Just my two cents... but with that ambitious deployment plan, you shouldn't ask about distros, but rather start interviewing some linux admins. If you're really planning on deploying all those machines on a platform foreign to you, the distro is a fraction of your battle. You'll need to understand linux security, create failover configurations, etc. You won't learn that in a month or two... And even if you're able to deploy, what are you going to do when the system fails? There's never a good time to acquire debugging skills, but when your DS3-connected server is down at 10am on a Monday, that's just about the worst time.
That said, for proof of concept, go with CentOS 4.1 -- smooth install, all the benefits of RHEL4 and you'll be in business in no time. Later on you can moderately tune the kernel if needed or simply re-install when you get someone who knows linux. Of course, there was the obligatory plug for GenToo on the list, and I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying this, but I recommend you simply skip over that. Yes, it sounds attractive and there's a very vocal group of supporters, but in my experience (and that of several associates), the effort required to achieve a stable system (or even a "running" system) are in no sensible ratio to the "benefits" (perceived or otherwise). The above was written by a professional Windows Programmer (since before Win32) and spare-time Windows Admin (since NT 3.5). As you, I first arrived at Linux with Asterisk being the *only* reason. Now, a year later, I'm looking at how to replace my NT servers with Linux machines... -----Original Message----- From: TWV [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, July 03, 2005 1:45 AM To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Linux Distribution for Asterisk server use Hello, My question is about which Linux distribution to choose for Asterisk. (/me holds breath) OK, hopefully you're still reading, because whatever you were thinking now, you're thinking wrong! ;) First of all, I want to make clear that I have read EVERY message and reply that I could possibly find about this topic, so that includes the dozens of messages here on the Asterisk mailinglists, on the Digum forum, and even Google search results! Still, my question was not answered! Mainly because the same answer always came back: "Use the one you are most comfortable with". Well, I already knew that (linux is linux), but it doesn't apply to my situation at all! Let's make things clear and concrete now: In my professional life, I work as a windows system & network administrator and as a developer on the .NET platform, and have a long and extensive experience with telecom and VoIP. Working for a telecom company, I now have accepted the challenge to extend our offering with Asterisk. During the past 6 months, I have learned as much as I possibly could about the Asterisk PBX, successfully set up a complete test environment, developed IVR systems, and now we feel the time is right to put these services into production. BUT, before we can go live, one important problem remains: as I said, I am a Windows guy, I have a VERY profound knowledge of Windows and manage almost 20 Windows 2003 Servers that run mission-critical applications on a 365/24/7 basis, and support a large number of Windows applications and Web services (some of the applications I have developed are used by more than 25000 users every day!) Why am I telling this? Well, because I want to make it clear that I am perfectly happy with my platform/OS (windows), and have no intent whatsoever to ever change servers or application platforms to linux (let alone my workstation). What's more, I have NEVER come in to contact with linux/unix before, so I have never worked with ANY distribution. Having explained all this, it should sound logical that I chose the AsteriskWin32 version for learning Asterisk. Of course, I realize that we can't put any production system on AsteriskWin32. So before we can go live with Asterisk servers and services, this last issue remains to be resolved: what Linux distribution should I choose (and learn)? As I explained, I see Linux merely as a "necessary evil" (because of my lack of knowledge) for running Asterisk. So I'm asking about the best linux distribution only to put up asterisk servers. I'm NOT asking for the easiest one or so (I always enjoy challenges and learning new things), I'm asking for the best choice to build a carrier grade telecom system, having to support thousands of users each and every day. So it must be reliable and easy to maintain and upgrade. We are going to use Asterisk in our own datacenters (supporting nation-wide services), as well as in servers that we sell to corporations and callcenters for use as an advanced PBX/CTI system). So it should be clear that I'm not talking about a hobby or home deployment here. Our central asterisk systems for example will have to manage DS3 or (lots of) E1 trunks. If you need more information, I am happy to supply it. I appreciate your time and am hoping for some good suggestions and arguments which will lead me to the correct choice for now and for the years to come. Thanks! _______________________________________________ Asterisk-Users mailing list Asterisk-Users@lists.digium.com http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users