New Kids on the Block: Linux

1
New Kids on the Block Linux

• Instructor Mort Anvari
• Presented by Wei Gu
• Southeastern University

2
Road Map

• History
• Distribution
• Hardware Requirement
• Features
• Using Linux
• Distributors
• Future

3
History

• In 1991, Linus Trovalds began to creat a new
  version of OS, based on Unix.
• With the help of other enthusiasts, the first
  version of Linux was completed in 1994.
• By the summer of 1999, approximately 10 million
  people were using Linux.

4
Special Distribution

• Unlike other commercial OS, Linux is free.
• The source code of Linux is open to the public,
  everyone can obtain it and amend it as they wish.
• Many companies are marketing their own
  distribution by adding some value on the basic
  content of Linux (the kernel).

5
Special Distribution

• Linux can be obtained from three channels
• Internet Download Linux can be downloaded from
  many websites sponsored by pro-Linux
  organizaitons such as FSF or Linux International.
• CD ROM The CD ROM containing Linux can be
  ordered from these organizations.
• Retailors selling commercial distribution
  BestBuy

6
Hardware Requirement

• CPU
• Any Intel 386 or later, plus Digital Alpha, Sun
  Sparc, Motorola, MIPS, PowerPC and HP/PA platform
  are supported by Linux.
• RAM
• Without graphics, Linux runs with 4MB.
• With graphics, Linux runs with a minimum 8MB
  memory. With 16MB, the graphics get much faster.
• With 32MB, Linux screams, and the speed of the
  application (particularly a graphics-oriented
  program) increases dramatically.
• Hard Disk
• Without graphics, it installs in 40MB.
• With graphics, 150MB is needed.
• More hard disk space for applications is needed.

7
Features Character-Cell vs. Graphical
Applications

• Linux applications are available as
  character-cell and graphical applications.
• Character-cell applications are textual types of
  applications in which you type a command and the
  system responds. (like in MS-DOS ).
• Character-cell applications are sometimes
  referred to as text-based applications.

8
Features Character-Cell vs. Graphical
Applications

• With a graphical application, you use the mouse
  as well as the keyboard to tell the computer what
  to do. (like in Windows) The graphical portion of
  Linux is called X Window System or simply X.

9
Features

• Multitasking several programs running at once.
• Multiuser several users on the same machine
  (and no two-user licenses!).
• Cross-platform runs on many different CPUs, not
  just Intel.
• Multiprocessor SMP support is available on the
  Intel and SPARC platforms.

10
Features

• Has memory protection between processes, so that
  one program can't bring the whole system down.
• Virtual memory using paging (not swapping whole
  processes) to disk
• A unified memory pool for user programs and disk
  cache, so all free memory can be used for
  caching, and the cache can be reduced when
  running large programs.

11
Using Linux Personal Workstation

• It can run many programs at the same time, handle
  the needs of more than one user at a time, and
  use high-quality graphics.
• Linux can handle files and programs of immense
  size. When used with the 64-bit digital Alpha
  processor, for example, Linux can handle data of
  terabytes.
• Linux uses a sophisticated windowing system
  called the X Window System. It can share files
  with most UNIX systems and Windows, OS/2, and
  other operating systems.

12
Using Linux file and print server

• Multitasking capability, virtual memory, and
  powerful file system make Linux work well as a
  file and print server for workstation running
  other OS
• SAMBA allows MS-Windows PCs to communicate with
  server running Linux.
• AppleTalk allows Macintosh computers to use Linux
  as a file and printer server.
• Linux can share files and printers with UNIX
  systems.
• Using Linux as server OS saves much money because
  Linux and the layered software that provide these
  services are free.

13
Using Linux Connecting to an Internet gateway

• Linux can connect your home or business network
  to the Internet. Software such as Diald can
  connect your Linux network to the Internet
  whenever necessary. This gives your private
  network a permanent, virtual connection for the
  price of a single phone line.

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Using Linux Building a firewall

• Linux can provide protection from the bad guys on
  the Internet by acting as a firewall.
• Linux can control access from your private
  network to the outside world. Linux is very
  flexible in this regard and several packages are
  available.

15
Using Linux Providing Internet/intranet services

• UNIX systems were at the forefront of these
  developments, and Linux shares many benefits of
  that heritage. Linux can be used in the following
  fields
• Firewalls to keep the bad guys out
• FTP to help the good guys get files and software
• Telnet to support users in logging on and using
  their machines remotely
• Web servers to aid users in seeing Web pages
• Samba and NFS to share files over the network
• Many ISP use Linux because Linux source code is
  freely available. They can correct problems
  themselves quickly rather than wait for a
  commercial software vendor to correct the
  problem.

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Popular Distributors

• Red Hat Linux (www.redhat.com) The largest
  Linux distributor.When Red Hat went public in
  mid-1999, the companys stock shot into the Linux
  stratosphere.
• SuSE GmbH(www.Suse.com) A German firm putting
  out its own Linux distribution in German and
  English.
• Turbolinux, Inc., (www.pht.com) A company
  providing translated copies of Linux in Japanese
  and Chinese.
• Corel (www.corel.com) Bundled with WordPerfect
  Office and looks to make Linux easy to install
  and use. Corel LINUX is quickly becoming a major
  Linux player.

17
Prospect

• Linux 2.0, the current stable version, has many
  enhancements, including many performance
  improvements, several new networking protocols,
  one of the fastest TCP/IP implementations in the
  world, etc. Even higher performance, more
  networking protocols, and more device drivers
  will be available in Linux 2.2.
• Even with over 3/4 million lines of code in the
  kernel, there is plenty of code left to write,
  and even more for documentation.

18
Reference

• Kara J. Pritchard. Linux
• SuSE Linux 6.4
• Michael Meadhra. Star Office for Linux
• Paul G.Sery. Red Hat Linux