Which box do I buy

[New2Linux2004]

Hey everyone, I just found this forum, and I am excited to get some input from people who know what they are talking about when it comes to Linux!

I am interested in switching my servers over from Windows to Linux, and have been shopping around for information on the different boxes that are out there. I found out quickly that HP, IBM, Sun and Dell all offer boxes. Can anyone guide me as far as who to go with? Is there one company that does a better job than the others as far as the platform they offer or the support they provide? Does it really even matter which one I choose? Any advice would be very helpful, thanks in advance!

Sincerely,

A newly converted Linux user!:)

[thaddaeus]

if you don't want any support other than these awsome forums just build your own servers, systems, boxes. Or just take what ever you have your win servers on now and replace them with linux, but personally i'd go with IBM or HP, IBM offers some nice technology, HP i havn't followed much but both are compnaies i have respect for and would trust myself.

[Zyglow]

I am assuming that by box you mean server. When it comes to hardware support, Dell is pretty good. HP has been great for me in the past as far as getting stuff replaced, but as of late they have been backordered. I'm still waiting on three DL580s to arrive that I ordered in August. It really depends on what you are going to be using the server(s) for.

As for a Linux distribution, you need to ask yourself a few questions. First off, are you going to need support? Do you want to be bound to a license? Do you need the distro to be optimised for certain tasks? If you have a need to run a GUI, I suggest giving WhiteBox a try. It's based on RedHat Enterprise Server, and doesn't require a large fee. :P If you need something that is fast and requires a more hands on approach for setup, may I suggest downloading a copy Slackware.

All distributions have differences in the way they are presented and function. I'd say download as many distributions that you can and give them a try. I use Slackware on my x86 servers, and whatever I'm in the mood for on my laptop. Right now I'm giving Ubuntu a test drive. My wife and daughter both use Mandrake on their systems. If you haven't done so, check out http://www.distrowatch.com