Linux Evaluation

[mark_smith]

Hey guys, we are trying to evaluate linux in our enterprise, wondering, what parts within the enterprise, is Linux ideally suited for. Do you think, since Linux is a good replacement for Solaris or Windows. Which server do you think does the best job supporting Linux

[oz]

Which server do you think does the best job supporting Linux

We have a poll that you can check showing what server distribution our members voted as their own personal favorites:

http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/cof...rs-2010-a.html

[GNU-Fan]

Which server do you think does the best job supporting Linux

I would go for the very same equipment the developers use.
HP donates ProLiant servers to kernel.org on a regular basis
and the FSF/GNU projects order their (coreboot) servers at Silicon Mechanics.

[Rubberman]

When I was developing software for a company at the CBOE (Chicago Board Options Exchange - the biggest options trading exchange in the world), we ran a variety of Linux servers on hardware provided by the exchange (co-located at the exchange). Those systems were generally Dell blade dual and quad CPU servers. Myself, I use custom-built servers with Intel motherboards and commodity drives from Seagate.

As for your original question(s), Linux is well-suited for most any server operation - web services, file servers, firewalls, gateways, application servers, directory services, etc. Basically, any server application that requires high availability and good performance for the $$. If you are a self-supporting house with reasonable Linux expertise available, I recommend CentOS, the community (free) version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). If you want direct support, then RHEL is a good choice. Red Hat offers a variety of paid support plans, priced depending upon your needs, including 7x24 phone support (don't know if it's toll-free or not).