Linux Solutions Conference -

A Real Time Perspective

Thursday, March 30, 2000

Radisson South, Bloomington, MN

Table of Contents

• 13 reasons to Consider Linux
• Linux Distributions
• Hardware Support for Linux
• Software Support for Linux
• Linux Training
• Linux Certification
• Software for Linux
• Databases
• Linux Development
• Web Development
• Games
• Graphics/Desktop Publishing
• Office Suites
• Linux Links
• E-zines
• Portals
• News
• Technical
• Shopping
• Help & Reference
• Software
• Glossary of Terms
• Notes

Real Time and Linux.

It Just Works!

13 reasons to Consider Linux:

1. A Linux Distribution has thousands of dollars worth of software for no cost (or a couple of dollars if purchased on CD)
2. Linux is a complete operating system that is:
3. stable - the crash of an application is much less likely to bring down the operating system under Linux
4. reliable - Linux servers are often up for hundreds of days compared with the regular reboots required with a Windows system
5. Extremely powerful
6. Comes with a complete development environment, including C, C++, Fortran compilers, toolkits such as Qt and scripting languages such as Perl, Awk and sed. A C compiler for Windows alone would set you back hundreds of dollars.
7. Excellent networking facilities: allowing you to share CPUs, share modems etc; all of which are not included or available with Windows 95.
8. The ideal environment to run servers such as a web server (e.g. Apache), or an FTP server.
9. A wide variety of commercial software is available if your needs aren't satisifed by the free software.
10. An operating system that is easily upgradeable. After any length of time a typical installation of Windows and software gets into a complete mess. Often the only way to clear out all the debris is to reformat the hard disk and start again. Linux, however, is much better for maintaining the system.
11. Supports multiple processors as standard.
12. True multi-tasking; the ability to run more than one program at the same time.
13. An excellent window system called X; the equivalent of Windows but much more flexible.

Of course, there are more than just 10 reasons you should consider Linux, like remote administration, variety of choices of graphical desktop environments, etc, but this should be enough to get you started.

So, what's the difference between distributions?

All Linux distributions contain (for the most part) the same Linux kernel and many of the same packages. Linux distributions usually differ by:

• supported hardware platform (Intel vs Macintosh, for instance)
• installation process
• default desktop environment (KDE or GNOME)
• package tool (RPM or APT)
• packages included by default
• whether maintained by a corporation or non-profit organization

The above list contains just the most widely-used Linux distributions. For a complete list of all Linux distributions, see:

www.linux.com/links/Software/Distributions

For a more complete list, see: www.linuxhardware.net/vendors.html

Software for Linux

Note: this is NOT a complete list, rather a very small number of apps in just a few software categories. For a complete list of software for Linux, see:

www.linux.com/links/Software or www.freshmeat.net

Linux Links

Again, this is just a fraction of the online Linux websites. Take the word linux and put it with almost any other word in the dictionary, and you'll probably find a website. If what you don't see what you're looking for in this reference list, go to one of the Linux portals listed above.

Glossary of Terms

GPL (General Public License)

This license allows users to sell, copy or even change Linux to suit their own needs and agendas. The only stipulation is that one must pass along the same freedom to sell, change and copy their modifications.  For the complete definition of this and other licenses, see www.gnu.org

IPsec -- Short for IP Security, a set of protocols being developed by the IETF to support secure exchange of packets at the IP layer. Once it's completed, IPsec is expected to be deployed widely to implement Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

IPsec supports two encryption modes: Transport and Tunnel. Transport mode encrypts only the data portion (payload) of each packet, but leaves the header untouched. The more secure Tunnel mode encrypts both the header and the payload. On the receiving side, an IPSec-compliant device decrypts each packet.

For IPsec to work, the sending and receiving devices must share a public key. This is accomplished through a protocol known as Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol/Oakley (ISAKMP/Oakley), which allows the receiver to obtain a public key and authenticate the sender using digital certificates.

Kernel (as in Linux Kernel) --The core part of the operating system that is responsible for critical things such as memory and file management

Open Source Software -- Open Source software is software with source code made available to the public, with no fees or royalties for use or distribution. The basic idea behind open source is very simple. When programmers on the Internet can read, redistribute, and modify the source for a piece of software, it evolves. People improve it, people adapt it, people fix bugs. And this can happen at a speed that, if one is used to the slow pace of conventional software development, seems astonishing. Some well-known open source success stories: apache, sendmail, bind. For more information, go to www.opensource.org

PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) -- A new technology for creating Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) , developed jointly by Microsoft Corporation, U.S. Robotics, and several remote access vendor companies, known collectively as the PPTP Forum. A VPN is a private network of computers that uses the public Internet to connect some nodes. Because the Internet is essentially an open network, the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is used to ensure that messages transmitted from one VPN node to another are secure. With PPTP, users can dial in to their corporate network via the Internet. Although PPTP has been submitted to the IETF for standardization, it is currently available only on networks served by a Windows NT 4.0 server and Linux.

SSH (Secure Shell) -- Aprogram to log into another computer over a network, to execute commands in a remote machine, and to move files from one machine to another. It provides strong authentication and secure communications over insecure channels. It is a replacement for rlogin, rsh, rcp, and rdist.

SSH protects a network from attacks such as IP spoofing, IP source routing, and DNS spoofing. An attacker who has managed to take over a network can only force ssh to disconnect. He or she cannot play back the traffic or hijack the connection when encryption is enabled.

When using ssh's slogin (instead of rlogin) the entire login session, including transmission of password, is encrypted; therefore it is almost impossible for an outsider to collect passwords. To get ssh, go to: www.ssh.fi

SSL(Secure Sockets Layer) -- A protocol designed by Netscape Communications to enable encrypted, authenticated communications across the Internet. SSL used mostly (but not exclusively) in communications between web browsers and web servers. URL's that begin with "https" indicate that an SSL connection will be used. SSL provides 3 important things: Privacy, Authentication, and Message Integrity.

TCP/IP -- (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) -- This is the suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP software.

VPN -- (Virtual Private Network) -- Usually refers to a network in which some of the parts are connected using the public Internet, but the data sent across the Internet is encrypted, so the entire network is "virtually" private.

A typical example would be a company network where there are two offices in different cities. Using the Internet the two offices merge their networks into one network, but encrypt traffic that uses the Internet link.

Window Manager -- The component which controls the appearance of windows and provides the means by which the user can interact with them. Virtually everything which appears on the screen in X is in a window, and a window manager quite simply manages them. Examples of popular window managers include AfterStep, Enlightenment, FVWM, Sawmill, and WindowMaker. For help in choosing your window manager, go to: www.plig.org/xwinman.

Notes

Linux Solutions Conference - A Real Time Perspective, March 30, 2000

This document is available online at http://www.real-time.com/linux_guide.html

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