linux
Linux forms the core of a number of operating system distributions including Red Hat, Novell/Suse and Debian GNU/Linux.
We chose Debian initially because it is one of the few Linux distributions that will run on Apple hardware; our first foray into Linux was on an ageing (c.1995) Mac of dubious pedigree. It is a credit to the quality of Debian that we were able to configure it as a dedicated file server - a role it fulfilled faultlessly for 2 years before being retired in 2005 as we created replacement Debian servers; its only limitation being the lack of hard disk space for storage.
To give you an idea of the power and versatility of Debian; we run a range of Intel and Apple PC's as servers that run day in and day out. We also use Debian on the desktop using PC's as varied as a wide screen 64bit laptop to an Apple G4.
Debian GNU/Linux is a very stable, Linux based operating system which offers considerable benefits over proprietry alternatives:
- It is free to download and install on as many computers as you wish, without having to worry about restrictive licenses
- Debian is ported to run on many different types of hardware (eg. Intel86, AMD64, ApplePowerPC, to name but three)
- It is a truly multiuser based system which is secure, stable and highly versatile
- It is modular, and so if one application has a problem, it won't bring the system down with it. It also means that if you install new applications, you don't have to reboot. Indeed linux servers are renowned for their "uptime" (the length of time since their last reboot)
- There are over 15,000 different packages available for immediate use; all you need to do is download and install them. Debian's "aptitude" package management system installs and removes applications with efficiency and elegance
- The Debian developer and user community provides high quality documentation and comprehensive support. Many developers monitor the Debian mailing lists and provide helpful guidance on configuration and troubleshooting
- Upgrading a Debian system is almost trivial compared with most other operating systems (both free and proprietary)
There are many other benefits, too numerous to mention (such as the greatly reduced threat of viruses and malware) but just the above are compelling enough reasons to use Debian GNU/Linux. Although this may seem like a sales pitch, it isn't; Debian is free software which means anyone can use it. We recommend it because we think it provides many advantages over other distributions.
debian gnu/linux based file server
Using a Debian server to centralise your workfiles with overnight (or more frequent) backup to a separate system provides all the benefits referred to in the introduction above, plus:
- Collaborative working - the ability to share files amongst users and restrict access to specific users or groups
- Security of your data - full snapshots of backup files going back six months or more - your files are protected in the event of: systems failure, deletion by mistake or malice, corruption due to viruses or malware
- A scaleable solution that will accommodate additonal applications such as databases and mail servers without the need to purchase additional licenses or hardware
migration to debian
Changing operating systems throughout your organisation is a big step. You may have legacy systems, which are fundamental to your business and not easy to replace.
However, amongst the 15,000+ Debian packages available are high quality alternatives to proprietry applications; also provided are 'virtual' operating environments allowing you to run Windows or Mac applications on Debian.
The issues are invariably complex but an exploratory discussion may reveal opportunities to derive real benefits from migration.
open source applications - the gradual approach
As we have stated elsewhere, we favour incremental change and would not recommend changing operating systems across your business all at once. It is much more sensible, as a first step, to find open source applications which you can use on your current operating sytems.
There are a number open source projects providing popular applications for Windows and MacOSX as well as Debian:
- Mozilla-firefox - a light, fast webrowser
- Mozilla-thunderbird - an email client with intelligent spam filtering
http://www.openoffice.org - a project providing a full destop office suite with MS Office compatible file formats. We have found it as good as MS Office in many respects and better in some.
http://www.postgresql.org - provides a powerful open source alternative to proprietry database products. Unlike MS Access it is configured as a true multi-user application with both client and server components. To use MS Access in this way requires a MS SQL Server license at additional cost.
http://www.gimp.org/ - the GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring and is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.
sample linux on a disk
In addition to the above, there are a number 'Live CD' disributions based on Debian GNU/Linux which provide the opportunity to sample the delights of Debian and Linux without affecting your PC's operating system or hard drive. These CD's load a fully functioning Debian based system into memory having autoconfigured most, if not all of your devices.
Some are also invaluable as a 'rescue' CD to access valuable data within a broken windows system.
Whilst these offer a way of installing Debian like systems and they work quite well, we prefer to configure systems from an original Debian installation. However, the 'live' CDs we particularly like are:
http://www.xfld.org - Xfce live demo
http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/resources/osswatchknoppix.xml - osswatch-knoppix
http://www.watsky.net - Beatrix
http://www.ubuntulinux.com - Ubuntu (versions available for Apple and AMD64 hardware)
http://www.kubuntu.org/ - Ubuntu with the KDE desktop (versions available for Apple and AMD64 hardware)
http://www.kanotix.com - Kanotix
self help
Self Help includes information and links to resources to help you explore the possibilities for yourself. Also included is some information on how to protect yourself from spam and viruses using freely downloadable applications which you can use on your current operating systems.