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My network map:

enter image description here
(Click image to enlarge)

I am unsure about which Ubuntu OS would suit these tasks better.

For the Primary Domain controller and backup domain controller, I am planning to have Samba file and print server on a normal Ubuntu PC.

And for my Raspberry Pi cluster web server load balancer, the OS will be normal Ubuntu. (By the way, RPi stands for Raspberry Pi).

I have read in multiple tutorials that Samba file and printer share will be better in Ubuntu Server OS, but I don't really get it.

What is the difference between normal Ubuntu and Ubuntu Server, and which OS would be better on these computers in the picture?

karel
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SidS
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    Server or desktop is not a matter of the power of the machine but of the purpose of the machine. If it is a webserver -> server If it is for personal computing -> desktop. – Rinzwind Aug 17 '16 at 09:10

1 Answers1

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Ubuntu (Desktop) is an Ubuntu Server + GUI. One should always prefer Server edition on a server machine, i.e. a computer without need for user interactions (keyboard + screen) on daily basis.

If you realize you need GUI later, you can install it at any time using APT:

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop

Or a lightweight version like Xubuntu core:

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-core

Or Lubuntu core:

sudo apt-get install lubuntu-core

GUI can be uninstalled later, see Remove GUI on Ubuntu Server, Server, gui, then uninstalling the gui or How to remove desktop environments?.

However, I recommend to spend some time on learning how to use CLI with server computers. You can easily search the web for the right commands for most tasks you can imagine with a Linux machine.

Melebius
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