...Linux has grown in popularity and capability over the years, but is it competitive with its competition. In this paper an overview of the Linux 2.6 Operating System (OS) and how it functions/performs on the technical level will be discussed. Comparisons to other retail OSs such as, Windows, Mac OS X, and prior versions of Linux will be used to show the strengths and weaknesses of this OS. “Linux was created by a student (Linus Torvalds) in Helsinki in 1991 with the assistance of developers from around the world. Linux is free, it shares its work with everyone — including competitors — and its business model is motivated primarily by adrenaline, altruism, and peer respect rather than by money. Yet, Linux's functionality, adaptability and robustness has made it the main alternative for proprietary operating systems, especially where budgets are a main concern.” (OEDB, 2007). As it is stated above Torvalds creation was a key proponent in creating the Open Source Movement, which has paved the way for the many distributions of the Linux Kernel. In the beginning Linus Torvalds was an IT student with the desire to test the limits of his current computer. During this time Torvalds was working with the MINIX OS which was create to be a cheap alternative to UNIX. Torvalds wanted to modify the kernel of MINIX and found that this was not possible so he began to create Linux. In the beginning Linux did not offer a lot of features and seemed to be lacking in ability (Diedrich, 2011)...
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...distribute, study, change and improve the software. Three characteristics are: Freedom to run the program for any purpose, freedom to redistribute copies, and freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to the public. 4. What is the Free Software Foundation/GNU? What is Linux? Which parts of the Linux operating system did each provide? Who else has helped build and refine this operating system? GNU is a project for creating an operating system, both kernel and system programs. Linux is a free kernel that was written in 1991. Linus Torvalds contributed the kernel while the GNU project contributed the system programs. It was built and refined by like-minded programmers all over the world. Page 50 1. Briefly, what does the process of installing an operating system such as Fedora/RHEL involve? It involves copying the operating system files from the installation media to the hard disk(s) on a system and setting up configuration files so Linux runs properly on the hardware. Page 86 1. What is a live system? What advantages does it have over an installed system? A live system is when you run Linux from a CD/DVD instead of installing it on the computer. The advantage is you can test out Linux without disturbing your current operating system. 4. Where on the disk should you put your /boot partition or the root (/) partition if you do not use a /boot partition? On the physical volume. 8. When does the Fedora/RHEL system start X by default? After Anaconda probes the...
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...RESEARCHED: LINUX) A common boast among Linux kernel developers is that Linux supports more devices than any other operating system in history. Indeed, device drivers account for more than half of the code in the Linux kernel. However, many devices exist that are still unsupported by Linux, and one of the best ways for a developer to get his or her code into the Linux kernel is by writing a driver for one of these. Writing a driver is also one of the most common tasks initially assigned to those hired by a company to do Linux kernel development. For these reasons, students find it particularly interesting to write a device driver as a project. Unfortunately, since our development environment involves VMs hosted on a remote server and because we are constrained to work within a ten-week quarter, it is difficult to find real devices for which students can easily write drivers. Moreover, providing devices to students might be financially infeasible, even if an appropriate device could be found. We have thus found it easiest for students to write a driver for a virtual device. Specifically, we have them implement a RAM disk driver, which allocates a large block of memory and presents it in the form of a block device ------------------------------------------------- Supported Hardware Ubuntu does not impose hardware requirements beyond the requirements of the Linux kernel and the GNU tool-sets. Therefore, any architecture or platform to which the Linux kernel, libc, gcc,...
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...Project 2 – Technological Innovations Nathan Brenner Westwood College 2014/05/09 SOCS-299 Abstract The open source software Linux, was introduced in 1991, by Linus Torvalds. He developed the UNIX based operating system because, the education oriented operating system he was working with was not meeting his needs. Linux has grown to be an innovative powerhouse, because Linux is so versatile it can be used in hundreds of applications and shows no signs of age or being outmoded. Technological Innovations The financial burden put on college students is staggering. However, there is one corner that can be cut when deciding what kind of operating system for your computer to purchase. Most people are mundane and choose whatever is pre-installed on the computer they are purchasing, but did you know there is an alternative? When you think of a computer operating system, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Windows? Apple? Did you know there was a third alternative? I am talking about the open source software known as Linux. What is Linux? The actual definition is “a freely-distributable open source operating system that runs on a number of hardware platforms” (webopedia, 2014). The technological advantage that the open source software Linux has given to the world is immense. This open source software has come a long way since its inception in the early 1990’s, and has grown to be the most versatile open source operating system to date. Along with its versatility...
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...distribute, study, change and improve the software. Three characteristics are: Freedom to run the program for any purpose, freedom to redistribute copies, and freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to the public. 4. What is the Free Software Foundation/GNU? What is Linux? Which parts of the Linux operating system did each provide? Who else has helped build and refine this operating system? GNU is a project for creating an operating system, both kernel and system programs. Linux is a free kernel that was written in 1991. Linus Torvalds contributed the kernel while the GNU project contributed the system programs. It was built and refined by like-minded programmers all over the world. Page 50 1. Briefly, what does the process of installing an operating system such as Fedora/RHEL involve? It involves copying the operating system files from the installation media to the hard disk(s) on a system and setting up configuration files so Linux runs properly on the hardware. Page 86 1. What is a live system? What advantages does it have over an installed system? A live system is when you run Linux from a CD/DVD instead of installing it on the computer. The advantage is you can test out Linux without disturbing your current operating system. 4. Where on the disk should you put your /boot partition or the root (/) partition if you do not use a /boot partition? On the physical volume. 8. When does the Fedora/RHEL system start X by default? After Anaconda probes the video...
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...interfaces. Currently most general purpose operating systems provide support for USB devices, and it is relatively easy to develop applications in C that access such peripherals. Linux operating system do not provide remote access through USB between different machines .Here we utilize its high bandwidth to transfer files between machines using USB without using any network cables. 1.2 Objectives The USB remote file access allows high speed transferring of files between two machines. 1.3 USB Cable Fig 1.1 A USB Cable 1.4 Advantages Of Using USB Cable for Remote Access • Transfer files between two PCs (or three PCs using two cables) • Fully compliant with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 • USB 2.0 High-speed performance with data transfer rate of over 15 Mbps • No external power needed (Bus powered from either USB port) • Low power consumption • Supports suspend and resume for power management • Supports remote wake-up • Terrific for laptop/notebook to desktop file transfers. 1.5 Module Overview This project mainly contain two parts 1.Kernel Module (USB driver) 2.User Interface 1. Kernel Module In this module we create a device driver for USB direct link cable which is used to connect between two systems. The driver is designed in such a way that it should be efficient and simple to the Linux operating system. The files are transmitted using file transmission protocol. The low level system call...
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...PFCH DC Unification Project UNIX and Linux Advantages UNIX has been the cornerstone for infrastructure for the past decade with popular flavors such as Solaris (Craig, 2012). UNIX is a proprietary brand typically run in large organizational infrastructure. However, many of the UNIX variants are open source that allow users to customize their distribution as they see fit and making copies to install in an unlimited number of machines. UNIX offers a highly stable operating system (OS) that is ideal for full multitasking capabilities while protecting memory to prevent interference with other users. The stability provides greater uptime for increased productivity and less downtime for crash recovery and troubleshooting (Montpelier Open Source, n.d.). UNIX has been the baseline for Internet services and growth where machines on network can operate as clients and servers. Linux is a variant of UNIX and has established itself in the desktop, workstation, and increasingly in the server environments. A key benefit for Linux is the scope of freedom of distributions (distros) that provide many applications, freeware, and add-ons (Stanford University, 2004). Linux is extremely portability to a wide range of new and old machines. The majority of Linux variants are available free or at an economical price compared to Microsoft Windows. Linux is a very secure operating system and although it still can be prone to attacks, it inherently is more secure than Windows. Another huge benefit...
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...time. It allows many users to take advantage of the computer's resources simultaneously. Some permit 100's to 1000 users to take advantage of the computer's resources simultaneously. They are successful because of the powerful, efficient, stable and secure operating systems like LINUX. It has a capability of providing each user the same data ensuring total privacy from each user even while accessed by 100's of users simultaneously. 2. What is the Free Software Foundation/GNU? Linux? Which parts of the GNU/Linux operating system did each provide? Who else has helped build and refine this operating system? The Free Software Foundation (www.fsf.org) is the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Project. GNU developed many of the tools, including the C compilers that are part of the GNU/Linux Operating Systems. Linux is the name of an operating system kernel developed by Linus Torvalds and expanded and improved What are multiuser by thousands of people on the Internet. Torvalds’s kernel and GNU’s tools work together as the GNU/Linux Operating System. 3. In what language is Linux written? What does the language have to do with the success of Linux? Linux is written in the C programming language and because it is written in the C language the language can be imbedded in all type of devices from TV’s, to PDA’s, cell phones, cable boxes for the reason of this language being so portable. 4. What is a shell? How does it work with the kernel? With the user? Shell is a piece...
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...for permission. Free software is software that users have the freedom to distribute and change. 2. Describe the relationship between Linux and the GNU project. There is really no direct relationship between them. The GNU programs are open source and have been adapted to work using the Linux kernel as well. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system. The whole system is basically GNU with Linux added. All the so-called “Linux” distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux. 3. List and describe in detail four advantages of Linux. Stability-Linux has an edge over Windows. In case Linux crashes, the kernel and other processes are usually not harmed. Free software-Most of the Linux software is free of cost. Runs on old hardware-Linux can be ran on older and slower machines. Security-Linux has the advantages of the code being in public domain. This can act like a double-edged sword while you can look at the code and developers can rapidly fix the holes hackers can find bad code. 4. List three examples of different hardware platforms on which Linux has been ported. It can be ported on x86, Alpha, and PowerPC. 5. What are the minimum system requirements for Fedora 15 with the GUI installed? Xen 3.46 6. What is the primary file system type used by Fedora 15 Linux? Ext4 7. What is LVM? What advantages does LVM have over traditional partitions? It allows you to manage logical volumes in a single partition it also allows you to shrink...
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...Guide to Linux+ (2nd Edition) ISBN 0-619-21621-2 End of Chapter Solutions Chapter 1 Solutions Review Questions 1. Every computer consists of physical components and logical components. The logical components of a computer that understand how to work with the physical components are referred to as: a. hardware b. records c. software d. processors Answer: c 2. The operating system software is necessary for a computer to function. True or False? Answer: True 3. Linux is a ___________ and ___________ operating system. a. production, stable b. multiuser, multitasking c. processing, operating d. large, useful Answer: b 4. The core component of the Linux operating system is the Linux kernel. If you were a Linux systems administrator for a company, when would you need to upgrade your Linux kernel? (Choose all that apply.) a. when you need to have support in Linux for new hardware b. when you need another user interface c. when you need to increase the stability of Linux d. when you need to use kernel modules Answer: a, c 5. Which of the following kernels are developmental kernels? (Choose all that apply.) a. 2.3.4 b. 2.5.5 c. 2.2.7 d. 2.4.4 Answer: a, b 6. A production kernel refers to a kernel whose: a. revision number is even b. minor number is odd ...
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...Guide to Linux+ (2nd Edition) ISBN 0-619-21621-2 End of Chapter Solutions Chapter 1 Solutions Review Questions 1. Every computer consists of physical components and logical components. The logical components of a computer that understand how to work with the physical components are referred to as: a. hardware b. records c. software d. processors Answer: c 2. The operating system software is necessary for a computer to function. True or False? Answer: True 3. Linux is a ___________ and ___________ operating system. a. production, stable b. multiuser, multitasking c. processing, operating d. large, useful Answer: b 4. The core component of the Linux operating system is the Linux kernel. If you were a Linux systems administrator for a company, when would you need to upgrade your Linux kernel? (Choose all that apply.) a. when you need to have support in Linux for new hardware b. when you need another user interface c. when you need to increase the stability of Linux d. when you need to use kernel modules Answer: a, c 5. Which of the following kernels are developmental kernels? (Choose all that apply.) a. 2.3.4 b. 2.5.5 c. 2.2.7 d. 2.4.4 Answer: a, b 6. A production kernel refers to a kernel whose: a. revision number is even b. minor number is odd ...
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...worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom and to defend the rights of all free software users. a. Linux is an operating system. It is the software on a computer that enables applications and the computer operator to access the devices on the computer to perform desired functions. The operating system (OS) relays instructions from an application to, for instance, the computer's processor. The processor performs the instructed task, and then sends the results back to the application via the operating system. 3. The GNU Hurd is not suitable for production use. The capability-based design has problems that result directly from the flexibility of the design, and it is not clear whether solutions exist. Fortunately, another kernel was available. In 1991, Linus Torvalds developed a Unix-compatible kernel and called it Linux. In 1992, he made Linux free software; combining Linux with the not-quite-complete GNU system resulted in a complete free operating system. It is due to Linux that we can actually run a version of the GNU system today. This system version is called GNU/Linux, to express its composition as a combination of the GNU system with Linux as the kernel. Chapter 2 1. Installing Fedora/RHEL is the process of copying operating system files from a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive to hard disk(s) on a system and setting up configuration files so Linux runs properly on the hardware. Several types...
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...Since its release to the public in 1991, the Linux operating system has become one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. This is largely because of the security features. The most popular of these three technologies are SELinux, chroot jail and iptables. We are going to break down the advantages and benefits of each of these features. The United States National Security Agency (NSA), the original developer of SELinux released the first version of this feature in December of 2000. According to a statement by the NSA "NSA Security-enhanced Linux is a set of patches to the Linux kernel and some utilities to incorporate a strong, flexible mandatory access control (MAC) architecture into the major subsystems of the kernel. It provides an enhanced mechanism to enforce the separation of information based on confidentiality and integrity requirements, which allows threats of tampering and bypassing of application security mechanisms to be addressed and enables the confinement of damage that can be caused by malicious or flawed applications. It includes a set of sample security policy configuration files designed to meet common, general-purpose security goals" It provides the ability to separate information based on confidentiality and integrity requirements. The flexibility allows control over what activities can be done by each daemon, user, or process. Standard Linux access controls are modifiable by the user and the applications which the user runs. SELinux access...
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...Chapter 1 Introduction to Linux At a Glance Class Notes Table of Contents • Overview • Objectives • Teaching Tips • Quick Quizzes • Class Discussion Topics • Additional Projects • Additional Resources • Key Terms • Technical Notes for Hands-On Projects Lecture Notes Overview Linux technical expertise is essential in today’s computer workplace as more and more companies switch to Linux to meet their computing needs. Thus, it is important to understand how Linux can be used, what benefits Linux offers to a company, and how Linux has developed and continues to develop. In the first half of this chapter, you will learn about operating system terminology and features of the Linux operating system, as well as the history and development of Linux. Later in this chapter, you will learn about the various types of Linux and situations in which Linux is used. Chapter Objectives In this chapter, you will learn to: • Understand the purpose of an operating system • Outline the key features of the Linux operating system • Describe the origins of the Linux operating system • Identify the characteristics of various Linux distributions and where to find them • Explain the common uses of Linux in industry today Quick Quiz 1 1. What term is used to describe a running program on Linux? a. Application b. Process c. Runtime d. Project 2. What is represented...
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...frequent upgrades and patches. 4. What is the Free Software Foundation/GNU? What is Linux? Which parts of the Linux operating system did each provide? Who else has helped build and refine this operating system? The Free Software Foundation (www.fsf.org) is the principal organizational sponsor of the GNU Project. GNU developed many of the tools, including the C compiler, that are part of the Linux operating system. Linux is the name of the operating system kernel developed by Linus Torvalds, which has since been expanded and improved by thousands of people on the Internet. Torvalds’s kernel and GNU’s tools work together as the Linux operating system. Chapter 2, Ex. 1: 1. Briefly, what does the process of installing an operating system such as Fedora/RHEL involve? An installation, sometimes referred to as a clean install, writes all fresh data to a disk. The installation program overwrites all system programs and data as well as the kernel. You can preserve some user data during an installation depending on where it is located and how you format/partition the hard disk. Alternatively, you can perform a clean install on an existing system without overwriting data by setting up a dual-boot system. Chapter 3, Ex. 1, 4, 8: 1. What is a live system? What advantages does it have over an installed system? A live session is a Linux session you run on a computer without installing Linux on the computer, the benefits of using a live system is it runs everything as the true installed...
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