Linux Server Proposal for Implementing

¶ … Linux Server

Proposal for Implementing a UNIX or Linux Server

Maintenance and upgrade fees from Microsoft are making operating costs skyrocket in many businesses in your industry. Add in the recent changes to site licensing, value-based licensing, and restrictions on Windows use across your enterprise, and it becomes clear maintenance and licensing fees to Microsoft could easily grow to be one of the biggest it expenses your company faces in 2011. The alternative, especially at the server level, is to consider the adoption of Linux or UNIX as alternative operating systems. Either of these operating systems have significant advantages from a security, performance and in the case of Linux, cost and licensing advantages over Microsoft-based server architecture. This proposal will explain why UNIX and Linux are more prevalent in today's business environment than has ever been the case before, the advantages and disadvantages of enterprise computing platforms based on these operating systems. In addition, the availability and compatibility of business application software for Linux and UNXI is also analyzed as well. Finally the potential difficulties of deploying and maintaining a UNIX or Linux server-based computing platform is analyzed. The bottom line is that either operating system offers significant cost, security and performance advantages over Microsoft or other vendor's operating system alternatives.

UNIX and Linux Have Attained Critical Mass as Server Operating Systems

Due to the greater levels of security possible with the Linux and UNIX operating systems, lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) (Currier, 2010), more efficient use of virtual memory and multitasking support (Torkar, R., Minoves, Garrigos, 2011), UNIX and its open source counterpart, Linux, are experiencing rapid growth on server and mobile platforms. UNIX and Linux have invaded server-based computing from the high end of the market, bringing greater levels of enterprise-wide security due to a greater level of precision in defining operating system performance parameters (Doughty, 2003). International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts that UNIX will have a 22.2% market share on the global server population in 2011, and Linux will attain 16.2%, compared to Microsoft's 48% share if servers in the same server segment during 2011 (Currier, 2010). UNIX and Linux have grown exponentially over the last five years, migrating from supercomputing systems where Linux is the dominant operating system in use (Torkar, R., Minoves, Garrigos, 2011). On mobile and phone devices, Gartner is predicting that one out of every four phones shipped (25%) will have a Linux-based operating system (Wall Street Journal, 2010). The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) factors that favor Linux on servers also are a strong factor in their selection for mobile devices including smartphones and tablet PCs. Clearly the economics of the UNIX and Linux operating systems favor their continued rapid growth.

Evaluating the Advantages and Disadvantages of UNIX and Linux Servers

The advantages of lower maintenance costs, lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), and greater levels of security possible given UNIX and Linux protected memory design are catalysts making these server operating systems adopted in enterprises (Doughty, 2003). UNIX and its open source counterpart, Linux, have many additional technical advantages over legacy mainframe and the Microsoft Windows Server series of operating systems. These technology-based advantages include more efficient use of physical memory compared to legacy mainframe operating systems; greater stability and hardened security coding and login procedures; and a unified file system that scales easily across virtual locations (West, Dedrick, 2006). In addition to these factors, UNIX and Linux have a lean kernel that is optimized as a development environment as these operating systems are the preferred development platforms for software engineering professionals (Torkar, R., Minoves, Garrigos, 2011). UNIX and Linux are considered the best possible operating system for managing the development of unified collaboration and workflow-based applications as a result (West, Dedrick, 2006).

For all the advantages of UNIX and Linux, the disadvantages include a development and administrator environment that is archaic and command-driven, lacking much of the usability enhancements that Apple and Microsoft both have invested heavily in. The UNIX and Linux user command lines are more adept at managing the specific features and commands at the operating system level, and often must be coordinated in a shells script to accomplish complex tasks. This has led to many utilities and add-on applications being created, which tends to confuse the novice just getting started on the UNIX and Linux operating systems. The learning curve for UNIX and Linux from a user standpoint is quite high and takes months to master at the system command line level. Once mastered however, these two operating systems can be much more effective in managing diverse workflows and workgroups, which have made them ideal for global product development and knowledge management application s, which have become a necessity in many organizations that have global operations.

UNIX and Linux Application Software Compatibility

By far the majority of enterprise software is developed and sold on the UNIX operating system, as its business licensing, superior security options and broader installed base generated over decades of adoption make this server a viable market for developers to sell into. Linux has also experienced exponential growth in desktop, server and mobile applications over the last three years as well, due to the same factors and the agility of building on this platform (Wall Street Journal, 2010). Of the two, Linux is getting far more a developer creating applications for the desktop and server environments, as this platform supports a more equitable development model and a more pervasive development platform toolset compared to Microsoft and UNIX (Torkar, R., Minoves, Garrigos, 2011). Linux has emerged as a favorite operating systems for developers and the rapid growth of application sales show this (Wall Street Journal, 2010).