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Author Topic: CentOS good choice for new server?  (Read 19552 times)

sevenlayermuddle

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CentOS good choice for new server?
« on: October 05, 2015, 10:25:12 AM »

As noted elsewhere in these forums, following a fairly catastrophic hardware failure, I am now awaiting delivery of a nice new HP Proliant Microserver.

I also intend to transition to a newer OS, from the old system running a very ancient and long-since unsupported  Fedora.   It will, of course, be another Linux , that is not negotiable.    I am currently thinking 'CentOS', mainly as (I think?) it has a reasonably long support cycle, overcoming my biggest regret in choosing Fedora last time around.

So the main question I am posing... is CentOS a good choice?

Duties of the old server, that I want to continue, include...

Mass storage, via Samba.
Subversion source control.
Bugzilla bug tracking.
MythTV backend which in turn mandates good kernel support of DVB TV tuners.
Cron backup scripts that 'suck in' snapshots from other networked machines, and perform IMAP mail backups using 'getmail'.

Another essential, since it will be powered virtually 24/7 and loaded with several HDDs, is good power management, such as disk spin down when idle.

A further question... When my new hardware arrives, as a temporary measure while I ponder the full rebuild, is it reasonable to expect my existing (ancient Fedora) system disk to boot and run in the new hardware?

Any well-reasoned opinions on any or all aspects,  or even just chat, would be welcome. :)
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roseway

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2015, 10:37:07 AM »

My personal choice would be Debian, but that of course is strongly influenced by the fact that I've been using Debian on my own machines for years. It would certainly meet your long term support requirements in that there's about 2.5 years between stable releases and security updates continue to be provided for several years more.
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  Eric

sevenlayermuddle

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2015, 11:52:17 AM »

Thank you Eric, I shall certainly investigate Debian too.

In terms of purely personal preferences one strong influence may be the fact that better-half and co-adminstrator, in her day-job, is reasonably familiar with Redhat from which CentOS is descended (/ascended?).  While there is no particular reason to assume that such familiarity would necessarily be any significant advantage, I'm sure it wouldn't be a significant disadvantage.
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loonylion

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2015, 04:54:23 PM »

centos is basically a free version of red hat, in other words it's like fedora only less bleeding edge and has a much longer life cycle. It's intended to be used on servers, and I manage numerous servers running it.
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burakkucat

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2015, 05:07:00 PM »

I could take the first sentence and a half of Eric's reply and pass it through sed 's/Debian/CentOS/':D

As regards to longevity, I installed CentOS 5 when it was first released and it has approximately 18 months to go before it reaches EOL. I also have systems with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, the upstream parents of CentOS 6 and CentOS 7.

Here is a link to the CentOS Product Specifications.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2015, 06:50:43 PM »

I could take the first sentence and a half of Eric's reply and pass it through sed 's/Debian/CentOS/':D
:D

One thing of which I am not entirely certain... on previous encounters with Linux, the kernel supplied with the distribution has sufficed for all my requirements.  But for CentOS 7  I notice, 'kernel foundation' is listed as 3.10, whereas it is rumoured that a TV tuner I may want to use  requires 3.16. 

http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/PCTV_Systems_tripleStick_T2_(292e)

I have found some very good step-by-step guides for updating the CentOS 7 kernel from ELRepo.   While I realise that specific and obscure hardware support may require a 'suck it and see' approach, I assume it is reasonable to hope that such a kernel update would provide the drivers for that device, assuming it is true that they are included in 3.16 and later?

From the sound of things there may be other challenges and problems, specific to MythTV, with that tuner - I don't yet own one.  But that's outside the scope of this thread.  As long as I can expect required kernel support I'd be happy enough for now.   :)
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burakkucat

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2015, 08:51:27 PM »

I should explain that Red Hat backports code to all of the packages that make up RHEL. That concept is described here. Not only are security fixes backported but with the kernel, drivers, etc, are also updated by backporting. In the case of RHEL7, whilst it is true that the basis of the kernel is linux-3.10.Z (and it will be described as such for the entire lifetime of the product) there are considerable portions of linux-4.X.Y -- the wireless stack, is one example -- that are backported to the RHEL7 kernel.

<Cough!> (Pesky fur-ball.) Having looked at the ELRepo Project's web site you might have noticed references to kernel-lt and kernel-ml. I do not think it is appropriate for me to mention who maintains those kernel packages.  :-X

Everything that I have typed above is also applicable to the CentOS equivalents.  :)
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2015, 09:17:48 PM »

My new hardware is expected tomorrow but as yet no delivery time.

The suspense, waiting for a van in the driveway, will be considerable.   But I think I have  pretty much decided that I shall put that time to good use, downloading and preparing a CentOS installation DVD.    :)

I will update this thread if and when installation has been attempted but that may be a few  *day's time as I have yet to decide whether to also purchase a new system disk, as none is supplied with the server.  Not sure how much free space remains on the old system disk, and not sure if I am ready to 'burn the bridge' by overwriting the old Fedora system.

Thanks a lot. 

* In consideration of the 'apostrophe' thread, genuinely not sure if that should be day's or days'? I reckon it's debatable.  :-\
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burakkucat

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #8 on: October 05, 2015, 09:42:14 PM »

My new hardware is expected tomorrow but as yet no delivery time.

Once you have decided, perhaps you would update this thread with the final details of your new system's specifications, please? (Links would be appreciated, by me.)  :)

Quote
* In consideration of the 'apostrophe' thread, genuinely not sure if that should be day's or days'? I reckon it's debatable.  :-\

 :hmm:  Hmm . . . In that sentence you are using the word "day" as a unit of 24 hours. Can a unit of time actually possess something?

I think I might have used "but that may be in a few days time". Insert the word in and use no apostrophe.

Perhaps we need Weaver to adjudicate? ;)
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2015, 10:15:53 PM »

:hmm:  Hmm . . . In that sentence you are using the word "day" as a unit of 24 hours. Can a unit of time actually possess something?

You may be right, there is of course that additional alternative, beyond the options I considered.  Funny how the older I get, the more it seems, nothing is as straightforward  as I think.   Even when I already think it's not very straightforward.   

I shan't even mention the fact my iPad's spelling corrector suggested that 'straightforward' might or might not have an 's' on the end   :-[

 :D
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loonylion

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #10 on: October 05, 2015, 10:55:21 PM »

I shan't even mention the fact my iPad's spelling corrector suggested that 'straightforward' might or might not have an 's' on the end   :-[

 :D

It does not.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #11 on: October 05, 2015, 11:09:39 PM »

It does not.

Thank you, one less thing to keep me awake at night.  :)
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Chrysalis

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #12 on: October 05, 2015, 11:20:45 PM »

if you are used to fedora then centos is probably your best choice.

Also in the newer versions of centos they are finally implementing methods to do online remote upgrades to the next centos version.
« Last Edit: October 05, 2015, 11:22:53 PM by Chrysalis »
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burakkucat

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #13 on: October 06, 2015, 12:05:08 AM »

Also in the newer versions of centos they are finally implementing methods to do online remote upgrades to the next centos version.

Unfortunately the CentOS implementation of that Red Hat tool is horribly broken and has caused significant problems for those who tried to use it.

Note the emboldened and underlined warning: CentOS Upgrade Tool
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: CentOS good choice for new server?
« Reply #14 on: October 07, 2015, 12:17:33 AM »

The new hardware arrived today, all very cute looking and seemingly well built.   The front 'door' clicks shut with an incredibly satisfying magnetic assistance.   :)

Power consumption when idle (no disks installed yet) is low 20s Watts, which bodes well.

Attention to detail is superb, there is even a dual headed torx key clipped inside, to facilitate hardware maintenance.   It would be even better if the torx key actually matched the machine's screw sizes, but that would be expecting too much....   The disk caddies have old fashioned cross-headed screws, rendering the torx key useless for the most common maintenance of all.   :D

Most of today has been spent reorganising the data on my existing HDDs, trying to get the proverbial quart into a pint pot.   The disk involved in the 'burn up' still works fine, but its connectors are visibly scarred and damaged and so I don't want to risk install it in the new system, would be heart breaking if it damaged the HP's connectors.   So whereas the old system had 4 disks, I hope the new will have only three or even just two, in interests of minimising power usage.

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