Linux

Anyone interested in squeezing maximum performance out of their GNU/Linux operating system and willing to compile a new kernel will be interested in this KernelTrap article about Andrew Morton's -mm patchset. The patchset currently offers better stability and performance than the mainline 2.6.0-test kernel, as well as containing numerous functionality enhancements. Much of the additional functionality is described, as well as providing simple step by step installation instructions.

This article shows you how to improve the boot speed of your Linux system without compromising usability. Essentially, the technique involves understanding system services and their dependencies, and having them start up in parallel, rather than sequentially, when possible.

Mark Wong posted a series of benchmark results from Rusty Russell's Hackbench. Rusty describes Hackbench as a minimized 'chat benchmark' that doesn't use threads or semaphores. The benchmark launches groups of processes that each listen on a given socket, and complimentary groups of processes that write 100 messages to each of the listening sockets. The resulting metric is an average of the time this takes.

Dealing with the problems that arise with two or more computers is our first exposure to being a network administrator. Let's face it, as soon as you have more than one, you're trying to move or share information between them. The kids want to download a game from the Internet from one PC and install it on another. You brought home a file from work, only to realize that you don't have compatible software at home. You're constantly moving files on disk over the sneaker net to the PC downstairs with the good printer.

I am familiar with Mandrake Linux and the GNU/Linux operating system, with an experience that goes back to May 2000, but I do not consider myself to be any kind of expert or advanced user by any means. (You can see more background in OfB.biz's Mandrake 9.0 review.)

Enterprises that want to migrate their desktop computers to the Linux operating system (OS) must first weigh several factors that go beyond Linux hype, myths and anti-Microsoft sentiment. These factors include the composition of your application portfolio, the requirements of your users and the all-important migration cost and return on migration investment. Spending money on a massive migration that won't show a return on investment (ROI) within two to three years usually does not make sense.

Manageability Services for Linux are grid services that provide manageability functions for system resources. (Globus Toolkit 3.0 is included.) These services take advantage of self-describing and on-demand features of grid services to control resources in autonomic and/or grid environments. Manageability Services for Linux is a prototype for such a manageability framework for managing Linux resources.

Linux 2.6 introduces many new features that make it an excellent operating system for embedded computing. Among these new features are enhanced real-time performance, easier porting to new computers, support for large memory models, support for microcontrollers, and an improved I/O system.

Linux's future as a dominant data center platform hinges on several factors, none of which is any less important than its ever-improving scalability, reliability and cost structure. However, two very real-world issues in 2003 could affect the operating system's viability as the principal technology driving enterprises by 2008: the economy and the SCO Group's legal action against Linux.

The DB2 Integrated Cluster Environment( ICE ) for Linux recently won the "Best Cluster Solution" at the San Francisco LinuxWorld 2003 conference. This integrated solution provides IT the ability to deploy a highly scaleable Linux database cluster platform(up to 1,000 sever nodes), at a pricepoint that won't break their budget. When combined with IBM's new e325 Linux super-computer, an AMD 64-bit Opteron-based processor, developers can run both 32-bit and 64-bit applications with DB2's native 64-bit support.