Run Your Power Generating Plant On Linux - Securely
Source: News Forge
The "blue collar" side of computing is often overlooked by IT journalists, but it is huge. Industrial operations of all types, including refineries, power plants, railroads and other transporters, and all kinds of manufacturers, are almost entirely computer-controlled now. These are all "mission-critical environments." Many of them have extraordinary security requirements. And one of the most respected software companies in this field, Verano, is embracing Linux in a big way -- not because of lower licensing costs but because of flexibility and security.
When you are designing a system that analyzes input from thousands of sensors scattered throughout a huge chemical plant or placed along the length of a 1000 kilometer oil pipeline, and translates that input into formats usable by both the "plant" people and the office-based executives who make strategic decisions about its operation, the cost of a server license is the least of your worries. You spend your time thinking about reliability and security. If your operation shuts down for an hour, you can lose megabucks and make customers angry. And if your security is compromised, things can blow up.
This does not mean "blow up" in the software or hyperbolic sense, but in a very real-world, fireball and loud "boom" and workers being rushed to the hospital sense -- followed inevitably by mega-lawsuits.
