Multiservice Server(s) using linux

So I've been toying around with some old laptops for TFTP/FTP, and such. I wanted to ask if anyone had any specific suggestions for distros and/or software for a lab environment.

I'm currently using:
Asus EEE PC 1005HA (Atom N280 + 2GB Ram) w/ Ubuntu 10.10
Dell E6400 (Core2Duo + 2GB Ram) Linux Mint 10

What I'd like to be able to do:
DHCP (for testing dhcp relay and such)
Packet Sniffing (Wireshark?)
MAC Flooding (Found Macof, dangerous software!)
SNMP Monitoring (Like MRTG, but simpler)
Traffic Generation (testing fail-over and throughput)
TFTP/FTP/RCP (I know TFTP and FTP are easy)
Syslog (Having "teh dumbs" on getting this working)

Thanx

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Comments

tomaifauchai

The most up to date distro that i know is currently Arch linux. They do an outstanding job keeping the packages recent.
Arch is also very lightweight.

Personally, i'm more casual using Debian.

Daniel333

Hey dude,

Sounds like you have some ideal hardware there. Chances are the distro you want is Backtrack. It also has some amazing other tools in there that will make your life a lot easier.

SteveThing

Backtrack was first on my list, but it's been so long since I've used it that I'd get frustrated and toss it in the toilet.

I will definitely check out Arch. Still trying to find all the tools I need.

Thanx fellas

iSpaZZZ

Sounds like a good opportunity for a Debian 6 net install

You could do it with any Linux distro, I would recommend debian, as it is stable (like a rock!), widely supported, and also there is a new version out so the packages won't be out of date for a while!

stuh84

iSpaZZZ wrote: »

Sounds like a good opportunity for a Debian 6 net install

You could do it with any Linux distro, I would recommend debian, as it is stable (like a rock!), widely supported, and also there is a new version out so the packages won't be out of date for a while!

To kind of echo this, any Linux distro could do what you are asking for if you add a couple of packages here or there to it. Given most distros these days come with fairly comprehensive package managers (APT, YUM, YaST, Portage etc), a couple of hours with just about anything will get you there.

wastedtime

I have been using FreeBSD for about 4-5 months now to act as a "sensor" with active capability between my boarder router and cable modem (using it to bridge the connections). When ever I need to pull information off of it I SFTP into it pull it. It has been very reliable in fact the current uptime is 64 days and that is only because of a brownout. While it takes some time getting stuff set up the way you want, it does have a very good amount of documentation. If the command line doesn't scare you then this is a very good OS.

SteveThing

Well, I've drilled down and decided to stick with Mint 10, just need to get all the software installed and configured. I still can't get syslog working! Stupid moth- *CENSORED*. Maybe it is just me, but I've noticed Windows based NMS tools are pretty much click next a few times and done (CiscoWorks excluded). Linux based stuff always takes some major tweaking. Good experience none the less.