UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hi all,

I would like some suggestion or opinion from Unix/Linux Expert regarding web server.

I have to buy a new hardware for hosting a website which needs mysql, PHP.

Do you think i should buy Solaris (Unix) just the middle range server or should i just buy HP / DELL server and ask for Linux operating system?

At the moment, we have DELL hardware with linux red hat 7.2 installed. I'm not sure if the O/S already came pre-installed or the web developer installed it.

I never buy any Linux/Unix server before, but windows yes!!
Any suggestions or advise or anything should i aware about?

Thank you

c00kie

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but IMO I would go with a Linux server. I use SUN for more hardcore data storage and processing but I use Linux for all of my network services (DNS, NIS, Apache, etc). I don't run a huge web server, but your Dell (I'm not a HP fan, had multiple hardware problems on close to everyone I have ever used) running a version of Linux should be fine. I wouldn't recommend 7.2 though The newer stuff, for the most part, has bigger/better/faster features and up-to-date security patches.

Solaris is my workhorse and Linux is my front end. Just my $0.02.

Oh yeah - if you are comfortable with the install process, I would re-install anything that comes from a vendor. There are, often times, lots of things you don't care about or need, and most of the time their partitioning (once again IMO) sucks.