I am not a Linux guy by any stretch. I had a number of things I needed to do and it kept pushing me toward Linux. I kept hearing about the ease of use of Ubuntu so I gave it a shot.
I downloaded Ubuntu server and installed it on an old Compaq DL360 server using the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) configuration. Easy enough and came right up. Login through the Webmin and wallah, an easy to use GUI (Linux guys cringe…)
Next I installed OpenAds http://www.openads.org/ and figured out how to do Advertising for our WiFi network. I can sell local ads as well as national syndicated ads. If you use a landing page or captive portal for your network, this is an easy way to make additional revenue.
Next I installed Group Office http://www.group-office.com/ which is a collaborative project management program. There are some other PHP based systems like Projekt and dotProject that include Help Desk, and other add-ons.
Next I installed the latest version of IPPlan http://iptrack.sourceforge.net/ and moved my IP database from the old server to the new server.
Next I installed an open-source speed-test server that I obtained from http://www.auditmypc.com.
Finally I installed NetQuery http://www.virtech.org/tools/ which is a GUI wrapper for WHOIS, WHOIS_IP, DNS lookup, DNS Dig, Email Validator, Port Checker, HTTP Header/Get, Ping, Tracert, etc.
There are thousands of ready to roll PHP packages that are easy to install. I find alot of scripts here: http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_a … index.html
Everything you need is out there, with forums and how to’s galore. I just wanted to share the info. Please don’t ask me to explain it, or do it for you.
Another great plug for Linux/Debian/Ubuntu. 
Linux has gotten much eaiser for the non-linux-minded person in the last few years. If it were not for Windows-specific programs (and users who are stuck in their ways) I’d have migrated our offices to Ubuntu on the desktops.