I’m looking for a specific distro to handle some tasks.
I got a second hand rig with Nvidia GTX 1050 that I want to use as a home server. I wanted to use HoloISO but it doesn’t support nvidia. If someone says “do it anyway, it’s fine” I’ll install it though.
The idea is to support a Jellyfin server and Steam Link gaming but steam is not big on Nvidia so it’s hard to narrow down “black screen” issues etc. I’m also planning to manage it via VNC and SSH.
I’m familiar with Ubuntu based systems since I develop software on Ubuntu based KDE distro but never had a graphics card.
So it boils down to:
- Ease of setup including nvidia drivers
- Ease of update via command line (I’m not going to download nvidia drivers from their website to update proprietary drivers)
- Graphics performance
- Prefer Ubuntu based
I’m up for Gnome, Xface, Cinnamon, KDE or whatever DE.
Edit: Changed title to better reflect requirements and not have misleading “headless” and “server” in it
After doing some research I’m surprised that nobody here mentioned Nobara. I think it fits neatly here.
If you familiar with Ubuntu and its derivatives, just use Ubuntu.
Ubuntu provides a server version called Ubuntu Server alongside the desktop versions if needed, and Ubuntu provides easy access to things like ZFS.
You can always switch in the future if you find you have server needs or preferences the Ubuntu doesn’t suit.
Ubuntu is primarily Ubuntu-based for example.
I’m up for Gnome, Xface, Cinnamon, KDE or whatever DE.
…on a headless server. What does the word “headless” mean to you?
Ease of setup including nvidia drivers
Any mainstream distribution would relatively satisfy this requirement (Arch, Fedora, Ubuntu); however, Fedora might be slightly less amenable since it would require third-party repository RPM Fusion. Don’t get me wrong, it is a real simple process to add, but it can also cause some headaches.
Ease of update via command line (I’m not going to download nvidia drivers from their website to update proprietary drivers)
The best way to install the Nvidia driver is through your distribution’s system package manager. In fact, it is never recommended to download from Nvidia’s website. If you do, you’re flat out doing it the wrong way…
Graphics performance
The graphics performance will mostly be the same since you are using Nvidia and relying less on open source components; however, you still would want a distribution that is updated relatively frequently; therefore, I would suggest Fedora or Ubuntu.
Keep in mind that SteamOS is based on Manjaro (Arch), so I’m sure it would be fine as well, but Arch based distributions are more “rolling” and can experience their own issues.
Fedora has its own quirks as well; therefore, I would recommend hanging back one full release. For example, right now, Fedora 39 is the latest release and that means you should likely install and stay on Fedora 38 until Fedora 40 releases.
Prefer Ubuntu based
Your best option would be to use Ubuntu / Ubuntu LTS
SteamOS doesn’t support Nvidia even though Arch does. It also has a lot of optimizations that are made specifically for AMD cards which could cause a slowdown.
I originally planned on using Fedora or PopOS but I thought I would ask around to see if there’s something that’s more specialised for a local “cloud gaming” setup.
SteamOS doesn’t support Nvidia even though Arch does
You misunderstood what I wrote… (I could have worded it better), but I didn’t mean that SteamOS was a viable option; instead, I meant Manjaro (Arch) was a viable option.
Not sure why someone down voted my post as it is technically sound, but to be 100% transparent, I’ve been running a headless linux Fedora server on Nvidia hardware for this very purpose (among others) since 2017.
I would still strongly recommend that you use Ubuntu since that is what you are most comfortable with, but Fedora or Arch is viable as well.
I don’t know why someone downvoted you either, it was a good post and way better than the “just use Ubuntu” which contribute nothing to the conversation. Everybody in this community knows Ubuntu works and you can do pretty much anything with it. I liked your comment so you can take my upvote to offset the other one. :)
On another note, do you use Moonlight, Sunshine, SteamLink or something along those lines? And do you use a dummy HDMI plug or have a screen connected that’s turned off or some sort of virtual display to get the GPU acceleration up and running after restarting without a monitor?
do you use Moonlight, Sunshine, SteamLink or something along those lines?
My linux server is wired to the router, but I use SteamLink hardware with 5GHz wifi. I haven’t tried Moonlight & Sunshine, but I have tried a myriad of different hardware running the SteamLink app, but the SteamLink Hardware > RPI 4 > RPI 3 > CCwGTV. For me, the SteamLink hardware has always been reliable enough that I didn’t need to explore other options, but YMMV.
I would strongly recommend that you disable Wayland and continue to use X for various reasons, but the three most important reasons:
- Nvidia and X allow you to inject a custom EDID so an HDMI dongle isn’t necessary `Xconfig: (Option “CustomEDID” “GPU-0.DFP-3:/path/to/edid/file”)
- Wayland doesn’t support disabling V-Sync (it may now), but if not, you really do not want V-Sync enabled when streaming
- XWayland is gonna drop your performance 1-10% depending on the game and situation…
If you end up switching to AMD GPU in the future, you still don’t have to have an HDMI dongle, but the AMD process of injecting an EDID is much less user friendly to the point where you will want an HDMI dongle. :-)
I connect to my server via SSH and if I need to see the screen, RealVNC on my phone… no monitor, keyboard, or mouse connected except when I might want to update the BIOS or something.
Oh wow, you saved me a lot of trouble by telling me about EDID. I borked a test installation by doing hacky stuff instead of waiting for HDMI dongle. I think this is the last piece of the puzzle for me to set the system up. Wish me luck 🤞 and thanks again. :)
