Choose an Operating System

Drupal will run on a number of operating systems, however it is typically installed on a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP). When choosing an OS for Drupal, it is important to clearly identify your requirements. The following are the operating system selection criteria we used for the purpose of this cookbook:

• Open source and free of charge
• Broad distributed base with many successful implementations
• Built for use in enterprise datacenters
• Long service life
• Established and mature community
• Commercial support and training options

Review the Drupal system requirements to help determine the most appropriate platform for your enterprise Drupal implementation.

Choosing a Linux Distribution

There are a number of Linux distributions available and choosing one is tantamout to choosing a religion. RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), for example, is the accepted standard for enterprise Linux implementation. As of this writing, however, the current RHEL distribution lacks native support for PHP 5.2, which is a minimum requirement for Drupal 7. Also, RHEL is a commercial distribution that may be beyond the financial means of some organizations.

CentOS, a free enterprise Linux disribution based on the RHEL codebase, is a commonly used platform for Drupal hosting. CentOS is designed to be a free alternative to RHEL's commercial distribution. While CentOS provides similar functionality, it lacks the level of documentation and support available for both RedHat and Ubuntu, which makes it more complicated to learn and implement.

The OS we chose for this cookbook is Ubuntu Server 10.04 LTS (64-bit version), which is a free, open source Linux distribution based on Debian. Ubuntu Server is widely used for Drupal, built for the enterprise and offers both community and commerical support options. One additional perk is that Ubuntu Linux comes in both a server and desktop version, which makes it a viable choice for both production and development evironments.

Something to keep in mind: Canonical (the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu) provides a full range of enterprise-class services for those who require assistance beyond that which is freely available from the community.

What about Windows?

It is possible to run Drupal on Windows using either Apache or IIS. Microsoft has demonstrated a commitment to supporting the implementation of open source software on Windows architecture through their Microsoft Web Platform initiative. This is good news for enterprise shops that want to run Drupal but only run Windows Server in the datacenter.

Most Drupal development is currently done on a LAMP stack, which makes Linux a safer choice for hosting Drupal in terms of compatibility, security and reliability.