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Distro Options

Get the Linux Distribution of Your Choice

The software you run on your VPS depends on the Linux distribution you prefer.  We offer several Red Hat and Debian based options.

Choosing a Distro

Which is the right distro for you?

Want to have Java hosting?  We can install a recent JDK on any of our distros, as well as the latest Tomcat Servlet engine or JBoss J2EE server.  Just mention that when you order.

Looking for a stable, proven distro?  Choose Debian, Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) or Centos.

Looking for the latest versions of software and don't mind upgrading frequently?  Choose the latest Ubuntu distro.

Unsure what you need? Choose our recommended default. Or tell us what you need and we'll send you a recommendation.

For more information about each of the distros, read on...

64-bit or 32-bit Distributions?

We typically recommend 64-bit distributions, especially on servers with more memory, typically >4GB.

Most distros these days are doing away with 32bit, so its a good idea to go with 64bit unless you have special requirements. This also makes it easier to scale your server up later on since memory use is more flexible.

CentOS

CentOS is based on well known RHEL distrubution provided by Red Hat. Red Hat do not warrant or directly support the CentOS-based distros we offer. However CentOS offers a high quality distribution which is binary compatible to Red Hat Enterprise Linux, this means you can reasonably expect that a RPM package built for a particular version of RHEL will work on the same version of CentOS. The main changes that are made in CentOS are to remove Red Hat's trademarked material.

CentOS releases follow the same long life cycle that Red Hat supports. Choose CentOS if you want a popular enterprise distribution that is stable, widely supported, has recent RPMs and will get updates to fix bugs and security issues for the next several years. However, it will not have the latest and greatest software versions, instead providing proven stable versions.

Debian: Preferred By Hardcore Linux Users

Debian is a highly regarded distro.  And is the most commonly used distro among the Linux 'elite'. It has powerful system administration tools, but it can be a bit intimidating for new users. Debian has stable, unstable and testing repositories. So you can choose to run a 'stable' box or one with the latest versions of software.

We offer the latest Debian release for new setups.

Ubuntu: A Popular Debian Derivative

Ubuntu is is based on Debian. It will feel very similar to a Debian server. It puts out regular releases every six months (cf. Debian every 1-5 years). So it should generally have newer package versions than Debian.

Ubuntu have committed to producing security updates for each new release for 18 months after that release.

Ubuntu make LTS (long term support) releases. These releases receive errata updates for up to 5 years. So these releases are good if you do not wish to do frequent, major distro upgrades.

We currently offer installs of the latest LTS releases.


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