# Advice to setup a rails development box **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 26, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-to-setup-a-rails-development-box/177937 "2009-10-26T23:05:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ProlificCoder)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-to-setup-a-rails-development-box/177937/1 "2009-10-26T23:05:17Z")
Hi, I am now starting developing in Rails full time. To be more effective, I want to use one of my old laptops as a server running rails, source control, database server and other tools. My ideal setup is to have all the configurations on that system and to open ssh terminals into it. I will keep the old laptop running always. I am seeking advice on the following: 1. What distro linux is best for Rails, right now I have ubuntu server on it. 2. How to I enable remote logging to this machine. (Like I can login to a dedicated server with a hosting company) 3. This laptop has 512 MB ram and 2.2 GHZ is that speed ok? Thanks in advance for your replies. ---
**Author:** ![ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ProlificCoder)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-to-setup-a-rails-development-box/177937/2 "2009-10-26T23:45:07Z")
On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 6:27 PM, ProlificCoder [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I am seeking advice on the following: > > 1. What distro linux is best for Rails, right now I have ubuntu server > on it. > Any linux distro should be fine as long as you maintain your gems via > the gem command. I strongly recommend you not to rely on distros > packages for gems, specially on Ubuntu or Debian like, since they > might get old soon. > 2. How to I enable remote logging to this machine. (Like I can login > to a dedicated server with a hosting company) > Install openssh package, I think in Ubuntu is openssh-server or > something like that, then start the deamon and configure it to run at > startup (really don’t remember how you should do that on Ubuntu, I’m > not an Ubuntu’s user) > 1. This laptop has 512 MB ram and 2.2 GHZ is that speed ok? > Might be a bit short, I would recommedn at least 1Gb, but it should > work, maybe it will seem a bit slow, specially if you will be running > all the services there. > Thanks in advance for your replies. > You’re welcome. Hope it helps 🙂 > BTW, this is just my 2 cents, you should wait for more answers and > evaluate them all. – Leonardo M… There’s no place like ~ ---
**Author:** ![ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ProlificCoder)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-to-setup-a-rails-development-box/177937/3 "2009-10-27T00:22:00Z")
On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 4:27 PM, ProlificCoder [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > 1. What distro linux is best for Rails, right now I have ubuntu server Doesn’t matter. 99% of the software you find inside will be the same. Every Linux distro uses the same glibc, same gcc, same Linux kernel, only difference being the packages are slightly different versions based on when the distro was published. The _big_ difference in Linux distros is the package management. Your two main options are rpm or dpkg. I prefer dpkg, so I always use Debian for my servers and Ubuntu for my desktops. > on it. > 2. How to I enable remote logging to this machine. (Like I can login > to a dedicated server with a hosting company) apt-get install openssh-server – Greg D. [http://destiney.com/](http://destiney.com/) ---
**Author:** ![ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ProlificCoder)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 5:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-to-setup-a-rails-development-box/177937/4 "2009-10-27T05:46:03Z")
Greg D. wrote: > On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 4:27 PM, ProlificCoder > [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > 1. What distro linux is best for Rails, right now I have ubuntu server > > Doesn’t matter. 99% of the software you find inside will be the same. > Every Linux distro uses the same glibc, same gcc, same Linux kernel, > only difference being the packages are slightly different versions > based on when the distro was published. > > The _big_ difference in Linux distros is the package management. Your > two main options are rpm or dpkg. I prefer dpkg, so I always use > Debian for my servers and Ubuntu for my desktops. Likewise, almost. I use Ubuntu for everything. (Well, when I have to use desktop Linux, which I don’t like that much. I actually mostly work on a Mac.) > > on it. > > 2. How to I enable remote logging to this machine. (Like I can login > > to a dedicated server with a hosting company) > > apt-get install openssh-server Which I _think_ is part of the Ubuntu Server distro. > – > Greg D. > [http://destiney.com/](http://destiney.com/) ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@ProlificCoder](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ProlificCoder)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/advice-to-setup-a-rails-development-box/177937/5 "2009-10-27T05:52:11Z")
I am not sure which linux is best for rails. But my personal opinion is that Ubuntu rocks! I have surely never had a problem I couldn’t solve 🙂 in the last 4 years. Thanks & Regards, Dhruva S… ## Mike Ditka [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mike\_ditka.html](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mike_ditka.html) “If God had wanted man to play soccer, he wouldn’t have given us arms.” On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 10:16 AM, Marnen Laibow-Koser \<