

There are lots of nice getting started tutorials, the one on their main website is a good start.

Thanks @johnson will take a look at that and perhaps give it a play !
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: boost on July 16, 2018, 04:08:52 PM
Sure but then you have 2 full blown systems running for what is really a very simple program.

I know docker feels like another "latest thing" fad, but this kind of use case really suits it. You could run one linux instance (that can do other things) and run the 2 DSLStats in containers.

I was gonna suggest the docker thing too (someone has already posted a dockerfile for dslstats on here somewhere so they've already done all work) but you still need a base distro and I still can't think which one to recommend :D

Recently, I've been using elementaryOS for when I need a desktop:

https://elementary.io/ - elementary OS is a Linux distribution based on Ubuntu.

It has the apple mac style bar thing at the bottom, which, with a small bit of donkeying around, you can make the icons zoom in the same way too but I'm guessing you'll be wanting something as light as possible?

I'm guessing ESXi doesn't support docker natively? You're laughing if it does.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: johnson on July 16, 2018, 04:39:43 PM
It has the apple mac style bar thing at the bottom, which, with a small bit of donkeying around, you can make the icons zoom in the same way too but I'm guessing you'll be wanting something as light as possible?

If you are into small linux distributions with the shiny mac icon bar then tiny core is where you should go. Full linux with the aforementioned gui in less than 20mb. Tbh, I have not run it in a looong time, but loved it when I did, the idea of a base install that you modified on boot with whatever changes you liked feels a like a precursor to containers as we know them now.

http://www.tinycorelinux.net/

Quote
I'm guessing ESXi doesn't support docker natively? You're laughing if it does.

I dont think it does... proxmox on the other hand....  :D
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: tickmike on July 17, 2018, 10:50:12 AM
I have been using PCLinuxOS for years and have very little problems with it.
We have a small footprint one called 'DarkStar'
http://ftp.nluug.nl/pub/os/Linux/distr/pclinuxos/pclinuxos/live-cd/community/

https://www.pclinuxos.com/get-pclinuxos/kde/
I use darkstar and all my machines and I add what programs I want.

With a even more stripped down version of darkstar (you use 'Synaptic' built in package manager to install or un-install programs.) I use it on my backup sever, a previous version ran for 5 years with out any updates.
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: g3uiss on July 17, 2018, 01:38:55 PM
Thanks for all the advice. I’ve just created a PCLinnxOS VM. I’ve yet to configure it and set up DSL stats but it’s a small enough footprint for the resources I have spare on my ESXi server.

I need to get VNC to work,  as working from the ESXi console is not perfect
Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: boost on July 17, 2018, 03:08:48 PM
If you are into small linux distributions with the shiny mac icon bar then tiny core is where you should go. Full linux with the aforementioned gui in less than 20mb. Tbh, I have not run it in a looong time, but loved it when I did, the idea of a base install that you modified on boot with whatever changes you liked feels a like a precursor to containers as we know them now.

http://www.tinycorelinux.net/

I dont think it does... proxmox on the other hand....  :D


20MB! That's amazing. I'll have a squint now, thanks.

How could I forget proxmox! Definitely worth a look for those running ESXi at home. I tried it on my home stuff a little while ago, was very impressed and it does, indeed, support container creation from the GUI. I assumed they were LXC/LXD containers or something at the time.

Here a screeny I took:


Title: Re: Linux distribution advice
Post by: johnson on July 18, 2018, 10:42:27 AM
How could I forget proxmox! Definitely worth a look for those running ESXi at home. I tried it on my home stuff a little while ago, was very impressed and it does, indeed, support container creation from the GUI. I assumed they were LXC/LXD containers or something at the time.

Sorry I didnt mean to imply proxmox supported docker natively, it uses LXC containers as you say. Still it really supports them, few clicks and away you go.

Edit: How could I miss that screenshot?! 128 cores and 256GB of ram... tasty!