New Cookbook

[ua549]

Carla, I see that a new version of your cookbook is available at Amazon.com for ~$30.
Are there many changes from the last book?

I still haven't decided between Linux (Debian or Ubuntu Server) and FreeBSD for my new server.
The hardware parts are arriving over the next couple of weeks so I've got to decide soon.
Any recommendations?

[Carla Schroder]

Hiya,

There are two, count 'em, two separate books! Linux Cookbook, published in 2004, and Linux Networking Cookbook, 2007. Buy both, buy often!

Linux Cookbook is holding up well- the CD/DVD recording chapter is outdated, and so is the CVS chapter, but the rest are as pertinent as ever. Check the tables of contents to see if either one looks useful to you:

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/linuxckbk/
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596102487/

What to put on your server? FreeBSD or Debian get my vote. Ubuntu is nice, but it's enough of a moving target that it makes me nervous for servers. Me, I want no drama with servers. Just nice and quiet and doing their jobs like good little computers.

[ua549]

I'll probably pick up the new book unless an autographed copy from the author arrives on my doorstep. :beg:
:D

[ua549]

LINUX Networking Cookbook, autographed by the author, arrived on my doorstep begging for a home. I smiled, thumbed its pages and let it in. It's found a good home. Now a name is in order, perhaps eth99. ;)

[Carla Schroder]

OMG how exciting!! :)

My most treasured autographed book is "Evil Geniuses in a Nutshell" by Illiad. 'User Friendly' is the best.
http://www.userfriendly.org/

[wmstudio]

I have set up both Ubuntu server and FreeBSD. I have no experience with Debian server. Ubuntu server is a very clean installation, i.e. only the most basic items are installed and then it's up to you what you want to install.

Still I wanted to try FreeBSD and so I wiped the Ubuntu server and installed FreeBSD. I have installed FreeBSD in the past (4.9, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, 6.0, 6.1 and now 6.3) I have already downloaded FreeBSD 7.0.

At the moment I am installing FreeBSD 6.3 now and I have to say the FreeBSD ports system is a very nice feature. Installing everything from source while the ports system takes care of all dependencies. Another thing is the PF (packet filter) firewall. I think PF has no equal. I think that the quality of the FreeBSD is hard to match.....

[ua549]

FreeBSD is still on my short list for server software.

I have one box, a Pentium Pro, running version 2.2.?? that has "done its thing" untouched for 10 years. It is not networked and remains unpatched. It simply gathers environmental data for display. It will die sometime in the next 20 years. :D

Unfortunately some of my new server parts were DOA. I'm still waiting for replacements.

[wmstudio]

The hardware parts are arriving over the next couple of weeks so I've got to decide soon.

I'm getting the impression you are ordering some special hardware. Can I ask you what hardware you are ordering? What kind of server you are going to set up?

[ua549]

The server is a consolidation project. I hope to use VMware to handle the server functions for web, mail, ftp and normal file sharing for Windows clients. In addition I want to use the console with VMware as my graphics workstation.

The system is a basic dual Xeon box w/8 CPU, 8GB mem, SATA II 1TB mirrored array for non-data and 500GB U160 raid 5 array for data. I may move a second U160 array to the box if there is enough capacity. I hope to flash the 8800GT video card with Quadro FX 3700 firmware. If I can't do it, I'll get an OpenGL capable video card and use the 8800GT in a desktop.

The components are listed here. (http://www.kitzy.com/junk/NewServer.jpg)

[wmstudio]

As fas as I know vmware server is only supported on Linux. I have read instructions for how to install vmware server on Ubuntu workstation. Vmware on FreeBSD? Perhaps using the Linux ABI but I have never heard of it. Then of course there is win4bsd but that's a commercial non-freeware product.

[ua549]

That is why I'm still undecided on the OS.
I am considering VMware Workstation 6.0 (non-freeware) for virtualization. Debian is not supported, but it works. I'll go through the exercise of trying it on FreeBSD as part of the software qualification process for all the software. My biggest concerns are applications running with Wine.

I will probably have 4 virtual machines, 2 *nix, 1 windows, 1 test.

I agree with you that FreeBSD is a high quality product. I used to run Unix System III & V and BSD back in the 70's and 80's. Unfortunately that knowledge is lost. I hope much of it returns with hands on experience.

[wmstudio]

After I replied I searched and saw that there is something in FreeBSD under /usr/ports/emulators/vmware3... This looks like vmware perhaps (partly) supported under FreeBSD....

[ua549]

I'm not sure, but isn't VMware 3 the ESX environment?

[wmstudio]

I have no idea..... I'm wondering about something else. If you want to use vmware server, do you need X11? What if you have an bare bones server, no X11, can you still host guest OS's using vmware?

I already found something here: http://forums.bsdnexus.com/viewtopic.php?pid=16712

It seems you need X11 so I think you'd better opt for a Linux (Ubuntu) installation..... I think vmware officially only supports Red Hat and Suse as host os's, besides windows.

Here is a howto for installing vmware on ubuntu: http://howtoforge.com/ubuntu_vmware_server

[ua549]

Thanks for the links.

Next I'm wondering if jails are more efficient than VMware for the *nix servers - web&ftp and mail.

[ua549]

Another thought crossed my mind. (Amazing isn't it?)

Is there a fully featured graphics editing package that runs under *nix at 2048x1536 resolution?
Perhaps I can eliminate the need for a Windows VM entirely and save some money in the process.

[wmstudio]

I'm not sure but I think jails might prove to be more efficicient. VMware is only recently available for Linux and for a variety of Linux distros. Jails on the other hand are part of FreeBSD for quite a long time already. But this is pure speculation.

Why do you want use VMware? Is it for fencing off services (daemons)?

[wmstudio]

Another thought crossed my mind. (Amazing isn't it?)

Is there a fully featured graphics editing package that runs under *nix at 2048x1536 resolution?
Perhaps I can eliminate the need for a Windows VM entirely and save some money in the process.

Hmm.... The Gimp. I've heard this is also used in Hollywood albeit on a smaller scale than its big brother. The Gimp is available for Unix/Linux, Windows and Mac OS X.

[ua549]

The only reason for VMware was the need for a Windows Vista virtual machine for graphics. Today I discovered Blender to replace Maya and your suggestion, Gimp, to replace Photoshop.

The bottom line is that I may be able to keep the server entirely *nix and open source. :nod: I don't know about the test VM because it may need to run large Windows applications. I still do alpha testing for MS and others, but most of the apps fit on my notebook running VirtualPC.

Jails or VM's are to keep functions isolated because of internet access. If my website is compromised the underlying server is not.

I must thank everyone for giving me some things to consider while waiting for hardware to arrive. I'm taking a drive to OK and TX in a couple of weeks so this project is going to slide into late April or May. :(

Carla, your cookbook is on my nightstand and bits are read every night. (It does not put me to sleep.)

[wmstudio]

I haven't paid much attention to jails yet. After you mentioned I have take a look at it so I'm considering to set up my replacement server using FreeBSD including jails. The problem now is that I'm already busy setting up a FreeBSD server which will have to replace an aging Suse Linux server. I could start again installing FreeBSD but then the document I am writing will also grind to a halt. It will also postpone the replacement of the Suse server. So now I am setting up a second FreeBSD server in a VM on my Mac. That way I can continue installing FreeBSD on my hardware box and experiment with jails on my VM on my Mac.

[wmstudio]

an additional link for VM's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_virtual_machines

[wmstudio]

rumour has it that VMWare ESXi is going to be available for free by the end of this month (July 2008).

[Carla Schroder]

The rumor is correct. Apparently Microsoft's VM thingy, which doubtless will be as crappy as everything else they make but customers will still pay for, has given them a good scare. Details here:
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/blogs/msh/?p=204

[bigbearomaha]

Hey Carla.

I have had the Linux Cookbook, now I am considering the Linux Network cookbook.

My question for you is,

This is the one from 2007. Should I buy that one, or will you be having a 2009 version I should wait for instead?

This is coming to me due to the gift of a giftcard at Borders book store.

what say ye?

Big Bear

[bigbearomaha]

OK, I bought it anyway.

as I look through this contents page, I sit back in awe as I think " what was she smoking? " LOL

j/k

Big Bear

[Carla Schroder]

Big Bear, the answers are "yes" and "some really fine stuff."

There won't be any new editions anytime soon, but the good news is networking stuff has a nice long shelf life. It doesn't become outdated as fast as desktop topics. Especially when it's written by an ace smoker of the finest stuff.

:)

[bigbearomaha]

That was my thinking exactly!

whoa. get out of my head. lol

I figured that the rate of dramatic progress in networking, especially in the areas of TCP/IP and Linux related, have been fairly consistent and gradual over time, so even if there were some few changes to one of the apps config procedures, etc.. it wouldn't really be that big of a hindrance.

So, I bought it. and I don't regret it. Great work so far as I have been flipping through it.


PS. I remember the days when I was an ace toker too. now all you get are seeds, not worth it. LOL

Big Bear

[bigbearomaha]

Holy Moly Carla,

This Networking cookbook is really done well.

I think the layout, presentation of problem/solution/discussion is great. no nonsense, straight to work.

I wish more books would take this approach.

Hands down, one of the best Linux books I have bought.

No kidding.

Big Bear