Linux Allgemein

Introductionary Thesis

• Linux is an affordable, good, stable, reliable and secure Operating System for Desktop and Server applications.
• Linux is well suited for academic as well as for commercial usage.
• Linux is something special, not experienced so far in the big OS space.
• Linux is not thinkable without the Internet.
• Linux is very important to keep the OS market competitive in the future.
• Linux is the only competitor of Microsoft's operating systems, especially Windows NT.
• Linux is a philosophy, but Linux is also a software

Linux is an Unix-Derivatve

• 1969: Ken Thompson developed UNIX at Bell Labs.
• ~1985: Andrew Tanenbaum developed Minix.
• 1991: Linus Torvalds starts the work on a Minix derivative called "Linux".
• 1991: First stable kernel. Linux spreads in the Internet.
• 1998: Commercial hardware companies Siemens, HP, Compaq, Dell und IBM announce Linux on their plattforms.
• 1999: After SAPs announcement to port SAP R/3 to linux, the following producers of DB/ Applications software are in the linux boat: Oracle,Informix, Sybase, Ingres, SAP, Netscape....plus others.

• Layers model of a Linux H/S - System
• Last kernel release: v2.2.6
• Last development kernel: v2.1.132

• Current innovation cycle:
• Since 8. January (version 2.2.0) 7 new stable kernel releases
• every 13 days a new kernel release . :-)

GNU = GNU is Not Unix

• Tools available for all major platforms
• Products under GNU Public License (GPL)
• Standadization of Software
• High Reliability
• High Functionality

• GNU Public Licence (GPL):
• Free Availability of Source Code
• Free passing on of the complete Software Package

Statistics

• Worldwide 7.5 to 10 Mio. User
• 27% of all web server running Linux (1. place)
• 37% of all FTP servers running linux (1. place)
• 27% off all News servers running linux (1. place)
• Netspace, Linux Intern., Citroen, Subaru, Deja News, Whataburger, Netscape, Cisco, Sony, Debis, Mercedes Benz AG, Bosch DaimlerChrysler, Boeing, United States Postal Services all run Linux

• Conclusion:
• Linux has a very large private and commercial user base

  Source: Linux International

Hardware Platforms

• Processors:
• Intel x86
• DEC Alpha
• MIPS
• PowerPC / PowerMAC
• Sun SPARC / Ultra Sparc
• Motorola m68k
• ARM

• Systems:
• IBM AS/400, RS/6000
• Siemens Celsius, Primergy
• SGI Indy
• Compaq Alpha Server
• NEXT
• 3Com Palm II/III

Business Analysts:

• GartnerGroup 01/99: "The ground swell of interest in Linux [..] is poised to gain momentum if sincere vendor support becomes available"
• GartnerGroup 01/99: "Linux vendor technical support for MSEs will only be adequate for technically knowledgeable IT organizations through 2000 (0.7 probability)."
• IDC 04/99: According to statistics from IDC, about 750,000 servers had Linux installed in 1998, an increase of 212% (NT: 36%)
• IDC 04/99: Over the next five years, Linux will grow faster than all other operating systems combined.
• Dow Jones 04/99 : The market size for Linux-related business will be between $5 billion and $20 billion in 2002.
• DH Brown 04/99: Linux comes up short when compared feature-for-feature with commercial Unix products and Windows NT, but the operating system is great for some tasks.

Development Philosophy

• Release early, release often - L. Torvalds

• Delegate everything you can - L. Torvalds

• Treating the users as co-developers means rapid code improvement and effective debugging.

• Given a large enough beta-tester and co-developer base, almost every problem will be characterized fast and the fix obviously to someone.

• Debugging is parallelizable - Jeff Dutky, Opensource Movement

• KISS - Keep It Small and Simple

• Listen to the users. Sometimes their ideas are better.

• Recognizing good ideas from others is very important.

• The internet is an ideal tool for development of software according to the Bazaar-Model.
• In contrast Microsoft Software is developed according to the Cathedral-Model.

• Linux is developed by the community.

• Anyone making use of the software must agree to give everyone else the rights to use, modify, and redistribute the program´s code or any program derived from it but only if the distribution terms are unchanged.

Distributions

RedHat

SuSE

Debian

Delix

Caldera

• Example: S.u.S.E.

• Good manual

• Help files and docs on CD

• 60 Days free installation support via Email, Fax and Hotline

• S.u.S.E.-support database on the Internet (free)

• Commercial support service

Free Support

• Zero costs (if you have Internet access)

• should be managed by the system administrator

• You have to be active in Newsgroups, Mailing Lists, WWW etc.

• there is no guaranteed servic time ... but a very high probability to get the problem fixed

Technical Support

• Community Help: The Linux Documentation Project maintains dozens of how-to files covering every imaginable subject, including installation, DOS emulation, networking, and using Cyrillic characters.
• Check Out Newsgroups: Check out the wide variety of Linux-based Usenet newsgroups, including comp.os.linux.misc, comp.os.linux.setup, comp.os.linux.questions, and alt.os.linux.
• Other Linux Users: Linux user groups have cropped up around the globe
• Shell Out Cash: If your company needs Linux support--even around the clock--it's available. Both Red Hat and Caldera offer full-time, phone-based tech support help, either on a per-incident or annual contract basis. In addition, there is now support from software and hardware vendors like Siemens, IBM, Compaq.....

• Linux "common channels" support using specialized news groups and mailing lists has a great value.
• Direct contact with the main developers
• Direct contact with users with the same problem
• Fast response and advice ( ~ 1 hour response time is common)
• An alternative to "commercial support" but without guarantees
• Hardware and Software support directly from vendors recommended
• By mission critical application 24/7 support contracts recommended

Linux as Desktop Maschine

• Office suits available (Applixware, StarOffice, Wordperfect)
• Easy to use and:
• Compatibility with MS-Office (Word, PPT)
• Smart text editing and formatting available: TeX, LaTeX
• Not easy to use, but very widespread use from Scientific Users
• well suited for big documents and books

• Graphical user interface X-Windows
• Desktops KDE and Gnome
• Applications for most important tasks: Office applications, image processing, scientific/technical, web, audio, internet tools, software development, rendering,...
• SAP R/3 GUI available since 12/99
• Although many applications are available, Linux needs a better and easier installation procedures and more applications for the normal user.
• The upcoming OpenLinux 2.2, Redhat 6.0 and SuSE 6.1 seem to be going into this direction

• Linux on the Desktop only for advanced users.
• L. Torvalds: "... The desktop market is the hardest by far".

Linux as Server: Intranet + Internet

• Samba (in Windows-Networks)
• NFS (Network File System)
• Print-Server
• Email-Server (with IMAP or POP3)
• Central Backup-Server
• Firewall between LAN and Internet

• FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
• WWW-Servers with Apache (HTTP)
• News-Server
• Email-Server
• Name-Server (DNS)

• Linux is great as operating system in LANs and in the Internet

High Performance Linux Cluster

• Linux Clusters in the TOP500, e.g. Avalon
• hpcLine of Siemens (Aachen, Kaiserlautern and Paderborn)
• Do it yourself Supercomputers (half the performance, 10% of the price)
• "Supercomputing for the masses" (Robin Miller in TechSightings)