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Optimize p 166 for webserver in linux

R

RyanB18

Senior member
I want to run a webserver from my P 166 with 32 mb of ram running Mandrake linux 8.1. What optimizations can I make because it is really slow? I assume the gui I am using (KDE) is slowing it down immensly, but I dont know the commands to run linux completely command based. What can I do to setup an apache webserver and keep it running?
 
throw away the GUI. mandrake is a fluffy linux distribution; if you must use linux and want a barebones server installation, visit www.slackware.com. also, if you're not hell-bent on using linux, I'd recommend {Open|Free}BSD - either is a good flavor. OpenBSD is extremely newbie-unfriendly but boasts the most secure out of the box installation, and is so stripped down it performs very well as a web server on slower machines. www.openbsd.org or www.freebsd.org should be helpful.
 
I agree with sml's suggestions. FreeBSD and OpenBSD both require little in the way of hardware. FreeBSD is more popular and easier to use than OpenBSD, but either would work well. If you must use some flavor of Linux, slackware is good but I would also recommend Redhat. It's easy to install and has lots of documentation available. During installation you can have it install apache and also tell it to not run the X server (GUI) which will help performance a great deal.
 
The only general optimization that comes to mind is to use hdparm to tune the IDE options. This often makes a huge difference in transfer rates.

If disk space isn't a concern on your box, you don't have to reinstall the OS and leave out X11. You can simply choose a runlevel that defaults to the console.

You can fire up X-Windows whenever you need it. You still need to learn some basic shell commands though.. it isn't that difficult if you're willing to spend the time.
 
I disagree with sml that OpenBSD is not for newbies. I have used several distros of Linux and I did not like most of them. Slackware was the one that taught me the most. Debian is also a great distro for any hardware (those are the only 2 distros I will use now if I have the choice). But OpenBSD *REALLY* got me interrested in UNIX. Its clean, the documentation is great, and the stability is worth the $40 for the cds. I recommend OpenBSD for anyone that wants to learn the ins and out of a UNIX-like OS. Plus, make build is wonderful for optimizing the code for the hardware you are on. 🙂

FreeBSD is also a good choice, but Ive had problems with every release Ive used. OpenBSD just seemed to be cleaner. But these are just my opinions of course 🙂
 


<< maybe i'll try bsd on my little firewall/server machine.....now that i have an extra computer to tinker w/ it on, i might give it a try. >>



I almost gave up on UNIX in general before someone recommended FreeBSD. I talked to him a while later, after I started using OpenBSD, and found out he had switched to OpenBSD too. I see his emails on the mailing list on occassion, its kinda funny 🙂
 
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