Welcome to the ISP Linux How-To. We hope you find information that benefits you here.

This site contains an on-going compilation of my Linux server and desktop configuration notes, many of which I have expanded into step-by-step documentation. We use these guides regularly and are glad to share the knowledge with other Linux admins and enthusiasts.

If you need a Linux consultant please visit the ISP Ltd commercial site.

The information compiled here was first begun in 1998 when starting an ISP. I could not find information on how to build an ISP entirely using Linux servers and open-source software, so I wrote a Linux ISP How-To in 1998. This site is the evolution of that effort, which was first published on the ispltd.com web site.

My favourite Linux distribution for security and operation speed is Gentoo Linux. If I want a server I can build and leave running for a year or more without interruption, Gentoo is my choice. For rapid deployments and frequent updates I install Arch Linux on servers. Using Arch Linux it is quick and easy to update servers every weekend, although this frequently requires rebooting, so Arch is best for sites that do not mind a few minutes of weekly down-time. I have also worked with Red Hat and Oracle Linux since 2007—large enterprise prefers these even though their software is often years out-of-date—so you will also find some documentation for those distributions.

Which Linux distribution should I use?

All content falls under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

If you find any mistakes, out-dated information, or link to or re-publish anything here we would appreciate your kindness in telling us about it.

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