Home Server Setup Part 1: Choosing the OS

Which OS is best for my small home server?

It was instantly clear to me: it had to be Linux. To be honest I didn't give other OS's much consideration. My reasons for choosing Linux were clear:

• I didn't want to pay for a license costing as much as the hardware the OS runs on
• the server had to run headless, without a screen, without keyboard or mouse, saving energy costs and space
• the server had to be controlled remotely
• because I'm no expert, it had to be an OS with a good community backing it up so I could fix problems easily
• I had to have access to easy to install and configure services with good documentation

Now, I'm writing this article after I have configured the server and it is running smoothly. But there were a few occasions that "easy to install and configure" fired back at me and I almost wished I had the Windows point & click configurations at my disposal. But up-to now, I have not had a problem that patience, Google and the Ubuntu forums couldn't help me solve.

What distribution to choose?

Because I already use the Ubuntu desktop for a few years, I went ahead with Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server. I didn't need the bleeding edge, latest and greatest of the installed services. I just wanted a stable system for a few years. The Ubuntu LTS variant is being maintained for 5 years, so it was the perfect choice for my needs.