Mailbag: Linux management

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: AUDREY RASMUSSEN ON NETWORK/SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT
08/24/05
Today's focus: Mailbag: Linux management

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Readers weigh in on management of Linux environments
* Links related to Network/Systems Management
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Mailbag: Linux management

By Audrey Rasmussen

I recently invited readers to share their thoughts and
experiences regarding the management of Linux, and today's
column will feature the feedback that we've received.

Interestingly, I received a variety of perspectives, which
reflects the diversity of Linux as a platform.

One reader reports that they are running Red Hat Linux on most
of their boxes, with some Windows and Macs. The Linux boxes
replaced DEC and Sun workstations and servers, and they have
found that the Red Hat operating system enables them "to manage
many more machines with much less administrative tasks. The Red
Hat Linux systems have made us more effective systems
administrators. Even with the increase in hack and spam
activity, our network and machines are more secure. Even special
applications for scientists build faster and work in Red Hat... As
you can tell, I'm very satisfied with the Red Hat systems we
have."

"In our processing environment," reports another reader, "Linux
in a production role is supported by the CA enterprise
management tool suite. In our less formal hosting environment,
only basic tools are used." So they are using two different
approaches for managing Linux, depending on the environment.

Another reader says, "The thing that pushed me over the edge to
a purchased management solution was the cost of my time. I'm a
one-man show, running a Linux hosting business. As I added (and
dropped) clients, the manual management of all the systems was
becoming quite a pain. I had checklists and scripts that I had
developed to help with most of these tasks, but still my time
was being consumed by just keeping the thing chugging along. I
needed to spend more time on promoting and consulting."

He goes on to say, "Then I came across an ad for a hosting
management product (HSPcomplete by SW-Soft). Not only did it
give me one-stop management of all my services, but it also
provided for a Web storefront, customer management and credit
card processing for the services. At the time it was expensive,
but what I gained is truly astounding. A customer can now come
to the Web site, browse my hosting offerings, sign up for a
hosting account, pay with a credit card; the system will build
their server, assign it an IP address and have them running in a
matter of minutes. I get an e-mail from the system that I have a
new paying customer."

A reader who runs the IT department in a rural school district
laments that there is no money for IT to do things the right
way, and the money isn't there to complete projects that were
approved to begin. With that in mind, he says, "Free Linux
management tools that work - and integrate with Novell's
eDirectory, Apple's Open Directory, or the LDAP implementation
of FreeBSD, Red Hat/Fedora - would be a tremendous boon to IT
shops like mine. Most smaller IT shops have the hodge-podge of
operating systems, hardware and vendors that comes with trying
to get decent stuff for the lowest price. Free or low-cost
alternatives are what keep us little guys (and gals) in
business."

And yet another reader questioned why Linux is an alternative
platform. He doesn't think that Windows is used for serious
server applications. Then he posits his own question, "You
really should ask: 'Why are you not using Solaris?'"

And finally, another reader wrote in to say, "It is the fact
that I can modify and adapt code that interests me. And it is
not the 'price' that draws me. My labour must cost many times
the price of shrink-wrap packages. It is the control over the
risk that I will have to 'upgrade' to - for my needs -
non-functional software. That is, I am controlling the risk cost
rather than the acquisition cost."

As I started out the article saying, we have several very
different and interesting perspectives represented here. Many
thanks to our readers who shared their thoughts and experiences.

I end this article with a fond farewell to my readers, who have
been great to share their thoughts and opinions with me over the
years. I'm moving on to other things, and this is the last of my
articles that will appear in this column, but keep watching this
newsletter for Dennis' weekly articles. And I sign off with a
heartfelt thanks to our loyal readers!

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Cisco preparing management play
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5760>

2. IT staff shortage looming
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5289>

3. Questions surround smartphone security
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5761>

4. Google goes berserk
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5287>

5. CLECs play a new tune
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5762>

Today's most-forwarded story:

IT staff shortage looming
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5763>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Audrey Rasmussen

Audrey Rasmussen is a vice president with Enterprise Management
Associates <http://www.enterprisemanagement.com/> in Boulder,
Colorado, a leading industry analyst firm focusing exclusively
on all aspects of the management of information technology.
Audrey has more than 25 years of experience working with
distributed systems, applications and networks. Her current
focus at EMA is system management, application management and
enterprise management technologies. Reach her at
<mailto:rasmussen@enterprisemanagement.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Nortel

Introducing the Nortel Applications Center. An open, multimedia
applications suite created to streamline your applications
environment and transform your business communications.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=110618
_______________________________________________________________
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Management Research Center:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/management.html
_______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE
IT STAFF SHORTAGE LOOMING

Outsourcing. Automation. Downsizing. The industry has been awash
in unemployed IT pros. But experts are now predicting an IT
staffing crunch is just around the corner, and the implications
for U.S. technology innovation are sobering. What might be
causing the shortage and what might need to be done to prevent
it? Click here:
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnsm5764>
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