I agree Virtualmin GPL or Virtualmin Pro.
Fantastic community support as well as professional support from the Developers.
I started on Webmin years ago. It was so helpful I finally bought Virtualmin Pro 50 server license.
I use the latest Ubuntu 11.04 as my daily system however on a server I use Centos because of it's Long Term Support (LTS).
Ubuntu 10.04 (LTS) is a rock solid server as well.
I just prefer Centos and Scientific Linux because they are based on Redhat Enterprise binaries and I grew up on Redhat so it is just easier for me.
INSTALL a Linux DESKTOP install.
Don't do the server install because the Virtualmin install.sh script downloads, installs and configures everything using the Virtualmin repositories.
You can do it with a minimal install that gives you only a shell to start but I like to start with a minimal Desktop install for convenience.
Go to http://www.webmin.com/vinstall.html [webmin.com] and download the install.sh script.
bring up the shell terminal and execute the 2 commands they give on the above page
I just tested it yesterday on the new Centos6 and it did the setup flawlessly.
After it completes the install you'll be able to examine how they setup everything in the server.
You may want to test it on Scientific Linux as it is based on Redhat Enterprise.
http://www.scientificlinux.org/ [scientificlinux.org]
I use ubuntu 11.04 on my desktop but I use Centos5.3 on my servers and am now in the process of upgrading to Scientific Linux6 which in essence is Centos6 or Redhat Enterprise6
There is a debate about Centos kind of dragging their feet and many are switching to Scientific Linux since it is looking to be aggressively maintained.
Read this post.
http://www.virtualmin.com/node/17463#comment-80722 [virtualmin.com]
For some reason the post link in the drupal forums would not link to the one I wanted however if you search the above link thread for Posted: Wed, 2011-05-04 14:51
and read from there, it may cause you to try scientific Linux.
You have to be root for the script to install the system. Centos already has the Root user enabled.
In Ubuntu, you'll need to temporarily enable the root user, then disable it after Virtualmin installs.
I suggest Centos6 for your first test because I know the install.sh script worked OK on it. I'll assume it will work in Scientific Linux since the binaries are the same as Centos or Redhat Enterprise.
I think, Joe at Virtualmin mentioned they are going to switch from Centos to Scientific Linux for their servers.
http://www.virtualmin.com/os-support [virtualmin.com]
Virtualmin GPL Supported Systems
The automated installation script supports the following operating systems:
CentOS 5 and 6 on i386 and x86_64
RHEL 5 and 6 on i386 and x86_64
Scientific Linux 6 on i386 and x86_64
Debian 5.0 and 6.0 on i386 and amd64
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS and 10.04 LTS on i386 and amd64
All Virtualmin GPL supported systems are considered "Grade A" and provide an excellent platform for virtual hosting
* * * *
Here is a little background to try and convince you to give Virtualmin a try.
You're in for a wild ride being new to LAMP servers. Running a Linux server is an addictive experience. A blessing and a curse
In 2002 on Redhat 7.3. I hired a friend, Lee Bertagnolli, to help me get my first server going. He setup the server manually.
I couldn't follow all he did at the time. I was an ultra Linux noob at the time.
I made a Ghost backup of the drive in case I messed it up so I could restore and be up and running again.
What really sped up my learning was the discovery of Webmin.
Webmin then, and Virtualmin now, have been life savers in my learning Linux.
For the server you may want to go with a distro that offers LTS so upgrades won't break your server setup.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS would be a good choice. Centos6 is just out so you can pretty much bank on Centos 6 being unbreakable for the next 3 years.
I use ubuntu 11.04 on the desktop and do testing using KVM and Virtualbox.
If you can afford to have a Quad core system with around 12 gigs of ram, that really lets you test setups as well as restore a botched test in an instant.
Using Ubuntu 11.04 on the desktop, I run Windows7 in virtualbox so I have access to Dreamweaver and other windows stuff.
Then I experiment in other Virtualbox installs of various distros and server setups.
It is a great testing environment because restores are so fast.
I'm going to post this now so I can immediately see all my typos and botched sentences.
Anyway, Good luck in your LAMP quest
I agree with Virtualmin GPL or Virtualmin Pro.
Fantastic community support as well as professional support from the Developers.
I started on Webmin years ago. It was so helpful I finally bought Virtualmin Pro 50 server license.
I use the latest Ubuntu 11.04 as my daily system however on a server I use Centos because of it's Long Term Support (LTS).
Ubuntu 10.04 (LTS) is a rock solid server as well.
I just prefer Centos and Scientific Linux because they are based on Redhat Enterprise binaries and I grew up on Redhat so it is just easier for me.
INSTALL a Linux DESKTOP install.
Don't do the server install because the Virtualmin install.sh script downloads, installs and configures everything using the Virtualmin repositories.
You can do it with a minimal install that gives you only a shell to start but I like to start with a minimal Desktop install for convenience.
Go to http://www.webmin.com/vinstall.html and download the install.sh script.
bring up the shell terminal and execute the 2 commands they give on the above page
I just tested it yesterday on the new Centos6 and it did the setup flawlessly.
After it completes the install you'll be able to examine how they setup everything in the server.
You may want to test it on Scientific Linux as it is based on Redhat Enterprise.
http://www.scientificlinux.org/
I use ubuntu 11.04 on my desktop but I use Centos5.3 on my servers and am now in the process of upgrading to Scientific Linux6 which in essence is Centos6 or Redhat Enterprise6
There is a debate about Centos kind of dragging their feet and many are switching to Scientific Linux since it is looking to be aggressively maintained.
Read this post.
http://www.virtualmin.com/node/17463#comment-80722
For some reason the post link in the drupal forums would not link to the one I wanted however if you search the above link thread for Posted: Wed, 2011-05-04 14:51
and read from there, it may cause you to try scientific Linux.
You have to be root for the script to install the system. Centos already has the Root user enabled.
In Ubuntu, you'll need to temporarily enable the root user, then disable it after Virtualmin installs.
I suggest Centos6 for your first test because I know the install.sh script worked OK on it. I'll assume it will work in Scientific Linux since the binaries are the same as Centos or Redhat Enterprise.
I think, Joe at Virtualmin mentioned they are going to switch from Centos to Scientific Linux for their servers.
http://www.virtualmin.com/os-support
Virtualmin GPL Supported Systems
The automated installation script supports the following operating systems:
CentOS 5 and 6 on i386 and x86_64
RHEL 5 and 6 on i386 and x86_64
Scientific Linux 6 on i386 and x86_64
Debian 5.0 and 6.0 on i386 and amd64
Ubuntu 8.04 LTS and 10.04 LTS on i386 and amd64
All Virtualmin GPL supported systems are considered "Grade A" and provide an excellent platform for virtual hosting
* * * *
Here is a little background to try and convince you to give Virtualmin a try.
You're in for a wild ride being new to LAMP servers. Running a Linux server is an addictive experience. A blessing and a curse
In 2002 on Redhat 7.3. I hired a friend, Lee Bertagnolli, to help me get my first server going. He setup the server manually.
I couldn't follow all he did at the time. I was an ultra Linux noob at the time.
I made a Ghost backup of the drive in case I messed it up so I could restore and be up and running again.
What really sped up my learning was the discovery of Webmin.
Webmin then, and Virtualmin now, have been life savers in my learning Linux.
For the server you may want to go with a distro that offers LTS so upgrades won't break your server setup.
Ubuntu 10.04 LTS would be a good choice. Centos6 is just out so you can pretty much bank on Centos 6 being unbreakable for the next 3 years.
I use ubuntu 11.04 on the desktop and do testing using KVM and Virtualbox.
If you can afford to have a Quad core system with around 12 gigs of ram, that really lets you test setups as well as restore a botched test in an instant.
Using Ubuntu 11.04 on the desktop, I run Windows7 in virtualbox so I have access to Dreamweaver and other windows stuff.
Then I experiment in other Virtualbox installs of various distros and server setups.
It is a great testing environment because restores are so fast.
I'm going to post this now so I can immediately see all my typos and botched sentences.
Anyway, Good luck in your LAMP quest
Marriage is the sole cause of divorce.