Opera does a good job making the install distribution specific for 13 distributions. Some generic class distributions are also available. I choose to install via the .rpm file for convenience. I download and run the small 5 MB  opera-9.25-20071214.5-shared-qt.i386-en.rpm file.

Opera requires a few dependancies during the install, such as libstdc++.so.5, that may not be available on all distributions. For my RHEL 4.6 system, I had to provide disc 2 of the installation to satisfy the Opera requirements. After that small administrative task, Opera is ready to go in my Gnome environment:

Now that Opera is installed, right-click the generic web browser icon, and by selecting properties, change the settings to use Opera as the default web browser. In the Launcher properties window, set the command to ‘opera’ and change the name to Opera Browser. The Gnome environment will also replace the generic web icon with the slick Opera ‘O’ which looks much better.

A development application programming interface (API)  specification available now for third-party developers to make packages for the platform. Basic characteristics of the platform include embracing open-source code and being modular and portable. More information on the platform release can be found at the LiMo website.

Installing is quite easy by downloading the tar file, then extracting and running the ./configure script. I used a C++ compiler and argtable2 on a CentOS 4.2 system during a test implementation.

Once you have installed rsyncrypto, you can set up encryption for files to be synchronized as they change, with the encryption on blocks of the file with a specified key. Please note, this encryption within rsyncrypto is not as robust as some of the newer PGP encryptions (like GnuPG) when using rsync for an entire file. Rsyncrypto is currently at version 1.06 and is currently available for download from SourceForge.

Canonical Ltd. has confirmed they will support version 8 of Ubuntu upon its scheduled April release, with the new kernel.

CleverSafe provides an open-source storage grid that slices data across many datastores through a proprietary algorithm. The figure below shows the basic principle in a greatly distributed sliced-storage grid across 9 international datastores:

While jumping into something like this would require some major planning and a buy-in, enterprises have the option of running just the Slicestors server on one system for the purposes of evaluation. The Slicestors system role would install an iSCSI adapter into your system to connect to storage, and once configuration is complete, normal mount commands would be used for access. Also, Cleversafe works best with CentOS, if you’re interested.

Exploring Cleversafe
Cleversafe is a few years old, but you can expect to see some product maturation soon, as I predict this will become even more popular with enterprises. I will see Cleversafe at Technosium 2008 tomorrow in Santa Clara, California and will be sure to follow-up on this.

Look for a release candidate in April 2008 for Ubuntu server version 8. 

RHEL 4.x vs. RHEL 5
RHEL is a stable platform among its competition. At just over a year old, its latest build, RHEL 5, is still new to the scene. But RHEL version5.1 was recently released and has enjoyed initial success thus far. The biggest factor in choosing to remain on the 4.x platform was Red Hat’s recent release of version 4.6, keeping the 4.x a current product. With this release, all of our versions remain within the realm of support, so our internal support requirements have not been impacted by another platform. This also keeps us in line with base configuration of applications that are running on the RHEL systems.

You can’t stay on version 4.x forever!
I know, but we made the decision based on what we can best support internally by not multiplying our scope of platforms. But, the version 5.x test bed is just around the corner, and we will increase our comfort with version 5.x (curiously awaiting a 5.2). At that point we would welcome version 5.x by ceasing the version 4.x installs, and migrating to version 5.x if possible.

What is your strategy?
Do you have multiple versions running in your enterprise? What is your thought process in regards to introducing a new distribution? Share your strategies below in a comment.

On a Dell PowerEdge 2950 III server, we were unable to assign the Dell Remote Assistance Card virtual media capability or DRAC for a floppy image that contained the array controller driver for the OS install. As we did not have a floppy, our install came to a halt when trying to load the driver:

Installation stopped, now what?
This is not a show stopper. In fact, you have two options that can get this situation resolved. One option is access the files in a floppy image format, extract them to a CD-ROM and make an ISO image with only those files. The other option is hook up a USB floppy drive (the Dell BIOS will make this appear as a normal floppy) with the driver files extracted on a legacy floppy.

Rapid rebuilding process
Should you have multiple systems to re-install either for build or restore process, take the time to determine the quickest way to rebuild a server on your hardware. I’d recommend the CD-ROM ISO image simply because I find it easier to manage files than actual media.

Take for example the HP ProLiant DL 380 G5 and the Dell PowerEdge 2950 III, which can be configured for a general purpose Windows or Linux server and can have most connectivity options available: fiber networking interfaces, storage area network (SAN) fiber channel adapters and any additional copper networking. The local drive configurations currently use serial attached SCSI (SAS) drives with local array controller. 

Dell and HP generally divide models by Intel and AMD processor offerings, so the selection process is aided by that distinction. If you strive for a common server for the Enterprise Linux builds and the Windows server space, a uniform processor brand platform is a must. 

Choose wisely

If you embark on the single server across software groups, be sure to get all members on board and mutually agree on a server specification. If the needs are different, it may be more likely to work in terms of base server and customize up as required. This can save the incremental cost of a small number of under-utilized servers in a mixed environment. 

What composes a JeOS distro?

Simply put, not much. JeOS distributions are a skinny, bare-bones build made to occupy a small footprint and provide only explicit system services on the install. The JeOS distributions follow their full build counterparts in the same versioning and install interface, just with less options for install from the CD media.

Start with nothing, add only what is needed

JeOS distributions are perfect for this practice for many reasons. My particular need was an external facing DNS server, so the skinny JeOS did a great job and installed the DNS server, a boot loader and the OS essentials. This also made for a smaller drive footprint - only 500 MB (as a virtual system). The JeOS install CDs are smaller than the full version counterparts, but have a similar look and feel for the install process.

Playing nicely

Should you need to add a package that was not on the CD, you can use the standard retrieval tools. For my Ubuntu 7.10 JeOS system, this included sudo apt-get. This option is handy should I need to add a web server engine or database. Also, you can make the JeOS builds fit your existing enterprise Linux environments by adding the tools and packages you expect to be installed, but starting with less on the base install. 

JeOS distributions do not run a different Linux kernel than the full version equivalent, they simply have less packages. Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon and the JeOS equivalent are both at kernel 2.6.22. Plus, Canonical Ltd. provides support options for the Ubuntu JeOS – which is nice.