What operating system for Linux server?

[Indian pc builder]

Ok, so after a long drawn out, amount of rtfm ing and a lot of help from various communities, I still have no idea what would be the best operating system for a home server/ NAS, the main things I want to do with are :

use it as a nas as a backup dump and also a self hosted cloud serve for file storage 

run a tp-link omada controller 

run a jelly fin serveer

a tail scale exit node

and a couple other things like a custom docker container and some apps that I can’t discuss here.

 

so far my leading contenders have been unraid and truenas with Ubuntu server as a distant third, due to to my limited understanding of the Linux command line.

 

Any help?

[RONOTHAN##]

My current setup is a little weird, but it does make sense for my use case. I'm running Proxmox with a virtualized instance of TrueNAS, then 4-5 other VMs for things like NextCloud and Jellyfin. TrueNAS Scale on its own doesn't work for this use case since I need GPU passthrough into the Jellyfin VM, and because I'm using a headless system and TrueNAS Scale for whatever reason requires that you have a dedicated GPU for the console, I can't pass the GPU through. 

 

For what you're trying to do, TrueNAS Scale probably makes the most sense. UnRAID's primary benefit is the ability to mix and match drives and upgrade one HDD at a time, but for everything else TrueNAS is usually better mostly since its more or less at feature parity and its free. 

[gentlemanspot]

Debian! 

 

 

one day ill learn REHL hahaha

[gentlemanspot]

my junk: 

 

i run Proxomox 

 

 VM's LXC.

Zabbix, Kasam, Debian server for dockers, LXC iVentory, LXC Plex passthrough to GPU,   Truenas Scale passthrough to HDD 

 

lab: opnsense, server 2022, windows 11 

 

BareMetal

     Truenas scale 60TB is kinda made from stuff salvaged form skip bins 

   

[Nayr438]

We use Minimal Arch bases for all of our nodes with everything inside in Kubernetes, not something I would really recommend if your new to this space. We do it so we can actually be up to date, not rely on broken backports, and pick and choose how the systems are actually configured. With that said If I had to pick an alternative we would likely move to Alma Linux or Talos ( k8s specific distro )

 

As far as the three choices you have. I know nothing about unRAID and Ubuntu has been by far the most problematic distro we have ever deployed, as a result I would probably go with TruNAS. TruNAS will give you OpenZFS, KVM, and their spin of I believe Rancher k3s (minimal k8s). Overall it should be a decent all in one solution.

[unijab]

Depending on what the purpose is... i mostly use fedora server (so i run an internal mirror, to save download bandwidth), but i do have a couple proxmox systems. I still have a few VMs i still need to migrate off Centos7.

 

 

[manikyath]

i use unraid, but i'm of the opinion that if you need to ask, unraid is not your place to go.

 

essentially, there's two philosophies you can hold:

1: the majority of what you run is stuff that is designed for a container (docker or VM), and the stuff that isnt just lives in before mentioned <something debian tree> VM.

2: the majority of what you run is software designed to be deployed on a running OS alongside other stuff. so you have something bare metal (IMO again something debian tree), and you also have either docker or a VM manager to run the stuff that wants to be in a container.

 

in this unraid has a special corner carved out for itself (SR-IOV, mix-matched disk arrays, those lunatics who prefer the file mover over other tiered storage solutions)

but generally, truenas is the way to go just to save yourself 100 bucks.

[10leej]

1 hour ago, gentlemanspot said:

Debian! 

 

 

one day ill learn REHL hahaha

Just install CentOS Stream, your just rhel ahead 6 months

[gentlemanspot]

2 minutes ago, 10leej said:

Just install CentOS Stream, your just rhel ahead 6 months

im just an apt not a yum guy haha,

 

My next server project ill use CentOS 

 

[10leej]

Just now, gentlemanspot said:

im just an apt not a yum guy haha,

 

My next server project ill use CentOS 

 

in all honesty the real big differences are just your have a firewall enabled by default and SELinux might start a fight with you (don't disable it learn it)

[MiszS]

Not really a home server, but I have a separate database server for my different projects, and I just run Linux mint on it

[goatedpenguin]

3 hours ago, Indian pc builder said:

Ok, so after a long drawn out, amount of rtfm ing and a lot of help from various communities, I still have no idea what would be the best operating system for a home server/ NAS, the main things I want to do with are :

use it as a nas as a backup dump and also a self hosted cloud serve for file storage 

run a tp-link omada controller 

run a jelly fin serveer

a tail scale exit node

and a couple other things like a custom docker container and some apps that I can’t discuss here.

 

so far my leading contenders have been unraid and truenas with Ubuntu server as a distant third, due to to my limited understanding of the Linux command line.

 

Any help?

Alpine linux, opensuse tumbleweed, centOS stream, rocky linux(highly recommend) 

[goatedpenguin]

1 hour ago, gentlemanspot said:

im just an apt not a yum guy haha,

 

My next server project ill use CentOS 

 

They discontinued centOS a long time ago, it was my first distro I ever used. Now the bastards at red hat stopped it or smth and now there is only CentOS stream... The newer more modern version is rocky linux being made by the creator of CentOS

[10leej]

18 hours ago, goatedpenguin said:

Alpine linux, opensuse tumbleweed, centOS stream, rocky linux(highly recommend) 

RockyLinux is the one that cause the whole RHEL source code debate a couple years back. So I'd rather you shill Alma linux.

[kwout]

21 hours ago, Nayr438 said:

We use Minimal Arch bases for all of our nodes with everything inside in Kubernetes, not something I would really recommend if your new to this space. We do it so we can actually be up to date, not rely on broken backports, and pick and choose how the systems are actually configured. With that said If I had to pick an alternative we would likely move to Alma Linux or Talos ( k8s specific distro )

 

As far as the three choices you have. I know nothing about unRAID and Ubuntu has been by far the most problematic distro we have ever deployed, as a result I would probably go with TruNAS. TruNAS will give you OpenZFS, KVM, and their spin of I believe Rancher k3s (minimal k8s). Overall it should be a decent all in one solution.

It's funny I avoided using arch in a server environment for years due to its common perception of being "too unstable" etc for server use but in the end the headaches of upgrading between releases and dealing with out of date packages in ubuntu and later debian changed my mind.

[goatedpenguin]

3 hours ago, 10leej said:

RockyLinux is the one that cause the whole RHEL source code debate a couple years back. So I'd rather you shill Alma linux.

If its for a small home server it gets the job done, distro choice in this case does not rlly matter. 

[Indian pc builder]

On 5/25/2024 at 9:25 PM, gentlemanspot said:

my junk: 

 

i run Proxomox 

 

 VM's LXC.

Zabbix, Kasam, Debian server for dockers, LXC iVentory, LXC Plex passthrough to GPU,   Truenas Scale passthrough to HDD 

 

lab: opnsense, server 2022, windows 11 

 

BareMetal

     Truenas scale 60TB is kinda made from stuff salvaged form skip bins 

   

So you do use truenas scale 

 

On 5/25/2024 at 10:22 PM, 10leej said:

Just install CentOS Stream, your just rhel ahead 6 months

I  thought centOS is what made linus lose data in the vault thing 

On 5/25/2024 at 10:19 PM, manikyath said:

i use unraid, but i'm of the opinion that if you need to ask, unraid is not your place to go.

 

essentially, there's two philosophies you can hold:

1: the majority of what you run is stuff that is designed for a container (docker or VM), and the stuff that isnt just lives in before mentioned <something debian tree> VM.

2: the majority of what you run is software designed to be deployed on a running OS alongside other stuff. so you have something bare metal (IMO again something debian tree), and you also have either docker or a VM manager to run the stuff that wants to be in a container.

 

in this unraid has a special corner carved out for itself (SR-IOV, mix-matched disk arrays, those lunatics who prefer the file mover over other tiered storage solutions)

but generally, truenas is the way to go just to save yourself 100 bucks.

I was goung to buy unRAID but because of the price, I decodes to so some research and ended up going with truenas scale as even if I stop liking it, I can Just stick in an unRAID usb and use that 

 

 

now since I already went for truenas, I’m going to look into some of the suggestions here in vms and see if I should switch 

[goatedpenguin]

3 minutes ago, Indian pc builder said:

I  thought centOS is what made linus lose data in the vault thing 

On 5/25/2024 at 9:49 AM, manikyath said:

No, Linus was an idiot during that challenge(sry linus.)

[Drvulcanlord]

I Have 4 servers currently. All are made from reproposed desktops or components cobbled together. I run True Nas on One bc all It dose is storage and truenas works fine. I run debian on the other 3 became they are fairly low power systems and I dont feel like messing with proxmox. Not all of the debian servers are on 24/7, one run's uptimekuma, ntfy, ect, another one runs a website and the last one run's ollama. I used to use ubuntu but switched to debian because it was more stable.  That's a little bit of a long rambly paragraph...

[gentlemanspot]

1 hour ago, Indian pc builder said:

So you do use truenas scale 

Yep both NAS's are Scale 

[10leej]

11 hours ago, Indian pc builder said:

I  thought centOS is what made linus lose data in the vault thing 

No that was a failed raid controller it was nothing software related.

[wasab]

I remember back in university, centos was like the operating system students did their programming labs in. There were like two logins for students. One boot into windows server edition and other either red hat or centos. I used school computers for assigments often, did all my excel and micorosft office stuffs on windows server, all my Java/programming assigments in centos.

[goatedpenguin]

1 hour ago, wasab said:

I remember back in university, centos was like the operating system students did their programming labs in. There were like two logins for students. One boot into windows server edition and other either red hat or centos. I used school computers for assigments often, did all my excel and micorosft office stuffs on windows server, all my Java/programming assigments in centos.

I love centos its so fast and simple, my first ever distro very nostalgic. Centos 7 was my favorite, great days.