SF writes:
> I have access to pretty much any dist and wanted to know what the opinion is
> on the most recommended distribution... I've heard Debian, FreeBSD, etc in
> other areas, but wasn't sure.
> I intend this box to be super secure with qmail (for multiple domains) and
> bind/dns running, thus I don't want the frills of an Xwin sys or any added
> visual toys, or to run a telnet or ftp server. I have learned how to login
> remotely using SSH and that's about all I need.
Any Linux or FreeBSD system you install is going to suffer from your lack of
Un*x systems administration experience. This is not a flame, it is a
warning. You *must* be aware that the security of your system ends at the
same place your knowledge of the system does. The fact that you appear to
think that FreeBSD is a distribution of Linux and (especially this week)
think you can run a 'super secure' server with BIND on it are good
indicators.
Fortunately, you do realize that security is vital for an Internet-connected
system. My advice would be to pick a system, and experiment with it in a
secure environment (ie: not internet-connected), and read as much as you can
(books, online, discussion groups).
You should not expose your systems to the world until you're confident that
you *know* what the risks are.
DJB develops his software on OpenBSD, and for a standard installation (no
patches), one of the *BSDs is optimal (because of the filesystem sync
issue).
You should really be asking this question in a general Un*x newbie forum
rather than here.
Vince.
