I’m looking for a stripped-down Linux distribution to use on a specialized network server. What do you recommend?
The Crux distribution may be right for you. The installation image is a 244MB ISO file, and a complete installation from that image takes up less than 900MB of disk space. Crux is a lightweight, i686-optimized Linux aimed at experienced users. Software packages are managed with a source-based “ports” system that ensures that you have recent versions of the packages you install built for your system. This is not a Linux distribution for someone new to desktop Linux. Installing it is a command-line exercise that includes configuring and compiling a new Linux kernel. It is ideal for specialized server applications where you want a system that does not contain any extra drivers, hardware support or user-level features. This means you need to enable a mouse driver when you build the kernel if you want mouse support. If you plan to use X Windows under Crux, you will have to modify the system xinitrc file to use the blackbox window manager instead of twm, or you can build your favorite window manager and use that. The Crux handbook explains the installation procedure and how to use the package-management system to build and tune your specialized installation. You need to issue the “ports –u” command after installing Crux to initialize the package library, and you may need to use the “pkgmk –if” command to overcome “FootPrint Mismatch” build errors when installing some software.
