Linux operating system on mini pc

[georgielang]

I'm looking to get a mini PC that I will use for hosting scripts and servers 24/7. Although I would like to use Linux as the operating system, how complicated would it be to install a Linux distribution from a bootable USB drive if I were to get a mini PC with no operating system installed?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'm looking to get a mini PC that I will use for hosting scripts and servers 24/7. Although I would like to use Linux as the operating system, how complicated would it be to install a Linux distribution from a bootable USB drive if I were to get a mini PC with no operating system installed?

You need to understand Linux driver management, depending on what you’re using it for will depend of if you have to source open source drivers, which distro you use will depend on which kernel you need to use to support those components, if it’s something like Arch, then you may need to know how to compile a custom kernel.

If it’s simply a file management server then something simple like Mint or Ubuntu should see you fine. If you’re doing virtualisation they’re good options too. If you’re thinking of containerising, then you have the option of dockerd command line or docker desktop. But each has its own way of doing things depending on which distro you’re on

The question is hugely open though, there’s hundreds of different distros, and you have supported kernels and mainline kernels.

 

[georgielang]

You need to understand Linux driver management, depending on what you’re using it for will depend of if you have to source open source drivers, which distro you use will depend on which kernel you need to use to support those components, if it’s something like Arch, then you may need to know how to compile a custom kernel.

If it’s simply a file management server then something simple like Mint or Ubuntu should see you fine. If you’re doing virtualisation they’re good options too. If you’re thinking of containerising, then you have the option of dockerd command line or docker desktop. But each has its own way of doing things depending on which distro you’re on

The question is hugely open though, there’s hundreds of different distros, and you have supported kernels and mainline kernels.

the main two i'd be looking at is either ubuntu or rocky, I don't have a preference as I've used both and feel both suit what I need. i know they're not natively supported by PCS but it wouldn't be massively complicated to get something onto a PC if I did get one?

 

[SpyderTracks]

If you’re simply looking to spin up a load of VMs, you may find ProxMox is easier to manage, it’s a hypervisor OS, so doesn’t need any windows or Linux, runs at a hardware level

Proxmox Server Solutions

Proxmox develops powerful and efficient open-source server solutions like the Proxmox VE platform, Proxmox Backup Server, and Proxmox Mail Gateway.

www.proxmox.com

 

[SpyderTracks]

the main two i'd be looking at is either ubuntu or rocky, I don't have a preference as I've used both and feel both suit what I need. i know they're not natively supported by PCS but it wouldn't be massively complicated to get something onto a PC if I did get one?

So long as you’re familiar with Linux driver management you’ll be fine.

Its not like windows where you go to the developer website and download an installer

Id suggest Ubuntu may be an easier first go, these custom distros tend to be quite buggy and not the best supported