Converting To Linux With Pics

Converting To Linux Dr. Randy Appleton rappleto@nmu.edu (Movie) About the Talk • I assume you already run windows. • I assume you already have heard of Linux. • I assume you’re not a Linux expert. • Some of this is opinion.  Do People Convert? • Italian school district converts 2,400. • Dreamworks has 1,500 desktops and 3,500 servers. • French Ministry of Agriculture converted 500 servers. • Lots of examples Definition • Distribution – Linux packaged with lots of apps and support. – RedHat – Ubuntu – Lots of others Reasons to Convert • Linux is free – Don’t need to go to the store. – Don’t need to pay. – Don’t need to check for compliance. – Don’t need to check for employee’s compliance. – And you don’t have to pay for MS Office! Reasons to Convert • Linux is free – Can hand it out to workers. – Can hand it out to friends. – Can hand it to anyone. Reasons to Convert • Better Security – Linux is virus free. – Linux is IE free. – Linux does not get virii • Mostly … Reasons to Convert • Lots of applications – OpenOffice • Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. – MySQL – GAIM – MP3 players – Everything …Pre-installed. Reasons to Convert • Easier Install. – Apps and OS install at the same time • no Office disks. – Everything works out of the box. – Laptop’s work generally. – Windows come pre-installed on the hardware. Reasons to Convert • Linux can be locked down – Keep non-technical people from trying to admin their machine. – Has a kiosk mode. – Each admin can handle more desktops. Reasons to Convert • Linux is smaller than Windows – Damn Small Linux is 40MB total. • Linux on a stick! – Ubuntu is one CD-ROM including OpenOffice. – RedHat is 4 CD-ROMs including OpenOffice. – Works better on cheaper hardware too. Reasons to Convert • Linux can remote boot easily. – Bunch of dumb clients. – One server. – Clients come and go … no one cares. – Easy admin for large homogenous groups. • Workers • Kiosk Reasons to Convert • Change is coming – Don’t convert to Vista – Convert to Linux Things Linux Does Better • Linux is better at networking – Can access every type of file system I’ve ever heard of. (e.g. Samba) – Can access your desktop remotely (built in). – Can access your command line remotely (built in). – Has lots of utilities built in (traceroute, ethereal, etc.) – Free firewalling and routing. Things Linux Does Better • Can Admin from Home! – Really – Truly – Generally – Already installed Things Linux Does Better • Linux is a better email server – Handle huge volumes on archaic machines. – Check for spam – Check for virii – Keep logs – All free Things Linux Does Better • Web Serving – Apache comes installed – PHP, Python, Perl, MYSQL come installed. – Log analyzers come installed. – All free Things Linux Does Better • Better online support (IMHO). – Web Pages – Newsgroups – Etc. • There is a social network too – But Windows has a better one. Things Linux Does Better • Contracted support options – Lots of options for each distribution • 21 for Ubuntu in USA • $30 per incident, $100 per client, $400 per server from Canonical. Reasons to Stay With Windows • Everyone knows windows. – Reduces training costs – Admins can be cheaper to hire • Some people hate computers and hate change. – But everyone can change if needed. Reasons to Stay With Windows • Office is compatible with itself. – OpenOffice is pretty close. – Newer OpenOffice is pretty close indeed. – But it’s not perfect. Reasons to Stay With Windows • Windows has every possible app, Linux does not. – Financial apps – Vendor supplied apps – Special web sites (FEMA) – Can dual boot, run Wine, etc. Reasons to Stay With Windows • Windows has a better GUI – More consistent. • Gnome and KDE are working on this – More refined. – Linux is good, Windows is better. Reasons to Stay With Windows • You already know Windows – But you want to learn – And you like to learn – And it’s better for your resume Converting Strategies • Convert all at once. – Works best for small groups. – Convert yourself. – Test. – Come in over the weekend. – Convert everyone. – Fix problems as they arise. – Don’t screw it up; get everyone on board. How To Convert • Convert gradually. – Convert yourself. – Test – Carefully pick a person or small group. – Convert them. – Wait for things to settle. – Repeat. How To Convert • Convert Gradually (cont). – Your hope is to get internal champions. – You will need to manage both systems for a while. How To Convert • Convert the servers, but not the clients – Email, file, print, identity servers. – Get a machine (even a cheap one). – Install software and test outside of production. – Swap it with the original server. – Low hassle. – Possibly most bang for the buck. – Need to learn to systems. How to Convert • Gradual Approach – Convert yourself – Convert a server or two – Convert an interest tech-oriented person. – Keep converting. – Works well What I Chose • • • • • • Our department runs on two Linux servers. My work desktop is a Linux client. My laptop dual boots. Our Tivo runs Linux. Our Linksys runs Linux. My home machine runs Windows  – Came pre-installed – Runs AOL – Runs kids games