Damn Small Linux - Not!

dan_s28 · Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Posts: 2

How many people use DSL (frugal or HD Install) as a server in a work environment? i.e. Webserver, MySQL, Samaba File Server, something more than an FTP Server...

I am having great luck installing DSL on different systems. It is really an amzing distro, and would like to run Apache on it.

I am concerned about stability. Tell me if I should put my LIKE of DSL aside and use a "traditional" distro for the sake of stability.

Thanks for you input,
Dan (A Sys Admin at a Papermill - Mostly MS systems)

roberts · Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 320 Location: OC CA USA

While not specifically made to be a server DSL/DSL-N can be used for the tiny core Linux/GNU engine that it provides. As one user noted, just look at the minimal number of processes that are running with DSL compare to the full sized distros.

Many users have easily used XAMPP for their 'LAMP' style needs. No need to try to manually install and configure each component.

Also, a friend of mine uses DSL as a tiny core engine to drive the IBM's Universe and Unidata post-releational databases.

With GNU/Linux and FOSS its wide open to the possibilites.
Using DSL/DSL-N provides a nice small but powerful core engine to power your unique environment.

[IDC]Dragon · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 41 Location: Hannover, Germany

@dan_s28:
I'm experimenting with DSL-N for my home server (Via EPIA 15000 mini ITX board, short 19" 1HE cabinet, big 3.5" disk, CF card for OS). Its main tasks are Slimserver and Samba, perhaps Apache and uPnP later. Headless operation and remote maintenance will be required, it is made to sit unattended in the basement. The system runs from a CF card, I want the disk to only spin up when actually serving files.
Having never been close to unix/linux administration before, I found this to be a lot more tough job than I thought, spent weeks on a still unsatisfying setup. I tried numerous small distros, spent most of the time with DSL-N, and had showstopper-like issues with all of them.

Here's my list for DSL-N:

- I can't configure the SATA disk for idle spindown. The 2.6.12 kernel is too old to support hdparm with SATA. As a workaround, I bought a converter to IDE.

- The system doesn't respond to the power button. I need to shutdown via command/mouseclick. Then it either only powers down after prompting me to press return for a useless CD eject, or (if cheat-started with nopromt noeject) just hangs instead, requiring me to press reset or cut power. With e.g. FreeNAS, this is working flawless: just press the button and wait for the system shutting down.

- I get sub-par transfer rates with Samba. Too slow for making it a recording destination for my D-TV box, it quits recordings with overflows. The Samba version of the myDSL repository is very old, perhaps that's one reason.

- Using NFS is an alternative, but I coudn't get close to trying, NFS crashes on me when using exportfs.

I have no concept for remote administration, but that's perhaps my issue. Let me state that I'm not specifically complaining, I'm just feeling stuck at an "almost there" state.
I know that DSL is an altruistic project made in the free time of just 2 (or so) noble people. In an attempt to encourage, I donated measly $5 to the project. Well, this doesn't buy free time. The biggest investment was my time.

dan_s28 · Joined: 18 Jul 2006 Posts: 2

Thanks for the reply,
I would like to follow your thread. I too donated a small amount via paypal - and I have to say I rarely donte to shareware/freeware/open source.

DSL is one of those things that made me say wow, they have done alot! I am not new to linux, I started out back 10 years ago. I have been just an installer, not a guru..but I prob have installed various distros hundreds of times over the years. Anyways point is...DSL is what I want, small fast, and not too much. I usae Gentoo alot also. I am at a point where I have a chance to ditch our webserver at work and replace it, and I would like to put in an Apache server on Linux. It used to be on Linux (i think Mandrake) years ago but no one knew how to manage it but me so I switched it back to Windows.

Well, Great job DSL!! And also thanks to the forum members for their help. One thing a distro needs is support, the Gentoo forums are good also. You don't see that too often anymore.

I would be interested to see how other people use DSL in a work environment. Saw the page DSL at work but it only has one example -

I'll stop ramblin,
Dan