Debian | Dedicated Server Distributions- ServerMania

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First announced in 1993, the Debian name was created by combining the first names of its creator, Ian Murdock with his girlfriend at
the time - Debra Lynn.

Since the release of version 1.1 in 1996, Debian has remained committed to the pursuit of free and open-source software, enabling it
to become one of the most popular linux distributions in the world.

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Unparalleled Reliability

Massive Software Repository

Popular LAMP
Stack OS

Cloud Hosting Compatibility

Open Source

Key features

UNPARALLELED SUPPORT

Debian users have access to support mailing lists, which typically receive a response within 15 minutes or less by the developers who maintain the software. This gives you access to the very best support resources possible.

ENHANCED PACKAGING SYSTEM

Debian’s packaging system, dpkg, provides your system with a robust packaging system with a focus on preventing software conflicts and cleaning up system clutter. Debian also has unmatched software repositories with over 50,000 software packages available.

EASY INSTALLATION AND UPGRADES

Debian can be quickly and easily installed via CD, DVD, Blu-ray, USB stick or even over the network. The installation process has been refined over the years to be one of the easiest distributions to install. Upgrading your server software is also a breeze with just a single command. Just run aptitude dist-upgrade and you’ll be instantly updated.

IDEAL USES

Debian is ideal for web, database, email & network servers. With its core focus on stability, security & GPL packages, it has become the go-to operating system of many organizations, such as Google’s gLinux distribution as well as Amazon’s Linux AMI both of which are Debian derivatives.

Debian is also popular for scientific & research institutions due to its packaged support for advanced data processing applications such as machine learning & AI, Big data, clustering & virtualization.

DEBIAN STRENGHTS & WEAKNESSES

Strenghts

Large and Active Development Community

Debian development is focused on continual improvement and rapid bug fixes. Support is easily obtained through popular mailing lists and website forums. With over a thousand volunteers, Debian has the largest open-source community for any software project.

Debian’s dpkg package manager

Arguably the best and easiest to use packaging system for Linux, which has more than 50,000 applications available for free.

Unmatched compatibility

With support for a wide range of hardware and CPU architectures, you will be hard-pressed to find a device that won’t run Debian.

Stability

Servers running on Debian can often run for years without needing a reboot or experiencing a kernel panic, something which is unheard of for users with experience on other platforms.

Weaknesses

User Friendliness

Debian is a distribution designed for administrators and developers. Many novice users may feel overwhelmed by Debian as it lacks a GUI interface for many key features.

No support for some popular commercial software

Like other Linux distributions, Debian is not supported by Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite and other Windows & Mac only software.

No proprietary software pre-installed

Debian is strictly open-source and support for popular media formats such as Flash, audio & video needs to be installed as additional steps.

Drivers

Due to Debian’s open-source philosophy, it is often necessary to source & install hardware drivers for Debian after installation such as for wi-fi cards, graphics cards and peripherals.

Frequently asked questions

+How much does Debian cost?

Debian is a free and open-source operating system with no costs association with installation or updates.

+Which versions of Debian do you offer?

We offer the latest stable version of Debian. You also have the opportunity to install a specific version of Debian using our IPMI interface.

+What is the release cycle of Debian?

The Debian security team only supports one stable release of Debian at any given moment. After the release of a new stable version, security updates are provided for the previous version for another year or so.

In general, Debian releases a new major version approximately every 2 years, which gives users about 1 year to upgrade to the next one, and has a total lifetime of about 3 years until when security updates are no longer provided.

+Is Debian a good desktop Linux distribution?

Debian is not designed as a desktop operating system.

+What applications is Debian recommended for?

- Web, database, email or DNS server
- Open-source desktop enthusiasts
- Embedded OS on hardware devices
- Research & data sciences
- Penetration testing & advanced security applications

+What applications is Debian not recommended for?

- Home or office user who requires full interoperability with MS Office or other closed-source software
- Enterprise applications where commercial support is required, here Red Hat or Ubuntu might be a better choice
- Web or Internet servers where Windows software or IIS is required
- Less technical users where the expectation is for software to work out the box
- Applications where very long term security updates are needed for the specific release (more than 3 years) or where regulatory certification is required

+Are there any derivatives of Debian?

Debian has spawned dozens of derivative distributions such as Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Tails, Raspbian, Knoppix & others - many of which use Debian’s package manager and support .deb files for software installation and dependency management.

+Is Debian good for gaming?

Debian is not designed as a gaming operating system.