Which OS to choose for a file server?

Question

linux

In the near future, it is planned to replace the file tower server with a Dell R720 (I will not go into the configuration). The old one had winserv2008 with the file server role. The plans include new hardware with 12sas 15k 300gb in raid10 and nic for network interfaces. What OS and FS would you recommend to choose for this? There are 120 users in the network. Now the volume of the file server is 2TB. half full of corporate junk =)

Answer 1

You need to proceed from the current needs of the server, that is, what functions it should do and can do on a certain hardware. It is also important to find an OS with a good community for support, otherwise it's easier to take some ready-made server.
Therefore, my PERSONAL choice fell on the same thing that lumierecyril offers: Debian Wheezy.

Answer 2

Entry data is missing. Is there AD, is there any experience with Linux distributions? What is the size of the average file in storage? What load is planned for file access, network bandwidth?
Just to advise Debian - there is a chance to put a pig on a person. For SAMBA to become really fast, you have to work on it. Otherwise, out of the box you get about 50-70Mb / s. Someone suits someone unacceptable.
Linux file systems also make you think ahead. One is good with a lot of small files, others give gigabyte sizes.

Answer 3

Debian wheezy is a good option. Almost every question can be answered online, and the Ubuntu community also helps. Stability - shows semi-annual uptime without problems, it didn't work anymore due to a power outage. :))) Installation is a bit more difficult than ubuntu server due to compatibility with newer devices. The kernel is a bit old out of the box. But non-free drivers, firmware are readily available, new kernels and the necessary utilities for SSDs are easily installed from wheezy backports. I've been using it for 7 years on my home server, I started with squeeze, the update to wheezy went without a hitch in automatic mode. Iron changed once. Now ssd + hdd is in a hybrid raid 1 for the system, database, radish and sites, + raid 1 for 1Tb files. The speed through samba is really 50 Mb / s, the router and network allow 86 Mb / s, but I'm not critical. I have been using the automatic deployment script for BOA multisite hosting (Barracuda Octopus Aegir) for a long time - it's free, everything is automatically configured by nginx +php-fpm +MariaDb+redis+FTP ... there's a lot more, no manual editing of configs and breaking the head. I think Debian in a minimal installation (Ubuntu server) + some control panel via the web (browser) and what you need for the panel will do.

Answer 4

There is a FreeNAS build, but it needs at least 2 disks