Linux operating system feasibility and major enterprise distributors

Linux Feasibility

Linux started around 1991 because students were not satisfied with Minix. Linux operating system provided an affordable alternative for the expensive UNIX operating system. Because of affordability, Linux became popular, and Linux distributors were created. Linux was built with networking in mind hence provides file sharing. Linux can work with most computers because it does what it is told and works gracefully as a server or workstation.

Workstation and servers

Workstation is where individuals use for their productivity tasks and servers exchange data with others over a network. Server software includes web servers like mail servers, login, time and news servers which can often be accessed remotely. Workstation software includes spreadsheets, word processors, graphic editors, web browsers and mail readers. Different vendors focus on servers while others eye the desktop market.

Red Hat

Red Hat provides North Carolina-based distributor, has a web server 1.0 (SWS) which combines an impressive solution in creating secure websites. It is convenient to everyone creating an intranet sensitive to information that requires protection. The product works with Apache web server which complies with SSL 2.0 protocol which comes with a Red Hat Linux 5.1.Red Hat exec mail provides highly scalable messaging solution for large enterprises and internet providers. It has a directory server and executive exec mail server which offer multiple independent hosted mail domains.

The main product associated with Red Hat is the (RHEL) which has two server versions and a desktop version. Fedora is an advanced server 4, RHEL4, desktop and workstation; they make the overall solution and make it portable. They also have MySQL, SQL and Postgress as servers. They have also ported v.2.6 kernel with back ported features like NPTLinto its 2.4.2EL, which is used, both by its servers and workstation. It is a commercial product hence not available as a free download; because it has Red Hat logo payment has to be made before acquiring it. It also has own desktop windows with a windows 95 look and has OS hood that which includes a complete source code library. Red Hat Linux 4.0 has enjoyed popularity outside the corporate environment. It brings an excellent combination of software like X windows accelerator, true plug and play auto detection and a multiprocessor ready kernel. It also has an enterprise line that makes a satisfactory showing because of the v 2.6.9 kernel.

SUSE

SUSE distributors founded in Germany, provides open source emulators for legacy game systems and the likes. It offers non-Intel server hardware with own virtualization systems like; the zSeries and pSeriesservers making it possible to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. In terms of virtualization of the server, a number of competing technologies are available, and it is unclear which one to be won. Xen and VMware are the main players, but VMware is more mature. Xen is establishing itself as an important player in the market with enterprise versions from SUSE and Red Hat; it is offering a dedicated virtualization technology. Other vendors like Novel are working on management tools that will enable management of both VMware and Xen. SUSE's solid server product the v 2.6 kernel, YaST2 is particularly useful but restricts advanced configurations of the main server packages. They Sybase and Informix servers, and also have like the Red Hat MySQL.

Analysis

Cost savings can be discovered with Linux without loss of functionality. This is because Linux can coexist with windows and existing client server skills can be transferred to the Linux arena. Operating systems have a basic set of requirement, which include; cost, reliability, features and security, and when they are, combined Linux is hard to beat. With Linux there is no real separation between workstations and servers, the difference comes with the software used for installation. Linux is an excellent web server with Apache being on top of the line. It has GCI interfaces making the total cost of ownership cheap. In the comparative analysis of competitive products like Unix, Linux is affordable and has excellent reliability and performance.

Despite the cost effectiveness, Linux is not cost free, because there are expenses incurred in the implementation. Such costs include purchasing necessary hardware for the computers hosting Linux, training Linux users and maintenance of Linux computers. When migrating to legacy databases, users will need retraining in accessing the new interface.

Conclusion

New versions of Linux have improved applicability, but a more hardened platform is required. Linux have a variety of hardware support systems but have not efficiently provided for third party users. Linux is highly applicable and with a few improvements to its service provision will increase the number of users. Improvements should be made to ensure, learning programs are easier to access. Security issues are addressed effectively, and a broader deployment of software should be provided.