Linux Evaluation

[Mark Walter Smith]

Hey guys, we are trying to evaluate linux in our enterprise, wondering, what parts within the enterprise, is Linux ideally suited for. Do you think, since Linux is a good replacement for Solaris or Windows. Which server do you think does the best job supporting Linux

[Alzhy]

Linux has matured so much in the last 6 years that coupled with less expensive, easily sourced and more powerful X86 (aka Commodity Hardware) - it now pose a serious challenge to the "Big Boys". By Big Boys - I mean large UNIX propritary machines and even Windows DataCenter implementations.

Where does Linux fit in or has the potential to transform your IT?

* File and Storage Servers (You can build your own NAS with Linux)
* Network Appliances (DNS, Proxy and Utilitarian Web Servers)
* Mid-Tier Servers - WebApps Tier
* Database Server (with greater than 16-way X86 Machines now available - you can try if a UNIX-away migration fits you)

And my Favourites:
* Use Linux for your ENterprise Virtualization Platform to consolidate Server Workloads for virtually an X86 OS footprints - Windows, Other Linux and even Solaris)
* If you want to extend your Virtualization into a CLOUD Model -- then Linux will be your lowest cost solution.

In my company - we are in the midst of a massive UNIX-away programme. This had the green light due to X86 Server Offerings that have shown to challenge the more expensive UNIX platforms. With new multi-core X86 CPUs from AMD and Intel and unprecedented very large memory footprints and ultra fast memory and I/O busses - we think Linux on X86 NOW is a good choice.

[IT Csar]

Two Linux distros that reached Enterprise level maturity are
- RedHat and SuSE

Most of the business applications will run one at least one of them, usually both. Free alternative to these is CentOS and openSUSE.

Now, to where to deploy them?

- IT infrastructure is my first choice: DHCP, DNS, LDAP, NFS, Samba,

- Web Services: LAMP stack or its variation; corporate IM, helpdesk, project portal, network monitoring, etc

- As Virtualization host to run: Xen, vmware, virtualbox, kvm; terminal server

- As a platform for heavy computational programs.

Personally, I would hesitate to push Linux to the desktop if your company populated by MS Windows users. Linux had not reach MS Windows level on the desktop from point of view:
- application support
- user familiarity
- hardware support (printers, scanner, mobile devices, etc)

Good luck.

Oleg

[dirk dierickx]

be careful when you say it's a good replacement for windows. how much i loath that OS, some vendors produce only windows versions of their software, so you will have no luck running any of those on linux (ofcourse, you should avoid any such vendors ;) ).

linux is much more like solaris then it is like windows. solaris admins will also be able to work with linux more easily then windows admins.

the funny thing about linux is that everybody has it's own take on what it is good for. but basicly it runs everywhere, and it runs well.

SUN used to tell you that linux was no good on the server and was a client OS, IBM/RH/HP will tell you it is a server OS and is no good as a client. Others are using it as an embedded OS on devices with limited resources like GPS, mobile phones, etc. Then again, linux powers most of the worlds supercomputers as well as worlds biggest websites/clouds like google.

tell me, who of the above is correct? i would say they all are, because they used linux for a specific task and it works for them very well.

[Alan_152]

My opinion is, it depends on what you need to run. If you're talking Java or Oracle, Sun is still the way to go. If you're working with graphics or sound, then Mac. If desktop, then Windows. If your working with generic or GNU server daemons, then Linux.

Everybody has their favorites. Mine happens to be Suse 10x, but CentOS is gaining a place in my heart because of Yum. I deal daily with Solaris, though I'm not really fond of it. And of course, I have Windows (both desktop and server) all over the place.