Linux Tips & Tricks

I just read that Ubuntu 8.10 version is out as Server and Desktop editions that are available for download from Ubuntu.com website.  It is full of great features and new additions to the existing applications. After I heard the news I decided, that I would definitely test new Ubuntu Server in my web analytics company on one of my spare boxes.

For the last year I was dutifully installing each and every version of Ubuntu. Here is the reason why.  In the sea of Linux editions I always favored Debian on which Ubuntu was built. It seemed to me that Debian stability and Ubuntu implementation combined would produce a great competitor to RedHat and Fedora.

However, although I liked the way Ubuntu looks and easy updates for the last versions,  I could never get used to sudo commands (although it is wrong) and the added complexity of each version.  I had my reasons why I could never convince myself running Ubuntu as a production server.

I was always bothered that if something went wrong I would not be capable to find a quick fix or find good server support from forums. Although, people always praised Desktop edition (and I like it too), we are Linux system administrators and just use Ubuntu desktop for fun and testing only.

New 8.10 version ships with a Virtual Machine Builder, Open JDK and Apache Tomcat. This makes me conclude that emphasis on Java will be the priority for Server version. Well, I am not that well-versed in Java to write my own Java applications and use them in production environment.  I guess, these features will be more appealing to bigger corporations that keep Java programmers on their payroll.

New version also includes ClamAV and SpamAssassin which we’ve been using for ages on RedHat servers, so nothing is new here. Improved RAID support is OK, but I’d still recommend a decent hardware instead using just SATA software RAID controllers.

 When I read about new security features of Ubuntu server, I felt many new questions were popping up in my mind. Encrypted private directory for users? What if something goes wrong? How will I be able to quickly fix this problem while multiple users will be complaining that they can not log in either locally or through ssh?

Praised simplicity of Uncomplicated Firewall does not thrill me either. It really is not a step up from ipchains and other open source firewalls. And last but not the least is the Landscape Client that allows automated monitoring of the system. Well, did not we automate reporting a while ago?

Overall, I do want to use a shiny new Linux server with great features.  So, I do apologize for being a sceptic. But throughout the years, I learned that added complexity adds costs and headaches for Linux sysadmins. This means that we will have to go on with the prolonged testing that can take as long as 90 days. I promise to keep you posted on the results.