In the first post on this topic, we looked at 3 key differences between Linux and BSD: the licensing, the kernel, and the package management system. The following are three more differences you should probably know.
1. Hardware support – In many cases Linux supports hardware sooner and more often than BSD. This is partly [...]
Linux and BSD are two of the most highly regarded server operating systems in the world, mainly for their security, flexibility, and open source development. In reality, both terms broadly refer to multiple operating systems, and it is not possible to compare the two without confusing some of their variants. There are, however, general similarities [...]
Linux is a free and open source kernel that powers numerous operating systems (often called “distributions”). Many system administrators have long regarded Linux as the best option for powering web-facing dedicated servers and virtual private servers. There are, however, many other options. So, what makes Linux the best, or is it even truly the best [...]
At one time, most of the world’s dedicated servers used a form of UNIX. Big mainframes were known to have big expensive UNIX installations with hefty, costly licenses. Many of those servers have gradually been phased out or have been switched to more modern operating systems like Linux or BSD. Still, some persist, and those [...]
If this is your first time using a Linux server, you may soon find out that Linux offers many performance advantages over other operating systems. Still, there are plenty of things you can do to make Linux perform even better.
1. Use the Security Tools – You must use the securities tools at your disposal. If [...]
Sometimes you need enterprise-level software but cannot afford the enterprise-level price. Such is often the case with dedicated servers. Many individuals and companies operate on a limited budget and cannot afford to pay for licensing and support for an enterprise server OS such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Others simply may not need the paid [...]
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) has a colorful past. Like Red Hat Enterprise Linux, it was spawned from a commercial Linux distribution (SuSE Linux) primarily geared toward the desktop. In 2003, Novell acquired the german company SuSE Linux AG, and sought to reap the benefits from the already strong server base that the [...]
OpenBSD is a derivative of the free and open source Unix operating system BSD, which was first developed at the University of California, Berkeley. The OS is probably best known for its mascot, the puffer fish named Puffy, and also for its very popular sub-project OpenSSH, which is used on many of the servers around [...]
Although it is not specifically designed for servers, Debian GNU/Linux is a popular choice for system administrators because of its stability, security, and long stable release cycle. Debian has also been around for a very long time (19 years) and is regarded as one of the most reliable operating systems in terms of staying true [...]
For many years, some people believed it was impossible for a free and open source operating system like Red Hat Linux to be profitable. With the formulation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the company Red Hat proved that theory wrong and also established Linux as one of the most widely-used Unix server alternatives. It now [...]
If you have used Linux servers, you are probably very familiar with the package management systems, such as YUM or APT. Unless you used Gentoo, however, you may find the package management system in FreeBSD to be noticeably different. What follows is a quick start guide to FreeBSD’s package management system called Ports Collection and [...]
Continuing our series on server-related terminology, Linux terminology seems to be a sensible choice. Many of the world’s servers run Linux, especially in the web hosting industry, and a great deal of the terminology common to Linux may be unfamiliar to users who use Windows. The following terms are ones you should know.
Kernel – This [...]
When you log in to your dedicated server via SSH and run the ls command to list your files, you may notice that directories and files are color-coded. Directories are probably dark blue along with light blue symbolic links, and bright green executables. For some users, especially those who prefer a dark or even black [...]
Linux dedicated servers have a very easy system for making files hidden. In general this is not an ironclad security measure but can be used to prevent users from accidentally disturbing critical configuration directories or files. You might also use it to trim down directories to make only the files you actually need access to [...]
Unix and Linux servers are much more common than Windows servers, so there is a good chance that you will encounter at least one during your time as a system administrator. Therefore, it is a good idea to be familiar with the peculiarities of the file systems, which differ in many ways from Windows desktops.
Since [...]
In the third part of our “Back to the Basics” series, we will look at the operating systems that power today’s servers. Just as there is a diverse amount of hardware available on the server market, so too are there a great number of operating systems. They are not all equal in all aspects of [...]
Recent reports have indicated that Linux continues to gain a larger share of the server market, while Microsoft Windows and variations of Unix continue to lose significant market shares. Linux has become the dominant server OS type of choice, and for web servers in particular, Linux is almost the default.
Nevertheless, to call Linux a single [...]
If you are managing a Linux server for the first time, you are probably using a web-based control panel, such as cPanel/WHM. While a control panel may fill most of your basic needs as a system administrator, there are some tasks best left to the command line. On a remote Linux server, you can access [...]
Deciding to go with Linux as your dedicated server’s OS of choice is only a first step. Linux, after all, is only the kernel of a wide variety of operating systems, called distributions. While all of them pretty much have the same security and stability benefits that likely caught your attention in the first place, [...]
When you decide to get a new dedicated server, you will be faced with many software options. You could easily pay big money for a proprietary Unix variant or for Microsoft Windows Server, but there are also plenty of good reasons to go open source. Saving money is just one of them.
1. Stability
Linux and BSD [...]
Some people who are new to Linux dedicated servers have the mistaken perception that Linux must necessarily be free of charge. Linux is definitely free software, but when Linux users talk about it being free, they are usually referring to its free and open source license, not its price.
When you pay for commercial software, one [...]
If you spend a decent amount of time talking to people in the Linux and free software community, you are bound to stumble upon the sudo vs su debate. Some system administrators swear by sudo and argue it is the only way to truly keep your administrative account secure. Others argue in favor of su, [...]
In most situations, an individual or company will keep the same operating system for the entire time they use a server. While there may be occasional upgrades, these usually do not involve switching to another OS completely. At the end of the server’s life, however, you may decide to go with a different OS. If [...]
You are likely reading this because you are new to Linux servers, and although it may seem intimidating now, you will soon learn to love your new system. You may rarely need to touch the Linux command line, as most functions these days can be handled using a web-based control panel like cPanel / WHM. [...]
APT is a free and open source package management system used by many popular Linux distributions, such as Debian and Ubuntu. APT provides an easy way to install, update, and remove packages for your server. By default, APT includes repositories for your installation CD and the default online distribution repositories. If you want access to [...]
Unix and Unix-like servers share a common permissions-based system for users and files. This allows the system administrator (root) to determine which users are allowed access to specified files and what type of access they get. Whether your server is running FreeBSD, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X or any other Unix-like [...]
If you are new to server terminology, you may not fully understand what Linux is. While it is commonly used to refer to an operating system, there is actually no operating system called Linux.
Linux is actually the kernel of an operating system. A kernel is the core that interacts with hardware, contains drivers, and is [...]
Proponents of each operating system will always give you different answers to this question, but it is important for you to decide which one is best for your circumstances. Choices include the many variations of GNU/Linux, the numerous descendants of BSD, several versions of Windows Server, Solaris, Mac OS X Server, and several proprietary iterations [...]
Some purists of the geek variety may have told you that their servers run faster than yours because they took the time to compile their own kernels from source. They may even run a Linux distribution that encourages custom kernels. In all likelihood, you have a dedicated server that runs an OS that uses a [...]
A Linux dedicated server has a hierarchical directory structure. Files are stored in directories, and those directories are also stored in directories, forming an entire directory trees. For example, documents that appear on a website may be housed in the /home/lightning/www/html directory path (“lightning” being the username of the website owner).
In order to keep information [...]
