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SOFTNET Network Server Functionalities
(Please
Note that the following are not the features of SOFTNET Network
Server system but of Linux. We setup
and fine-tune Linux on these systems to get the following
functionalities and performance.)
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is an Internet/Intranet ready Web server.
All you have to do is upload the details you want to publish...information,
reports, charts, news…anything….and everyone over your office
intranet (or internet) can see the pages of information you
want them to see…
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a Mail server. Now you can give email-id
to every person in your organisation and they can communicate
with each other over intranet within your organisation and
outside world over internet with same email-id.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a File and Print server. You can share
Files, Printer and other devices like CD-ROM, Printers, Zip
Drives with everyone or with the ones you want in your organisation
in a cost-effective way. Not only that, every user gets his/her
own secured storage space for files, etc. as only authenticated
user can get access to the server.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a Remote Dial-in server. Imagine this!
You are on the move and you need some files from your office.
Now what? Wouldn’t it be nice to dial up your office server
and download files? You can do just that.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is an Internet Gateway of your LAN. You
can share one single internet connection over your intranet
network and give access to internet to all or selected people
in your organisation.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a Proxy server. If you have a problem
with bandwidth to the Net, which is true for most of us, then
the only way to save the situation is to use a caching proxy
server.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a Firewall for your internet connection.
Direct connection to internet can be very dangerous, unless
you have a Firewall.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a DHCP and DNS server. It allocates
I.P. addresses dynamically to every machine connected to the
network as and when it is up and keeps your network in shape
and accessible. It also works as a Domain Name Server and
resolves domain names when connected to internet and saves
time online.
SOFTNET
NETWORK SERVER is a Network Watchdog. Could you ask for
more? As a Head of the organisation or Network Administrator,
you are always concerned about what’s going on on every machine
over your network. Wish you could see every terminal’s screen?
Then your wish is granted. You can see virtually every screen
on your network machine on your server’s monitor.
More
Information? Questions? Comments? Contact
us.
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What
is Linux?
Linux, also known as GNU/Linux,
is a free, UNIX-like operating system, developed originally
for home PCs, but which now runs on a variety of platforms
including PowerPC, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari, DEC Alpha, Sun
Sparc, ARM, and many others. Linux aims for POSIX compliancy
to maintain maximum compatibility with other UNIX-like systems.
With millions of users worldwide, Linux is probably the most
popular UNIX-like OS in the world.
(This
cute little fella above is Tux, mascot of Linux)
The
Linux System
The
central nervous system of Linux is the kernel, the operating
system code which runs the whole computer. The kernel is under
constant development and is always available in both the latest
stable release and the latest experimental release. Progress
on development is very fast, and the recent 2.4-series kernels
are simply amazing on all counts. The kernel design is modular,
so that the actual OS code is very small yet able to load
whatever functionality it needs when it needs it, and then
free the memory afterwards. Because of this, the kernel remains
small and fast yet highly extensible, in comparison to other
operating systems which slow down the computer and waste memory
by loading everything all the time, whether it is needed or
not.
Linux
systems excel in many areas, ranging from end-user concerns
such as stability, speed, and ease of use, to serious concerns
such as development and networking. Nowadays, Linux even offers
a variety of commercial productivity packages and office suites
which can import and export files from other platforms, including
Windows and MacOS.
Stability
Linux
has long been praised for its stability--Linux boxes are known
for running months or even years at a time without crashing,
freezing, or having to be rebooted. Linux users sometimes
poke fun at other, less stable operating systems, by way of
screensavers like BSOD (Blue Screen of Death, which displays
crash screens from various other platforms) and games like
XBill (where an evil virus masquerading as a popular operating
system is causing machines to catch on fire).
Linux
is Y2K-compliant, storing the date in a different way from
other computers. (Its trouble date is 2038, by which time
a small modification to the kernel should have solved the
problem.) Also, because it is extremely secure compared to
other platforms, viruses for Linux are practically non-existent.
Speed
Linux
machines are also known to be extremely fast, because the
operating system is very efficient at managing resources such
as memory, CPU power, and disk space. More of the Web than
one might expect is actually powered by old 486 boxes running
Linux and the Apache Web Server, while NASA, Sandia, Fermilabs
and others have built very powerful yet inexpensive supercomputers
by creating clusters of Linux boxes running in parallel.
Graphical
Interface
As
for an intuitive graphical interface, Linux has at least a
dozen different, highly configurable graphical interfaces
(known as window managers) which run on top of XFree86, a
free implementation of the X Window System. The most popular
window managers at the moment are KDE (the K Desktop Environment)
and GNOME (the GNU Network Object Model Environment). These
offer the point-and-click, drag-and-drop functionality associated
with other user-friendly environments (for example, Macintosh),
but are extremely flexible and can take on a number of different
looks and feels. If you want a Linux box running KDE to look
just like a Mac, Windows, BeOS, or NextStep machine, you can
do it with a few mouse clicks. Today, even complex tasks like
system administration, package installation, upgrading, and
network configuration can be done easily through graphical
programs. Programs that work with one window manager nearly
always work with all the others.
Software
Development
Programmers
often find that the Linux development environment is second
to none--a good thing for end users who depend on these software
developers to provide free software. Nearly all development
software for Linux is free and covered under the GNU Public
License, which guarantees that it will always remain free.
Linux systems come standard with C and C++ compilers and an
assembler, and often include Pascal, FORTRAN, and BASIC implementations
as well. In addition, modern languages like Perl and Python
and classic languages like LISP are all available, fully functional
and completely free. In addition, the source code for nearly
any Linux program is freely available (and often included
by default). This not only means that bugs are discovered
and corrected almost immediately, but development of software
proceeds at a much faster pace than one finds even at extremely
successful commercial software houses. This phenomenon is
called Open Source and is the subject of much discussion and
amazement in the business world, the computer world, and the
press.
Networking
Networking
comes naturally to Linux. After all, Linux is based on UNIX,
where computer networking more or less developed. Probably
all networking protocols in use on the Internet are native
to UNIX and/or Linux, so one can expect that UNIX and Linux
would network better than any other platforms. Setting up
a network on a Linux machine is surprisingly simple, because
Linux handles most of the work; you just have to give it the
correct addresses. Linux is made for networking. A large part
of the Web is running on Linux boxes, especially because of
the Apache Web Server which dramatically defeated its commercial
competitors, proving the effectiveness and viability of the
Open Source approach.
Productivity
Productivity
software availability has exploded in recent years, and commercial
developers have been producing excellent software for the
Linux platform. Netscape Navigator and Communicator are freely
available (with some licensing restrictions) as well as Word
Perfect 9 and a host of others, which often come standard
on Linux distributions. Today, it has become hard to keep
track of all the spreadsheets, databases, and word processors.
Many distributors package commercial software with their distributions,
and many commercial producers offer free downloads, so even
if a package has the polished quality of a professional production,
you might not have to pay for it. Linux productivity packages
can usually read and write files from productivity packages
on other platforms; Linux has always strived for compatibility
and openness. In fact, Linux is perfectly happy to coexist
on the same machine as other operating systems. For example,
you could install Linux, Windows, BeOS, and OS/2 all on one
system! This makes it possible for new Linux users to see
if they like Linux without erasing their old OS or having
to buy another computer.
What
software is available for Linux?
Linux's
open-source approach to software development has produced
thousands of pieces of software of all varieties, which are
constantly being improved. Much Linux software is completely
free along with the source code, and there are many excellent
archives of Linux software as well as GNU software and other
UNIX-compatible software. If you can imagine it, it probably
exists.
Applications
Whatever
you want to do with your Linux system, the software for it
is probably already available, free of charge. From household
appliance control to World Wide Web tools, Linux has a lot
to offer. One accomplishment which the free software community
is particularly fond of is the GIMP, the GNU Image Manipulation
Program, similar to Photoshop but highly extensible, completely
free, and guaranteed to stay that way. Linux also has audio
applications galore from players and recorders to mod trackers,
drum machines, synthesizers, and synthesis languages. You
can even use Linux for ham radio and video applications. Practicality-minded
people will have no trouble making their way to the productivity,
office, and financial packages, while computer artists will
find numerous packages in addition to the flagship GIMP with
which to work. Even sinister people like spies and secret
agents can satisfy themselves with free encryption software.
Development
Software
Perhaps
one reason why there is so much software available for Linux
is that it is such an ideal development platform. C, C++ and
an assembler come by default on all real distributions. Combined
with editors like emacs and vi, and virtual consoles, software
development is quite convenient. However, many other languages
are available for Linux, including Ada, APL, BASIC, Dylan,
Eiffel, Euler, Forth, Fortran, GOMscript, INTERCAL, LISP,
Logo, Mercury, Modula, Oberon, Objective C, Pascal, Perl,
Prolog, Python, Rexx, Sather, SIMULA, Tcl/Tk, and several
more. These are available free of charge, of course. Programmers
also have a choice between using gcc and egcs, the GNU C Compiler
and the Experimental GNU Compiler System, the latter of which
has become quite popular due to its features, flexibility,
and functionality. Linux is a platform for developers.
Games
Linux
has loads of games--the Linux Game Tome lists over 400 entries. Linux games have a charm
all their own, though developers have recently turned their
attention to producing slick, commercial 3-D games. A growing
awareness of the Linux community has inspired many software
publishers to begin porting their games to Linux, so we can
look forward to many now top-quality commercial programs in
the near future. Free Linux games, however, are often of very
high quality and most entertaining. As many Linux programmers
come from other platforms, there are many ports and recreations
of classic computer games. Fans of traditional board games
such as chess and Go will find excellent interfaces for playing
on-line, and even strong computer opponents (although admittedly
the freely available chess software is much stronger, relatively
speaking, than the Go software).
Emulation,
combined with the speed of modern hardware, makes available
literally thousands of computer games, from early games on
home computers (like the Commodore 64 and Amiga) to coin-operated
arcades.
Scientific
Software
UNIX
was originally used by scientists and is often their preferred
OS, so there is a wealth of scientific software available
for Linux, including the TeX and LaTeX scientific typesetting
packages. There are scientific applications for astronomy,
biology, cartography, chemistry, laboratory work, mathematics,
graphing and visualization, among others. In conjunction with
the numerous scientific and mathematical languages available,
Linux is quite at home in scientific applications and is often
used by laboratories. Any issue of Linux Journal should
contain at least one article about Linux showing up in a scientific
situation.
System
Software
UNIX
is an operating system for mainframes and supercomputers,
so it stands to reason that there would be a lot of system-related
software available. Since Linux is based on UNIX and very
much compatible with it, there is also an abundance of system
software for Linux. System software includes things from daemons
(programs that run in the background) to networking (since
networking is an integral part of the system, and not an external
add-on) to file systems, hardware support, emulation, benchmark
testings, and generic file utilities. Linux supports parallel
processing (which is why it is often used to make supercomputers)
and RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), and has resources
for managing all sorts of hardware issues which would not
usually come up for home users but are very important for
mainframes and supercomputers, including power management,
multi-user/multi-group system administration, backup, and
systems diagnostics.
Utilities
Utilities
are probably familiar to users of normal home computers. Utilities
are used for things such as disk and file manipulation, terminal
customization, compression, archiving, scripting, and other
small but important things that keep a home computer running
at its best. Linux also has files, disks, terminals, compressions,
archives, and scripts, so it also has file utilities. These
are not as serious as "system software" but are quite useful.
Linux has command-line and even graphic interfaces for all
sorts of disk and file operations, from converting sound and
audio formats to compressing, archiving, and encrypting files.
What
is all this GNU such and such?
GNU
is a recursive acronym for GNU's Not Unix, a project started
by Richard Stallman, the world's leading advocate and creator
of free software. The GNU project forms the basis for most
of the important programs which the Linux kernel depends on.
One way of looking at GNU's contribution is that GNU had produced
a massive suite of software which lacked a kernel, and Linux
provided that kernel. While this is an oversimplification,
the fact remains that the GNU software and libraries compile
and run the kernel.
Although
GNU began in 1983, its roots go back to 1973 when Stallman,
then at MIT, enjoyed the freedom and cooperation afforded
by open exchange of software and source code. However, proprietary
software ultimately destroyed cooperation between programmers
and severely damaged the production of quality software (hence
Microsoft products). In an effort to save software, Stallman
left MIT and set about creating the first major GNU undertakings,
the GNU C Compiler and GNU Emacs. Although he was often dismissed
as crazy, gcc and emacs have become the compiler and editor
of choice throughout much of the software world. Without these
early steps, Linux probably would not exist and the open-source
phenomenon might not have been (re)discovered for a very long
time.
Today,
the scope of GNU is enormous and the project makes everything
from chess software and interfaces to compilers and interpreters.
There are countless packages now and even GNU's website cannot
keep track of all of them. In addition, GNU created the process
of 'copy-lefting', which guarantees that free software must
remain free forever, and that any software which uses any
piece of the GPL (GNU Public License) source code will also
become free. This keeps source code floating around, and created
the open-source phenomenon long before anyone caught on and
gave it a name.
What
are the Origins of Linux?
Linux
is the brainchild of hacker extraordinaire Linus Torvalds.
It began as a project while Linus was a 21-year-old student
at the University of Helsinki. He had wanted to implement
an improved (free) Minix for his x86 PC. On October 5th of
1991, he posted the following message to comp.os.minix:
``Do
you pine for the nice days of Minix-1.1, when men were
men and wrote their own device drivers? Are you without
a nice project and just dying to cut your teeth on a OS
you can try to modify for your needs? Are you finding
it frustrating when everything works on Minix? No more
all-nighters to get a nifty program working? Then this
post might be just for you.
As
I mentioned a month ago, I'm working on a free version
of a Minix-lookalike for AT-386 computers. It has finally
reached the stage where it's even usable (though may not
be depending on what you want), and I am willing to put
out the sources for wider distribution. It is just version
0.02...but I've successfully run bash, gcc, gnu-make,
gnu-sed, compress, etc. under it.''
Apparently
someone was interested, because shortly thereafter, there
were more developers than Linus even knew about. Today, with
a firm base of at least 10 million users worldwide, Linux
is growing exponentially as programmers, enthusiasts, and
end-users exchange thoughts, implement ideas, contribute code,
and cooperate in the phenomenon known as Open Source to produce
the operating system known as Linux.
written
by Jason Kroll in June 1999, last update July 28, 1999
- Courtasy Linux Journal
More
Information? Questions? Comments? Contact
us.
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