Gentoo vs ArchLinux vs Debian, what to choose for a home server?

Question

linux

Hi all.

everyone loves when there is a picture)))
There is a home server with a bunch of services such as a router, proxy (Dante & Squid), vpn (pptpd & openvpn), file cleaning, torrent download, a small site (Ngnx, MySQL ...) and so on. Everything works stably and does not require any constant intervention.
Everything is on old hardware, but not to say that it is completely ancient. In general, there are no performance problems (2 cores, 4 gigabytes, 3 disks).
All this is spinning on Debian 7 i686 for more than 2 years. What cock pecked at me to install i686, the devil knows (don't count with docker already count)!))
But this is not the point in general, in the course of studying the system and deploying a bunch of services, I experienced all sorts of problems, mostly related to outdated software or the inability to simply update it (I still live with Transmission 2.52 with bugs).
Realizing that during this time I had become well accustomed to the device and the operation of the system, as well as with the prospect of replacing the system disk with an SSD, I decided to choose an OS such that there would be fewer such problems.
I want to ask knowledgeable advice in choosing this kind of system for such tasks.
Still, I'm more inclined towards Arch, because I'm afraid that there won't be enough time for Jenta.
What problems can arise during the operation of this kind of distribution? Is it worth it at all, or not to take a steam bath and move to Ubuntu/CentOS? How stable will everything work? after all, this is a server and stability is needed ... You
can also share your experience on working with such distros in production or for your own purposes ...

Answer 1

Debian and not seek adventure on your zatsu.
Do nothing?

Answer 2

For a server, albeit a home one, take Ubuntu LTS.
And if you want to play with Arch and Genta, put them in your virtual machine.
Trust the person who has been using Gentoo on the workstation for a long time. Genta's flexibility comes back to haunt you with the fact that you have to dance with it.
And about the idea of ​​using it on servers, I generally keep quiet. I was inherited at various server jobs in Ghent, so I then ran around Moscow in search of predecessors in order to tear off my hands.
Well, you shouldn't talk about Arch at all seriously. Arch in translation from the ancient language means "I did not master Ghent." Arch - a craft for raising the CHSV.
Ubuntu and again Ubuntu.
Well, either move Debian to sid. For a home server, the solution is also quite normal.

Answer 3

As has been repeatedly said, it is worth choosing Ubuntu 14.04 LTS for exactly the reason why you want to move out of Debian + apt-get will remain your tool and the distribution itself will not differ much from Debian.
If you still decide to choose between Gentoo and ArchLinux, then I would advise you to Arch, because. over time, which you will spend on studying the ideology (ideology) Gentoo will be a pity to leave. Gentoo is good precisely because you can extract exactly what you want from it and nothing more, but the price for this will be time, both yours and the processor's, because. after a while, emerge world will be in your crown, because you want to automate system updates (Gentoo magic works in a very strange way on people). And when you feel sorry for your own and processor time, you look at ArchLinux, install it, be delighted with the packaged distribution and maybe even stay on it until you run into problems with the availability of x64 packages in Arch. This is how I got through the Slackware-Gentoo-ArchLunux-Ubuntu path over the past 10 years.
Canonical did everything right and that's why Ubuntu is exactly what you can now use not only as a home distribution, but also as a productive corporate solution.
In any case, the choice will be yours, and I gave you a couple of, I hope useful, tips.

Answer 4

I see you are an adventurer. Install Solaris.

Answer 5

At work and at home on the home server is a jent. In the bearded 2007, I switched to it from Slackware, for me it was like an electric shock - everything is completely different and incomprehensible. There were a lot of troubles, but it was terribly interesting to pick and understand how everything works in this ecosystem.
As a result, from the standpoint of experience and for solving practical problems, I would recommend using simple and practical things, such as the same Ubuntu. If you want to solve the problem and learn a lot of new things, put a djent and be strong.

Answer 6

Lord, a person asked about the system on the server, why do you recommend crafts with different upstarts to him. Seriously, I'm speaking as a person who has kept Arch on his home PC for a year, forget about it. Genta can fly next. As rightly noted above, this is a waste of time. I myself actively use CentOS 6.6 with epel turnips, I don’t see any problems with the server software.

Answer 7

As a gentushnik I say: if there are questions of this kind (there is no understanding why this is necessary) - do not install Gentoo. And Arch might not be the best option either. It does not have much profit in the context of a home server compared to Debian/Ubuntu.
Moreover, you have a server with rather weak hardware. The software will be assembled for a long time, and you will not see much optimization profit.

Answer 8

This is a server, stability is needed - I would choose ubuntu and not take a steam bath. All new software is usually in the PPA, if not in the repository.

Answer 9

There is nothing better than Debian anyway.