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I just decided to install some snmp daemon on my ubuntu servers. I tried to start with Ask Ubuntu, and searched for snmp. No hits. I'm exclusively an Ubuntu Linux admin at this point so I figured I'd start at the source.

So then I try this site, unix.stackexchange.com. One hit.

ServerFault: 114 hits.

Maybe this site is newer; or its more about UNIX as an OS, not as a networking tool.

Most of what I will need to know about Ubuntu is things like the network stack. How to get Nagios, Cacti, SNPMD, SMTP and other daemony things working.

Should I just hang out at ServerFault?

2 Answers 2

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This site and AskUbuntu are both quite new (we've been around about two months and are still in beta; AU has been around about three months). Server Fault is at exactly 18 months today, and was one of the original sites launched before the more individual sites came about

We're fairly inclusionist here; the first FAQ bullet about on-topic questions lists:

Using or administering a *nix desktop or server

We're hoping now that there's an SE site dedicated to Unix and Linux, most of the Server Fault and Super User questions about those topics will start getting asked here. At the moment that includes any Ubuntu-specific questions, we haven't really figured out the line that separates us from Ask Ubuntu yet, and won't (can't, in fact) migrate questions between them until we're out of beta too

In short, your questions sound on-topic here. They're also probably on-topic on AU and SF as well, which is an unfortunate consequence of the lack of clear division of topics between the sites

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I'm kinda split. I've had maybe one successful answer on SF. Personally I think asking questions about server daemons are better off on SF. However, there are generic unix questions on SF that are better off here.

SNMP is clearly networking, imo, and I'm in favor of giving Network and Database guys there own place. Right now SF is the place for them though.

The big split on Ubuntu SE seemed to be around them being more "user friendly" and thus they probably have neglected their own server line. Also as a largely desktop crowd I doubt they know it.

I would hang out in both honestly. Now that I'm working as an admin again, I'm trying to be more active on SF. With the rule of thumb (for yourself, as michael said they aren't offtopic here), being, is this more about unix, or more about the daemon.

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  • I once proposed a high end networking stack exchange site too... I see professional "streams" or divisions between network admins and systems admins. Oddly though, the more I see the issues with serverfault, UNIX SE and AU however, the more I wonder if we shouldn't go back to just having SF... fragmentation! As UNIX people we should understand its problems better than most ;)
    – Kyle
    Oct 31, 2010 at 18:59
  • maybe... but I know I'm not a DBA or networking admin. I don't know IOS, I'm not a CCIE. Oracle is not my speciality.
    – xenoterracide
    Nov 1, 2010 at 4:19

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