HP ProLiant ML350 G5 Server Drivers and OS Questions

[SnowBorne]

Hello i have a proliant ml350 g5 server but what os should i get? im planning to get Windows server 2008 r2 enterprise
hp recommends windows server 2003 r2 but i really dont want 2003 since its very hard to find software and stuff that will run on server 2003 since its so old
but is there any linux os that has good driver support? already windows server 2008 r2 looks hard to find drivers for and same with server 2012 r2

here is some quick specs
32GB DDR3 ECC RAM
xeon e5420 quad core
1tb hard drive

 

[GroovySpaceFox]

Driver wise, any Linux OS (such as Debian, Ubuntu, or Fedora) should work well with your current setup since the necessary drivers should be already built into the OS. If you plan on adding any expansion cards, driver support may vary based on your card.

 

[zeroPony]

what os should i get?

Choose OS which you know better.

is there any linux os that has good driver support?

Server seems to be old, so all problems should be well known and solved. Some distros has page about servers, Debian for example. And search info about specific hardware support, of course.

 

[Marius Merganser]

Hello i have a proliant ml350 g5 server but what os should i get? im planning to get Windows server 2008 r2 enterprise
hp recommends windows server 2003 r2 but i really dont want 2003 since its very hard to find software and stuff that will run on server 2003 since its so old
but is there any linux os that has good driver support? already windows server 2008 r2 looks hard to find drivers for and same with server 2012 r2

here is some quick specs
32GB DDR3 ECC RAM
xeon e5420 quad core
1tb hard drive

I would avoid Windows 2003 and 2008.
2003 was end of life in January 2015 and 2008 is end of life in January 2021.
Any particular plans for its use?

 

[SnowBorne]

thx for all the awnsers i have now made a decision i will install ubuntu 16.04 and if it dont run good then i will get windows server 2008 r2