Linux Implementation Proposal: Client Response Memo

Linux Implementation Proposal - Client Memo

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Target Audience

The Linux Implementation Proposal - Client Memo is addressed to the senior management of Faster Computing. The purpose of this document is to explain in detail the benefits as well as complexity of the Linux Migration and address questions and concerns in regards to the compatibility and usability of the Linux OS with current hardware and systems in place.

Data Encryption and Security

Linux OS provides numerous ways in which files are securely shared over the network and workgroup. Linux systems supports SSH, FTP, SMB, and web day. These protocols allow for sharing data over a secured network connection to mitigate the risk of information being leaked or breached. Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) is an access control security mechanism provided in the kernel. Data encryption is a modest way of storing information without worrying about external access to sensitive company data. Linux OS offers various unique kinds of technology that allows for data encryption and decryption. The loopback components of the Linux OS software ensure that files are encrypted and at the same time decrypted (Boelen, 2018).

File Access and File Sharing on the Network

You can choose from among numerous browsers that range in both scope and feature. The most commonly used web browsers for most users (especially Windows users) are Chrome and Firefox. Chrome is the fastest web browser in the computer world, and therefore, is most installed with Linux OS distributions such as Debian. The Chromium (Chrome for Linux) web browser comes installed most Debian-based distributions and is an open-source version of Chrome that works really well and stands up feature-to-feature against its proprietary. Firefox has been the most popular browser for the Linux OS, and therefore, comes already installed and set as the default web browser in most Linux OS (Wallen, 2011). In regards to Office Suite, Linux users can use LibreOffice, Google Docs, and Microsoft Web Application. To use the desktop version of Microsoft Office, a Linux user can install a Linux OS distro that supports Microsoft Office applications such as Robolinux, install Linux distro Wine that is Windows compatible, or install Windows on a VM within the Linux OS and run their Microsoft Office applications from the VM (Hoffman, 2017).

Linux System Administration

Most distributions such as Robolinux, Linux Mint, and Chalet OS comes with built-in commands and add-on tools to assist in administering and monitoring Linux process management. These tools are essentials for Windows Administrators migrating to a Linux environment. The table below highlights Windows commands that are equivalent to Linux commands when it comes to administering process management:

Table 1: Windows Commands and Equivalent Unix Commands
Command	Windows	Unix
Directory list	DIR	ls
Change directory	CD	cd
Make directory	MD	mkdir
Remove Directory	RD	rmdir
Delete	DEL	rm
Echo	ECHO	echo
Display file contents	TYPE	cat
Copy a file	COPY	cp
Move a file	MOVE	mv
Rename a file	REN	mv
Display current user	WHOAMI	whoami
Locate file	WHERE	whereis
List running processes	TASKLIST	ps -ef
Recursive copy	XCOPY	cp -R
Display date	DATE	date
Display time	TIME	date
Sort file contents	SORT	sort
Display current directory	CD	pwd
Display environment variables	SET	set or env
Wait for x seconds	SLEEP x	sleep x
Run command with elevated privileges	RUNAS	sudo
Show PATH	PATH	echo $PATH
List open files	OPENFILES	lsof
Display IP address info	IPCONFIG	ifconfig
Search for a string in a file	FIND	grep
Change file attributes	ATTRIB	chmod
Filesystem check/diagnostics	CHKDSK	fsck

Table 1 - Windows Commands and Equivalent UNIX Commands (Hess, K. n.d).

The Linux terminal uses a number of commands that displays and manage running processes. Commands such as top, htop, ps, pstree, kill, pkill, killall, xkill, pgrep and renice ate common commands used in the Linux environment to manage processes. There are also Linux OS that offers a user-friendly GUI for those who wish to administer their Linux OS from a graphical interface versus the command prompt line.

Linux has a special directory for storing event logs. This directory is known as /var/log. Within this log directory are logs from the Linux OS itself, and various applications running on the system. The log files generated in a Linux environment can typically be classified into four categories, which are application logs, event logs, service logs, and system logs. Below are the some critical Linux log files that a system administrator must monitor:

· Generic system activity logs - /var/log/messages

· Authentication related events - /var/log/auth.log

· Usage of authorization systems - /var/log/secure

· Booting related information - /var/log/boot.log

· Hardware devices and drivers info - /var/log/dmesg

· Kernel logs - /var/log/kern.log

· Security breaches and brute-force attacks - /var/log/faillog

· Cron jobs - /var/log/cron

· Software installations - /var/log/yum.log

· Mail server logs - /var/log/mail.log

· Apache server logs - /var/log/httpd

· MySQL logs - /var/log/mysqld.log or /var/log/mysql.log (Marcel, 2018)

The Different Flavors of Linux

There are many different versions of Linux that caters to Windows users. In our Linux Implementation Proposal presentation, Go2Linux recommended Robolinux Debian OS with the Cinnamon Linux desktop as one of the best user-friendly distro OS that caters to Windows users who are Linux beginners by providing a familiar graphical user interface that has the software capabilities to fully run Windows applications within the Linux OS environment. Most importantly, Robolinux with Cinnamon desktop environment offers nice graphical effects and a rethought application menu that closely resembles the Windows desktop environment for easy navigation and usability for new Linux users. You can also setup a Windows VM in Robolinux to run your Windows applications in a Windows environment until you get the hang of running your Windows application in a Linux environment.

Another comparable Linux OS distro to Robolinux is Linux Mint and Chalet OS. Linux Mint is one of the most liked Linux OS distributions in the Linux community for its ease of use and intuitive interface. Linux Mint offers Cinnamon desktop, as well as Mate and XFCE, and provides familiar Windows desktop elements for Windows users who are new to the world of Linux. Just like with Robolinux, Linux Mint also provides automatic updates that will run in the background and not affect system performance during live production. Chalet OS is another Linux OS distro that offers the sleek look and feel of Windows. Chalet OS also offers a familiar GUI that resembles a Windows desktop and the performance of Chalet OS will make a Windows user feel as if they are operating within a Windows desktop environment. However, Chalet OS does not come bundled with an Office Suites like Robolinux and Linux Mint (Kimari, 2019).

Linux Software Installation

Software installations on a Linux system involves package manager and software repositories. Package manager does all of the work for you in regards to compiling, installing, and updating software on a Linux system. The beauty with installing software on a Linux system is that each Linux distribution hosts their own software repositories. These repositories contain software packages specially compiled for each Linux distribution and version. With Windows, a user would have to manually download and install applications from the applications’ websites that is compatible with their version of Windows. With Linux, a user will tell the package manager to install a desired software and package manager will automatically download the appropriate package from its configured software repositories, install it, and set it up – all without you having to click through wizards or hunt down .exe files on websites. Another amazing benefit of package manager is that it will automatically download all released updates for all installed software from the software repositories, requiring less nuisance alerts of software updates and no downtime for the updates to take effect once applied in the background of the Linux system (Hoffman, 2016).

Linux System Compatibility

In order to switch to Linux OS, Faster Computing will not require a change of hardware. Since some features of Windows 7 and 10 are developed using Unix Software, Linux is fully compatible with provided hardware for Windows OS. What is great about the Linux OS is that Linux comes in various ranges that can be customized and satisfy a business given their varied interests. Notably, the inclusion of Linux on the hardware that Faster Computing currently use would leave the organization with the alternative of using specific versions of Linux software that fits the needs of the organization. Linux offers various software versions released during the same period as Windows 7 and 10 software. Therefore, Linux can work on similar computer specifications, which is a great benefit since this means less complication in the migration and integration of Linux with Windows systems. The network provided by Faster Computing offers a broach range of Linux OS that can be installed and enabled to run smoothly with ease (IT Pro Team, 2020). As mentioned in our Linux Implementation Proposal presentation, Linux Cinnamon graphical user interface (GUI) caters to Windows users by providing a familiar graphical user interface similar to Windows while also allowing users to run Windows applications within a Linux Debian OS(such as Robolinux) efficiently and effortlessly.

References

Boelen, M. June 23, 2018. “How to Secure a Linux System”. Linux Audit. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://linux-audit.com/how-to-secure-linux-systems-auditing-hardening-and-security/.

Hess, K. n.d. “Linux Essentials for Windows Admins – Basics”. Admin Network & Security. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.admin-magazine.com/Articles/Linux-Essentials-for-Windows-Admins-Part-1.

Hoffman, C. September 28, 2016. “How Software Installation & Package Managers Work On Linux”. How-To-Geek. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.howtogeek.com/117579/htg-explains-how-software-installation-package-managers-work-on-linux/.

Hoffman, C. July 3, 2017. “How to Install Microsoft Office on Linux”. How-To-Geek. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.howtogeek.com/171565/how-to-install-microsoft-office-on-linux/.

IT Pro Team. March 21, 2020. “Windows vs Linux: what's the best operating system?”. ITPro. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.itpro.co.uk/operating-systems/24841/windows-vs-linux-whats-the-best-operating-system.

Kimari, K. April 8, 2019. “5 of the Best Linux Distros for Windows Users in 2019”. MakeTechEasier. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.maketecheasier.com/best-linux-distro-for-windows-users/.

Marcel. April 19, 2018. “12 Critical Linux Log Files you must be Monitoring”. EUROVPS. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.eurovps.com/blog/important-linux-log-files-you-must-be-monitoring/.

Wallen, J. January 11, 2011. “10 Web browsers for the Linux operating system”. TechRepublic. Retrieved on April 19, 2020 from https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10-things/10-web-browsers-for-the-linux-operating-system/.

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