IMHO (long) RE: [CLUE-Tech] Enthusiasm for Linux

[Mike Miller]

(this probably won't show up until the thread is dead, but I'll persist
anyway)

Here's a little different perspective. I've been switching to linux (and
switching back) for over 15 years now. Each time I had good reason to,
usually important hardware that wasn't supported or not enough time to
nursemaid the OS along.

Over those 15 years, I _did_ find moments where Linux got purchase and
stayed on a comuter long enough to accrue some serious uptime. Linux
always worked best when I had a goal in mind. If I was just farting
around, I didn't have much to do, and windows always got reinstalled for
the day to day stuff I did. I used a linux box for network sharing my
ISDN line. It worked GREAT. It worked for MONTHS. I forgot what I did to
set it up and when it failed (for one reason or another) I had to
RELEARN the aspects of Linux necessary for port forwarding (and IP
configuration, and DNS, and DHCP, and yadda yadda)

Fast forward to last year. I've been lateralled from Webmaster to
Network security. This included reviewing hardware for web monitoring,
IDS, network health, etc. I figured since MOST of the tools originated
in Linux first and were ported to Win32 afterwards (snort, et. Al.) that
working with the tools would be better with one variable removed
(porting to another OS).

So I grabbed RH 8 at a really bad time. Why? Because they Rev'd to RH 9
a month later. None of the 'Professional' IDS tools worked in RH9 as
they relied on patching RH8 source to work. We had to bring up a
dedicated box with RH8 on it to use one of the applications, while the
other two or three worked well enough on RH9.

Then RPMs broke.

Then the problem we were troubleshooting got worse when Redhat issued a
bad version of glibc. (So I'm troubleshooting a problem that could be
the OS, the vendor, the OS repackager, the application, the compiler,
etc.)

They THEN sent me to SANS' network security class. That was a godsend.
It gave me a week's time to immerse myself in Linux (and fix the Nvidia
drivers), and hear from folks that had been successfully using it for
years. They recommended using a BSD variant, or SuSE if BSD wasn't a
good solution. (We had data on resierfs partitions, and there's no
support under BSD, so we tried SuSE first.)

Holy smokes what a difference. SuSE just works. There's one, consistent
admin tool (YaST) that does everything (network, security, package
management, hardware), AND it works exactly the same way in textmode.
(Why install X11 on an IDS sensor that just runs tcpdump and rsync?) 

At the same time, I AM a Wintel expert. I've had different but similar
issues supporting a large number of wintel boxes in an Active Directory
environment. I've scripted automated, multicast network installs of XP
pro (very slick), I've lately dealt with automating rollouts of regular
hotfixes, I've administered a network with 160 servers and 1200 client
worksations. There are aspects there that Linux can't touch.

So, from someone who has one arm up to his shoulder in Linux, and
another up to his shoulder in Microsoft products, they both suck equally
bad for different reasons. The easier to use will be the one you're most
familiar with. 

Further, if you're specing a Windows server and you don't consult the
hardware compatibility list, you're just ASKING for trouble..now, if
you're Specing a LINUX server, and you don't consult a compatibility
list, you'll ALSO be asking for trouble. (Winmodems?) 

I've got an external web/email/snort server (www.millertwinracing.com)
running SuSE, I've got an internal fileserver/squid proxy/dns server
running RH9 (I got it stable before I discovered SuSE and haven't
bothered changing it over yet), I've got a box running XP pro and a
laptop running XP home. I've pulled my hair out at one time or another
administering every single one of those boxes. :P

Both can be made stable, both can be made secure, both can handle just
about anything you throw at them - differently. Thus far, I will say
that I'm astounded and amazed at the $200 walmart box running SuSE
hosting the website above. I can't/won't convert the main computer at
home to Linux, because I don't want to deal with getting all of the
pheripherals (Nikon camera, hp printer, epson scanner, off brand DVD+R
burner...) and the associated software converted over to Linux. But I'm
more than happy to store their data on the RH box in the basement, and
filter the network packest through the Linksys
router/basestion/switch/toaster that's ALSO running and embedded linux.