Making a choice of operating system for business can often be a thorny issue. Certainly there is a monopoly already in place from Microsoft, and there are a lot of users that have only ever used Microsoft products. This alone is a powerful argument to go down the Microsoft path, but there are other ways to implement Fedora in business. Your company may have been the target of a virus attack, or perhaps you have had to deal with one too many spyware and adware outbreaks on users desktops. Making the switch to Linux can eradicate many of these problems, increasing the uptime of users and reducing the security risk. The important thing is to work closely with the business to ensure that whatever is delivered is in line with the business requirements. If you consider that Linux is still in a minority, you need to think about how other companies will be able to work with you. Staff training and overall cost of change needs to be closely monitored at all times to ensure a smooth delivery. However, don’t expect it to be perfect; anyone who has worked on a project knows that unexpected problems can and will occur, and you need to be as prepared as possible to deal with them.

Bear in mind that what works for your company may not work for another, so when swapping stories over a beer with other long-suffering sysadmins, think about how their successes can be adapted to your enterprise, but also pay close attention to things that went wrong. It’s surprising how much good a relationship with other companies can do for your own IT infrastucture.

One of the great things about Linux is that it allows you to try it before committing yourself. What other operating system do you know that can be booted up from a single CD and allow you to have a fully operational system, complete with applications? Although it sounds like black magic, this kind of thing actually exists in the form of Live CDs and there are plenty to choose from, including one that is in development that will be based on Fedora. Boot your system with one of these CDs to give yourself an idea of how well your hardware will cope with Linux.

Of course if you are happy with the move to Linux, then you can ease the change by downloading versions of OpenOffice.org, Firefox, and Thunderbird for your existing platform so users can test them before the migration.

Sometimes it is not always the visible changes that make the most difference. You should give careful thought to the potential deployment of Linux into such areas as web servers, file and print servers. You can extend the life of existing hardware long beyond its useful “Windows” life by deploying them as print or web servers. Thankfully, Linux and open source software is pervasive enough to provide plenty of flexibility should you decide to test the water before diving in. Nowadays, popular open source applications such as OpenOffice.org are available for both Windows and Mac platforms, allowing you to try the software before deciding to switch. Also consider the ability to change back-end systems across to Linux-based alternatives. There are many Linux equivalents to Microsoft Exchange, for example, that can handle email and calendaring. Other popular servers ripe for moving across to Linux include file and print servers, web servers, and firewalls.

Of course, if you use Fedora, you largely go it alone in terms of support having to rely mainly on community forums and message boards (although if you go down the Red Hat Enterprise Linux route, doing so opens up commercial support channels from Red Hat).

Do not think that you have to switch everything over in one go. Moving servers across to new operating systems should be done on a server-by-server basis. Luckily Linux can easily co-exist in a multi-operating system environment, being compatible with Mac OS X, Windows, and Unix.

We have collated some of the questions that need to be asked when considering a move to Fedora in Table 2.1, titled “Deploying Fedora.” As mentioned earlier you need to identify the need that is going to be satisfied by moving to Fedora. Any project needs to meet a specific objective to be considered a success, so having this clear right at the start is essential. Another area of consideration is the impact to the existing computing environment. How will users cope with moving onto Linux; are they dyed in the wool Windows users that will resist any move to a different platform? Do you have the full support of management, something that is critical for projects of all sizes. By making successful changes behind the scenes, management can quickly be won over by the flexibility and choice of Open Source.

One of the key buzzwords to have come out of the dot com era is Total Cost of Ownership, and it is one that is fiercely debated when people talk about Linux. Those against Linux argue that although the software is free, the real cost comes in the amount of retraining and support necessary to move users to a new operating system. This can be circumvented by implementing Linux in situations where the end users are not directly affected, such as that web server that you have been planning to retire or the file and print server that needs more drive space. What is also often unseen is the increased availability that Linux-based systems offer companies. Quite simply they very rarely go down, unlike their Windows counterparts. Stability counts for a lot in this modern world of e-commerce where even a few minutes can cost thousands of dollars in lost orders and new customers. Talking about stability, one of the great things about Linux is that it does not necessarily need the latest hardware to function effectively—I have a router at home that is based on an old 486 machine that I bought sometime in 1994 coupled with a minimalist Linux distro! Think how many computers are needlessly disposed of that could be used as print servers or Internet gateways. The savings generated by sensibly recycling existing hardware are very tempting, and easily obtainable if you choose the Linux route.

In all of this, you need to be very clear what the objectives are. Specify exactly what you want to achieve from the project, what the Linux implementation will deliver, and how it will be used to replace any existing machines. What is the Linux machine replacing and what resources will be needed to maintain and support it? If you are rolling out to end users, what specific applications will they be using that you will have to provide support for?

Research is definitely a must before you embark on any project. It is also sensible to set up a test environment so that you can examine the performance of the new machine under set conditions to ensure that it functions in the way that you require. It is crucial that you spend a decent amount of time on testing because doing so will pay off in the long run with fewer bugs to fix and more positive user feedback and end user experience.

Fedora is flexible enough to cope with a wide range of computing needs, but with any switch of operating system you need to be aware of some of the issues that switching might cause. Some of them are listed in Table 2.1. For example, how you choose to use Fedora could affect your choice of computer hardware, might affect your network configuration, and could dictate software policy issues (such as access, security, and allowable protocols).

Linux-based operating systems can be used to provide many different services. For example, one server might be boot management for a thin-client network in which workstations boot to a desktop by drawing a kernel and remotely mounted file systems over a network. This mechanism is not supported out of the box, so some effort can be expended if such a system is required. Other services more easily implemented (literally in an hour or less) could be centralized server environments for file serving, web hosting for a company intranet, or bridging of networks and routing services.

Linux supports nearly every network protocol, which enables it to be used to good effect even in mixed operating system environments. The security features of the Linux kernel and companion security software also make Linux a good choice when security is a top priority. Although no operating system or software package is perfect, the benefit of open source of the kernel and other software for Linux allows peer review of pertinent code and rapid implementation of any necessary fixes. Even with the secure features of Linux, some effort will have to be made in designing and implementing gateways, firewalls, or secure network routers.

Fedora can serve as a development platform for applications, e-commerce sites, new operating systems, foreign hardware systems, or design of new network devices using Linux as an embedded operating system. Setting up workstations, required servers, source code control systems, and industrial security will require additional effort.

Hardware compatibility can be an issue to consider when setting up a Linux server or building a Linux-based network. Fortunately, most of the larger server manufacturers such as IBM, HP, and even Dell realize that Linux-based operating systems (like other open source operating systems such as BSD) are increasingly popular, support open standards, and offer technologies that can help rapid introduction of products into the market (through third-party developer communities).

Fedora can help ease system administration issues during migration. The latest suite of Fedora’s configuration utilities provides intuitive and easy to use graphical interfaces for system administration of many common services, such as networking, printing, and Windows-based file sharing. Fedora can also be used to support a legacy application environment, such as DOS, if required.

Humans are creatures of habit. It can be hard to transition a workforce, customer base, or other community to a new environment. The Fedora desktop, however, provides a friendly and familiar interface with menus and icons that new users can readily learn and put to work.

Part of the migration process can involve addressing user concerns, especially if Linux will take over the desktop. Fedora can be deployed in stages to make the migration process a bit easier, but the issue of user training must be addressed early on. This is especially true if users will be required to develop new skills or be aware of any caveats when using Linux (such as deleting all files in one’s home directory). Although Fedora can be configured to provide a “turn-key” desktop in which only several graphical applications (such as a web browser, organizer, or word processor) can be used, some users will want and need to learn more about Linux.

You can turn to formal Linux training from commercial vendors. System administrators can get training directly from Red Hat (go to http://www.redhat.com/training). For other issues concerning Linux in larger computing environments, browse to Linas Vepstas’s Linux Enterprise Computing pages at http://linas.org/linux/.

Table 2.1 provides a minimal checklist you can use to help plan a deployment.

Do not forget to address follow-up issues on your migration roadmap. You should pay attention to how satisfied or how well new users, especially those new to Linux, are adapting if a new desktop is used. However, if Fedora is deployed in a mixed environment, many users might not even know (or need to know) that Linux is being used!

There are many factors in favor of using Fedora as a computing solution. Fedora can fill many different roles on various tiers and hardware platforms because of the huge variety of software offered.

Addressing software concerns beforehand can help quell any worries or fears felt by new users. Some key factors for a successful installation include

The Fedora Project publishes general minimum hardware requirements for installing and using its base distribution in a file named RELEASE NOTES on the first CD-ROM or DVD, or available at http://fedora.redhat.com/docs/release-notes/. For the current release, your PC should at least have a 200MHz Pentium CPU, 620MB hard drive space, and 64MB RAM for using (and installing) Fedora without a graphical interface. For obvious reasons, a faster CPU, larger capacity hard drive, and more RAM are desired. Servers and development workstations require more storage and RAM.

If you have an older PC based on an Intel 486 CPU with only 32MB RAM and a 500MB hard drive (which can be hard to find nowadays), you can install other Linux distributions such as Debian from The Debian Project at http://www.debian.org/.

Installing Fedora on legacy hardware will be easier if you choose to use more recent Pentium-class PCs, but even older Pentium PCs can be used and purchased at a fraction of their original cost. Such PCs can easily handle many mundane but useful tasks. Some of the tasks suitable for older hardware include

Older PCs can handle any task that does not require a CPU with a lot of horsepower. To get the most out of your hardware, do not install any more software than required (a good idea in any case, especially if you are building a server). To get a little performance boost, add as much RAM as economically and practically feasible. If you cannot do this, cut down on memory usage by turning off unwanted or unneeded services. You can also recompile a custom Linux kernel to save a bit more memory and increase performance (see Chapter 39, “Kernel and Module Management”).

Making room for Fedora requires you to decide on how to use existing hard drive space. You might decide to replace existing hard drives entirely, for example, or you might decide to use only one operating system on your computer, making partitioning unnecessary. A full install from this book’s DVD will require at least 7GB hard drive space just for the software, so if you plan to install everything, a 10GB hard drive could be ideal for a workstation. Note that depending on how you plan to use Linux, a smaller capacity disk can be used, or a disk capacity many times the size of your system will be required.

The Fedora installer no longer provides different installation classes. Instead it allows you a lot of control over the software that you wish to install. However, you are able to specify whether you want to install tools for productivity and development, as well as selecting specific packages according to your exact requirements. Fedora will compute the storage space required when you are selecting packages, so you can always be sure that you have sufficient hard drive space before it starts to install.

Of course, if you are after a minimalist installation then here are some software packages you might want to consider passing up in the installation process for as small a system as possible:

Fedora software for Intel-based PCs is compiled for the minimum x86 platform supported by the Linux kernel.

Specific issues regarding Linux hardware compatibility can be researched online at a number of sites. Red Hat offers a hardware compatibility database at http://hardware.redhat.com/hcl/. You can select hardware class, manufacturer, version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, platform, and status of support.

Other sites, such as the Linux-USB device overview at http://www.qbik.ch/usb/devices/, offer an interactive browsing of supported devices, and printer compatibility can be researched at LinuxPrinting.org at http://linuxprinting.org/. Some hardware categories to consider in your research include

If you have a particular laptop or PC model, you should also check with its manufacturer for Linux support issues. Some manufacturers such as HP now offer a Linux operating system preinstalled, or have an in-house Linux hardware certification program. Laptop users will definitely want to browse to Linux on Laptops at http://linux-laptop.net/.

If you cannot find compatibility answers in various online databases, continue your research by reading the Linux Hardware HOWTO at http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO/. At that address, you will find loads of general information and links to additional sources of information.

Keep in mind that when PC hardware is unsupported under Linux, it is generally because the manufacturer cannot or will not release technical specifications or because no one has taken the time and effort to develop a driver. If you hit a roadblock with a particular piece of hardware, check the hardware manufacturer’s support web pages, or Google’s Linux pages at http://www.google.com/linux. You can then type in a specific search request and hopefully find answers to how to make the hardware work with Linux. This is also a good way to research answers to questions about software issues.

Fedora will work out-of-the-box with nearly every Intel- or PowerPC-based desktop, server, and laptop; drivers for thousands of different types of hardware peripherals are included. But you can sometimes run into problems if Linux does not recognize a hardware item, if Fedora does not correctly initialize the hardware, or if an initialized item is incorrectly configured. For these reasons, some hardware items are prone to creating problems during an install. In the sections that follow, you learn some important pointers for avoiding these problems or resolving those that do occur.

Buying a turn-key Linux solution is one way to avoid hardware problems, and many vendors are standing by, ready to prescribe solutions. However, managing deployments aimed at using existing hardware requires some information collection.

If you are a small business or individual user, you are well advised to prepare detailed checklists of existing hardware before attempting a migration to Linux. Not only do you benefit from the collected information, but you might also be able to sidestep or anticipate problems before, during, or after installation. Problems are most likely to occur with newer hardware, cutting-edge hardware such as new motherboard chipsets and video cards, or extraneous hardware such as operating system–specific scanners, printers, or wireless devices.

Table 2.2 provides a comprehensive checklist you can use to take inventory of target hardware, such as the computer and any peripherals. Veteran Linux users can take the collected information to build custom systems by adding known hardware or substituting cheaper but equivalent hardware.

Use the checklist in Table 2.2 as a general guideline for recording your computer’s hardware and other capabilities. You can get quite a bit of information through hardware manuals or other documentation included with your PC, video, sound, or network interface card. Don’t worry if you cannot fill out the entire checklist; Fedora will most likely recognize and automatically configure your PC’s hardware during installation. Much of this information can be displayed by the dmesg command after booting. However, some of these details, such as your video card’s graphics chipset and installed video RAM, can come in handy if you need to perform troubleshooting. You can also use the list as a post-installation check-off sheet to see how well Fedora works with your system.

Installing Fedora can be as simple as inserting the first CD/DVD into your computer’s CD drive and rebooting the computer. But if you choose this method, you should first make sure that your system’s BIOS is set to boot from CD-ROM.

Entering the BIOS to make this change is usually accomplished by depressing a particular key, such as Del or F2, immediately after turning on the computer. After entering the BIOS, navigate to the BIOS Boot menu, perhaps such as that shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1. To boot to an install using your Fedora CD-ROM or DVD, set your BIOS to have your computer boot using its CD drive.

As with deployment and installation of Linux, partitioning your hard drive to accept Fedora requires some forethought, especially if the target computer is going to be used other than as a home PC on which to learn Linux. If Linux is to be the only resident operating system, you can have the installer automatically create and use a partition scheme according to the type of installation you select during the install. If you plan to have a dual-boot system in which you can boot Linux or another operating system, you have to manually partition your hard drive before and possibly during the install.

The simplest and most basic partitioning scheme for a Linux system requires a Linux native root partition and a swap partition. On a single-drive system with 12GB storage and 512MB RAM, the scheme might look like this:

Hard Drive Partition   Mount Point   Size
/dev/hda1              /             10.74GB
/dev/hda2              swap          1GB

On a system running Windows, the scheme might look like this:

Hard Drive Partition   Mount Point   Size
/dev/hda1              /mnt/dos      4GB
/dev/hda2              /             7.74GB
/dev/hda3              swap          1GB

Your choice of specific partitioning scheme will depend on how Fedora will be used. On a system being designed for expansion, greater capacity, or the capability to host additional software or users, you can use separate partitions to host various parts of the Linux file system. Some candidates for these separate partitions include