Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    Red Hat Makes Itself More Available

    By
    Timothy Dyck
    -
    October 15, 2001
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      There arent a lot of changes in the newest update of Red Hat Inc.s Red Hat Linux, but the biggest change—the addition of a journaling file system—is an important advance for the operating system.

      eWEEK Labs tested final code of Red Hat Linux 7.2, which starts shipping next week and costs $60 for 30 days of support or $200 for 180 days of support. Version 7.2s use of the ext3 file system, the follow-on to Linuxs default ext2 file system, will provide Red Hat customers with higher availability for their file servers.

      Ext3 uses the ext2 disk format—which allows for in-place, no-reformat upgrades—but adds a journal, or transaction log, for storing updates made to the disk. Commit and checkpoint records are used for tracking exactly when data was written to disk.

      In case of improper shutdown, the journal lets the operating system roll forward pending changes to the disk, a far faster operation than the mandatory complete disk check performed by ext2 on system reboot. We saw disk check times after a power loss drop from about 10 minutes for a server with several large disks using ext2 to about 5 seconds when we upgraded to ext3.

      Ext3 is now the default file system type for new installs. When upgrading, we could simply check off which ext2 file systems we wanted to update, and the installer did so automatically.

      However, we were disappointed that there wasnt at least the option to use three features available for Linux: the ReiserFS file system (supported in the operating system but not the installer), logical volume management and file access control lists. The latter two are important for the enterprise, and wed encourage Red Hat to move forward quickly in these areas. SuSE Linux AGs SuSE Linux is a good choice for those wanting a mainstream Linux distribution with a more aggressive development approach.

      Red Hat Linux 7.2 also includes the KDE 2.2.1 and GNOME 1.4 desktops, and Red Hat has integrated server configuration programs into a new Start Here window in the GNOME 1.4 Nautilus file manager.

      Version 7.2 also has new graphical system configuration programs for network configuration, user and group management, time settings, viewing installed hardware, and starting or stopping services. The Red Hat programs are capable, but we prefer Ximian Inc.s more integrated and feature-rich Ximian Setup Tools, even though they are still in beta.

      West Coast Technical Director Timothy Dyck can be reached at [email protected]

      Red Hat Linux 7

      .2″>

      Red Hat Linux 7.2

      USABILITY

      B

      CAPABILITY

      B

      PERFORMANCE

      B

      INTEROPERABILITY

      B

      MANAGEABILITY

      B

      Red Hat Linux continues to provide a well-designed, mainstream Linux distribution for businesses. The company makes some cautious choices on what to include in its kernel, so those wanting a cutting-edge Linux will find that elsewhere.

      SHORT-TERM BUSINESS IMPACT // New administration tools and integration of system configuration with Nautilus make Red Hat Linux immediately easier to administer for those unfamiliar to the product.

      LONG-TERM BUSINESS IMPACT // Organizations looking for a conservative, built-to-last distribution they can use for some time will find Red Hat Linux 7.2 a good fit.

      PROS: Ext3 file system provides journaling to Red Hat customers for the first time; easy, in-place upgrade to Ext3; includes Gnome 1.4 and KDE 2.2.1 desk-tops; new administration tools for user management, control of running services.

      CONS: Supports the up-and-coming ReiserFS file system in the OS but not in the installer; no logical volume management or access control list support; incompatibilities with Ximian Gnome distribution.

      Red Hat Inc., Durham, N.C.; (888) 733-4281; www.redhat.com/software/linux

      Avatar
      Timothy Dyck
      Timothy Dyck is a Senior Analyst with eWEEK Labs. He has been testing and reviewing application server, database and middleware products and technologies for eWEEK since 1996. Prior to joining eWEEK, he worked at the LAN and WAN network operations center for a large telecommunications firm, in operating systems and development tools technical marketing for a large software company and in the IT department at a government agency. He has an honors bachelors degree of mathematics in computer science from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and a masters of arts degree in journalism from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×