(2) FOSS Application Fields and
Installation of FOSS
FOSS application fields
An introduction to FOSS application fields
Deploying Free/Open-Source Software
How to try FOSS applications
Installing GNU/Linux
Examining GNU/Linux installation process
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FOSS Application Fields
Network servers
network servers were the quickest to adopt FOSS
Internet business and enterprise systems
became popular from B2B to enterprise systems
Embedded systems
FOSS is widely used in embedded environment
EWS (Engineering Work Stations)
descend from Unix workstations
Desktops
usability needs to satisfy average users
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Network Servers
Very high affinity between FOSS and network
services
Evident from origins of FOSS
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
FOSS used for mail servers and name servers
Portal sites, Web servers
Load balancer also critical for large-scale ISPs
Small-scale network servers
In-house intranet systems
Mail servers, file servers
Groupware
Wiki for information sharing
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Internet and Enterprise Systems
Evolved from network servers
Factors driving FOSS use for Internet business
FOSS servers used as platforms
Emerging IT companies and Internet venture firms
Desire to maximize return by reducing system investment
costs
Popularity of e-commerce
Making inroads into enterprise sector
FOSS gradually making inroads into business applications
E-learning, ERP, CRM
Business package software for specific applications
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Embedded Systems
FOSS penetration in embedded environments
GNU/Linux, NetBSD and other FOSS operating systems
support many different CPU architectures
Various embedded platforms are supported
Motivation for porting often evolves out of developer interest
Embedded equipment manufacturers look to FOSS
EMBLIX (since 2000), CE Linux Forum (since 2003)
Main equipment applications
Portable information devices
PDAs, mobile phones, car navigation systems
Information appliances
Hard disk recorders, media servers, multimedia equipment
Various home electric appliances, as their features become
more sophisticated
Refrigerators, air-conditioners, microwave ovens, etc.
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Engineering Workstations (EWS)
From Unix to PC-Unix (GNU/Linux, *BSD)
Same system operation and user interface
Same applications are used
Or many comparable FOSS can be used
Can reduce hardware costs
Switching from Unix machines to IBM PC-compatible
machines leads to significant cost savings
FOSS development supported by EWS users
Continue to uphold the principle of “user as developer”
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Desktops
Desktop use by general users
Last stronghold of proprietary software?
Many users only familiar with Windows or Mac OS
Ease of use nearly the same for all desktop
environments
Application fields
Used in schools
Used by teaching staff in their offices
Used by children in PC labs
Used in routine task applications
Telephone operator terminals, counter terminals
Medical data terminals
Office terminals (private sector and government)
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Deploying FOSS
Deploying a new FOSS environment
Dual booting
CD booting
Using a Virtual Machine
Using FOSS under Windows
The first step is trying to use FOSS applications on
Windows
Cygwin
The package to use GNU software on Windows
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Dual Booting
Install multiple operating systems on one system
Switch between OS’es at bootup
Possible to share data by setting up shared drive
partition accessible to multiple OS’es
Advantages
Operation is same as single boot environment
Runs on one machine; affordable way to try new OS
Drawbacks
Multiple OS’es cannot be used concurrently
Slightly bothersome to partition hard drive and
configure boot loader
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CD Booting
OS boots directly from CD-ROM
Leading example: Knoppix
Can run on diskless system
User data stored in USB memory, etc.
Some OS’es save data to CD-R at shutdown
Temporary files operate on RAM disk
Advantages
Easy to try new environment
CD-ROM based, so minimal risk of harming system
Disadvantages
System cannot be extended
Cannot apply security patches, etc.
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Using a Virtual Machine
Run one OS on top of
another
Ex: Windows on
GNU/Linux
Leading examples
VMware
coLinux
Advantages
Easy to try new OS
Drawbacks
Slower performance GNU/Linux running inside of GNU
due to inevitable
overhead (< 10%)
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Using FOSS on Windows
Growth of FOSS in tandem with Unix
development
Linux and GNU software
X Window System and related software
Unix server software, etc.
FOSS and running on Unix are fundamentally unrelated
First step in deploying FOSS
Try FOSS designed to run on Windows
Many FOSS programs also run on Windows
Apache, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Perl, etc.
FOSS written in Java
“Write Once, Run Anywhere”
Try Cygwin
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Cygwin
Implements GNU/Linux-like environment on
Windows
Two major components
API (cygwin1.dll) for emulating Unix APIs
GNU development tool-chain
Excellent portability
FOSS for Unix will (often) run on Windows, if compiled
from source code
X Window System also ported to Windows on Cygwin
Similar software:
Services for Unix (SFU) from Microsoft
SFU is free of charge, but not FOSS
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Installing GNU/Linux
Example: Installing Fedora Core distribution
Process of installation
1. Running the installer
2. Basic configuration
3. Drive formatting / partitioning
4. Network configuration
5. Time zone selection and root password setting
6. Package installation
7. Configuration after software installation (date, display,
and other settings)
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Running the Installer
Popular method
GUI installer
Based on X Window
System; supports mouse
operation
If GUI cannot be used
Not supporting GUI
Due to special display
Use classic CUI installer
Installer startup
Boot from CD
Boot from network
Boot from disk image on
hard drive, etc.
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Basic Configuration
Language selection
Choose main language to use with system
Keyboard configuration
Many keyboard configurations, depending on the
language
Choose installation type
Default options
Desktop, workstation, server
Custom installation
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Drive Formatting/Partitioning
Select hard drive to install to
Formatting and partitioning
Optionally use installer’s default settings
Formatting and partitioning tools
fdisk (classic tool)
Disk Druid
Also configure boot loader at this point
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Network Configuration
Configure network environment
Handling of IP addresses
Startup using DHCP
Assign fixed IP address
Hostname
Decide network security configuration
Configure firewall
Enable/disable remote login
Enable/disable SELinux
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Time Zone Selection,
Root Password Setting
Time zone selection
Puerto Rican users should select America/Puerto_Rico
Or select time zone by using mouse to click on world
map
Root password setting
Password for root account
General user accounts can be added later
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Package Installation
Choosing software packages to install
Installation type determines which packages are
installed
If you chose Custom installation, choose each software
package to install
Software packages are sorted by group
Desktops
Applications
Servers
Development, etc.
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Package Installation (Cont’d)
Installation of software packages
Hard drive formatting also performed during this step
Most time-consuming part of installation process
If distribution spans several CD-ROMs, you will be
required to change CDs during installation
Software packages can also be added later on
Restart computer after software installation finishes
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Configuration After Software
Installation
Detailed configuration of individual software
Separately configure installed software
Display configuration is important
Agree to License Agreement
Fedora Core asks users to agree to license during this
step
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Date, Display and Other Settings
Setting the date
Usually set by default to hardware clock
Display settings
Configuring X Window System
Usually use default settings
Other settings
Configure sound card, add general user accounts, etc.
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