Question for those who host using Rehat.

Do you setup your relevant software(Apache, mysql, etc.) using RPM's or do you compile from source?


Thanks
Chad

I personally use source tar balls, it allows more control sometimes..... Of course sometimes its easier to use the rpm, but for apache, mysql etc. I would use the source....

I agree with ProHacker, the big stuff should be done by source so you can set more or less options than is set by default. With other things that require no precompile configurating, RPMs are fine (even tho from source all it takes is ./configure, make, make install, but what the hey :)).

I have to agree with the rest.

With source installs you can also pass the compiler more info about your box (i.e. 686 vs 386). Most of the RPM's are compiled as generic 386 code. If you "really" want to tweak performance you can do it that way.

The other thing with RPM's is that they might lag a bit. You can always get the latest version via source.

Make sure to use source if you plan on installing other programs that will be based off it. (Like if you want to install PHP with Apache, etc.)

Originally posted by Planet Z
Make sure to use source if you plan on installing other programs that will be based off it. (Like if you want to install PHP with Apache, etc.)
One of the biggest reasons why I love FreeBSD's ports. It installs all the dependancies for you. :) Although, PHP and Apache are ones that I modify the port for, but still, most others are installed without a hitch and pretty well configured out of the box.