I too recommend Debian, but the one I use is Etch. Here is a link to the Debian Wiki:
http://www.eqemulator.net/wiki/wikka...ianLinuxServer
It is the only wiki complete enough that even most newbies to Linux should be able to handle getting a server running perfectly with it. There may be a few bumps along the way, but we can answer most questions if you run into problems while setting it up.