Righteous Hack

Why Linux and open source matters for small businesses and schools Hans Knobloch, Philadelphia Information technology Examiner

This blog was shared with me last night and I think the points made for using open source (linux) are right on target. The general public may or may not choose to accept this but business use of open source products continues to rise. Especially in this economic climate. (the reason this blog was started!) A quick Google search will reveal that there is an open source tool for just about any business need. This means freedom from initial software purchase, recurring license fees, etc.

Rockin’ on without Microsoft David Becker, Staff Writer, CNET News

This post is from 2003 and shows that even six years ago it was possible to convert to open source and continue as a successful business. It is easier today.
Linux is no longer relegated to the dark recesses of IT Geekdom. Major hardware vendors sell desktops and laptops pre-loaded with various distributions of Linux. A non-technical co-worker recently bought a mini-notebook loaded with Linux “because it was cheaper” and learned how to use it.
As virtualization projects grow in the SMB and education markets, there is often a natural progression towards open source related tools. Advanced configuration and troubleshooting of VMware ESX or Citrix XenServer hosts requires understanding and use of SSH and linux-based file systems.

Quoted from the blog post:

” Here are some facts about free and open source software and Linux:

• A typical Linux and free open source software equipped PC will cost up to 60 – 70% less to operate over a typical three year write off time.
• A typical PC hardware suited for Linux does not need to be as expensive as a typical Windows or Mac OS X PC. Linux requires much less resources. As a result, Linux PCs have an extended average lifetime.
• Linux with typically installed quality programs, used for graphics, office, music, and Internet, are freely available as downloads from the Internet.
• Linux versions, like Ubuntu, come with a host of no charge business software.
• Pre-configured Linux versions, like the Ubuntu derivate Edubuntu, come with a host of no charge educational software, including teacher and student administration programs.
• Linux installations can be upgraded and maintained without additional costs – ever.
• Linux is much more stable and usually safer than its proprietary alternatives.
• Linux is much less virus endangered than Windows or Apple OS X.
• Linux is easy to learn and behaves in many ways just like Windows or Mac OS X.
• Company specific software solutions are available where needed from commercial vendors.
• Vendor supplied or vendor independent support programs are available if the need for professional support arises.
• Hundreds of Linux end user and administrator forums on the Internet provide cost free support, configuration and installation how-to information, and help desk services.
• Linux, with its open source character, is ideally suited to teach students the working of a modern computing system, better then any of its proprietary competitors. “

Original Post: Open Source Technology As Business Solutions: Openfiler – Symantec CPS Destination

We quickly noticed an issue with the iSCSI connector not automatically re-connecting the drive mapping when either the Openfiler server or the CPS server was rebooted. After some troubleshooting and most testing failed to resolve this issue, this project was scrapped in favor of using an Ubuntu NFS share as a backup2disk target.

Next step will be to test an NFS share as a CPS target.

For anyone that is not a Linux command-line expert (myself included!) webmin is an invaluable tool. A very quick install of this allows advanced administration from any web browser that can access the IP address of the server. Version 1.480 is the current release. Check it out and you will be pleasently surprised…

Instructions provided here are specifically for Ubuntu but can be adapted for any distro. (thanks to Himuraken for the proper syntax)

1.sudo apt-get install perl libnet-ssleay-perl openssl libauthen-pam-perl libpam-runtime libio-pty-perl libmd5-perl
2.wget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin_1.480_all.deb
3.sudo dpkg -i webmin_1.480_all.deb
4: open web browser, point to IP address of server on port 10000

For more info: Webmin

Clearly Symantec is NOT open source. The solution to a common data backup problem can be found with open source tools however.

Issue: Backup2Tape provided long backup windows and an unreliable media. Soloution must use open source tools and existing hardware.

Solution: Ubuntu 9.04 (64-bit) NFS share running on Dell 2950 with six Seagate 1.5TB SATA drives in RAID5 configuration. Windows Services for Unix installed on Windows 2003 Server with Symantec Backup Exec 12.5.

NOTE: This will not work without this Symantec command: (verified in BE 11d and 12.5)
bemcmd -o116 -v -f”Name of your backup to disk folder” -e0 -m1 -d\\NFS-Server-Name\export-name

While the backup2disk is running fine, backups of Exchange Storage Groups are currently failing. All other data writes to the NFS share with no errors. Research continues…

Visit Righteous Hack Blog for a complete recap of the project: http://www.righteoushack.net/?p=384

One open source tool I use everyday is Firefox web browser from Mozilla. Currently on version 3.5, Firefox is perhaps the main alternative to Microsoft Internet Explorer. Now with the release of IE8 and the significant resources impact on many machines, there is an even stronger demand for a stable, easy-to-use web browser.
The open source security process that Mozilla implements for Firefox results in faster bug-fix and a quicker response to network wide threats. This is real security for the user. According to the Brian Krebs, Washington Post, 1/4/2007 blog post “Internet Explorer users Unsafe for 284 Days in 2006″, Firefox users only had nine days of risk. This is a huge difference! Security is the top priority for Firefox coders.
Comparisons such as installation file size show that Firefox i smuch more compact as well. Firefox 3.5 is a 7.7MB download, while IE8 for Windows XP weighs in at 16.1MB, more than twice the size. Firefox will also run in a portable mode from a thumb drive or other removable storage. This is excellent for travelers who like to carry favorites lists with them. All data is stored on the thumb drive when browsing, which also increases user privacy and security.

As a Network Manager I use Firefox for managing Cisco networking devices, as I have often experienced errors using IE in the past. Firefox connects to the device every time.

Firefox Resources:
Firefox Tweak Guides
Download Firefox
8 Easy Firefox Tweaks for Super Fast Web Browsing

I recently replaced my laptop and decided to encrypt the hard drive. I use Absolute Computrace for system recovery if lost or stolen, but this does not protect the data. Security experts recommend using encryption with recovery tools. The point of this is that if the hard drive is removed from the system with the recovery tool installed, the data can be accessed without activation the recovery features when reported missing.
After checking out several proposals for enterprise encryption packages, I remembered I had used TrueCrypt to encrypt a thumb drive. It worked great for that purpose so I gave it a shot on my new laptop.
Version 6.2a download is very quick (3.04MB) for Windows Vista/XP/2000. There are also options for Mac OS X and OpenSUSE and Ubuntu Linux distros. As with most open source tools, source code is easily obtained from the website as well.
Installation was painless and I was quickly ready for encryption. There are a couple of options at this point: encrypt entire drive including system partions, etc. or create and encrypted folder on the drive for critical data. This option will show a file on the directory listing that cannot be accessed without the password key that you generate. (NOTE: without the key (or Rescue Disk) the company website claims that there is no way to access data.) For key generation, I used a random tool I found on a Google search. Link is at the bottom. I created a recommended twenty character key. I chose to encrypt the entire hard drive. I followed all of the instructions, including backing up my few data files and proceeded with encryption. This took approximately five hours for a 160GB drive that is 30% full. Make sure you have plenty of power available and don’t need to use the system. Power failure during encryption will lead to data loss. The encryption completed, I rebooted, entered my key and XP loaded right up.
So far I have noticed two performance hits; system hibernate, XP completely locked up on recovery and I had to power cycle. I had the same issue copying 30GB of data to the laptop from a network share. Twice XP completely locked up. Other than that, normal operations seems to be fine.

So once again, an open source tool fits the need!

http://www.truecrypt.org
http://www.thebitmill.com/tools/password.html(Random Password Generator)

Spiceworks launched 4.0 last month and yesterday released the first patch. This new version really opens up the possibilites of Spiceworks
4.0 highlights include: Exchange 2007 support, updated IT User Portal (think IT Intranet), Network Mapping (still in beta), Windows Event ID Collaboration, Twitter Integration, cc other Users or Staff on Help Desk tickets.

We loaded the final beta on the production server and it went smoothly. Loaded the general release a few days later and everything is great. Installation (or upgrade) takes no more than 15 minutes.

Cool Feature Alert: Dell users, get the script for auto-populating the Purchase Date and Warranty Date of your Dell servers, desktops and laptops. It works great and will save lots of manual data entry.

Anyone using Spiceworks already will appreciate the new features. If you are not using Spiceworks, PLEASE check it out! It is STILL FREE.

Spiceworks

My Google Alert for open source items is working overtime these days. Clearly open source is invading every part of our lives. That is exciting! Some of the opponents to open source in production networks claim that lack of reliable support makes open source a bad idea. However, in many (or even most) cases, support for applications can be purchased. The open source community is an excellent resource as well. Changing resources does not make the process bad. It is just different. And, how is purchasing support for open source applications different than having to purchase support contracts or maintenance agreements for commercial applications? Citrix, for example, does not provide support or product updates without some sort of paid-for contract. And for the SMB market, it is not low cost. And the up-front cost of the software is high. So what is the difference? I know, I know… Microsoft, Citrix, Symantec, etc. are huge companies that spend millions of dollars annually on research and development. However, IF an open source tool can fill the need and it is FREE why shouldn’t it be tested and implemented? I say go for it.
Next time you are looking for an application for anything, add open source to the Google search box and see what comes up.

Recent alerts:
Software Microsoft Fined $200M USD for Violating Open Source Patent
DailyTech – Chicago,IL,USA
In its early days Microsoft, oft ignored the open source movement, instead pushing for proprietary standards. However, more recently the company has made a …

Open source media server debuts at Computex
EETimes.com – USA
A small startup will debut at Computex in June its open source software for an integrated media server and home router, going up against giants including …

A Consulting Firm Borrows from Kubler-Ross : Beyond Search
Open source has an important contribution to certain information technology challenges. I am pleased with open source. I am not so comfortable with the appropriation and inversion of the Kubler-Ross metaphor. In fact, the metaphor makes …
Beyond Search – http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/

TED Blog: SETI Institute is hiring: Become the project manager for …
It’s also essential that s/he be a strong evangelist — able to speak inspiringly in public, and to energize, recruit and maintain engagement with key influencers in the open source coding world. The other part of the job will be …
TED Blog – http://blog.ted.com/

How we won the open source battle
InfoWorld – San Francisco,CA,USA
By Savio Rodrigues (@SavioRodrigues) Recently the news about the inevitability of open source has been everywhere. Just today I exchanged tweets with Matt …

Open Source joins European election battle
Inquirer – Harrow,England,UK
This week it appointed open source operator, Mark Taylor, to lobby candidates in the UK. It is also establishing campaigns in Germany and Spain. …

Open Technologies Seen as Key to Social, Educational and Economic …

The agreement recognizes open source technologies as key to increase access to information, communications technologies and ICT skills training in …