20021217 Lockergnome Penguin Shell

12.17.2002 PenguinREPORT

The plot thickens.

Following up on the story we reported last week, Business 2.0 expands upon the theory posed by the Meta Group that Microsoft will support Linux by late 2004. According to the article, Microsoft officials were, at best, irritated by the report. However, Business 2.0 takes the position that the more shocking headline would have been "Microsoft Not To Run Linux."

Why? Linux's server presence and market growth is continuing unabated. Meta Group pegs Linux's market share at 15 to 20 percent of new server operating-system shipments. By 2006 or 2007, the report predicts, Linux will be on 45 percent of new servers. Giga Information Group estimates that Linux server software providers were a $1.5 billion market in 2000 and a $2.5 billion market in 2002, and they will grow into a $15 billion market by 2007. Linux has plenty of potential, as the software can run on everything from mainframes to mobile devices.

The fundamentals of the theory boil down to this: Microsoft simply can't walk away from 40% of its future market. Applications ported to Linux by Microsoft certainly won't be free or released under a GPL-type license. There are IT departments aplenty willing to pay for MLinux-ish versions of current MS server apps. Despite the public outcry from Microsoft, this 40% figure approaches critical mass for Redmond. Given the anticipated short time frame to achieve that market share, I'd guess that this discussion has already taken place in the Microsoft headquarters.

LindowsOS today announced its "Hassle Free Reseller Program." Copies of LindowsOS will be available at a flat fee pricing structure for resellers. They've also struck a new pre-install deal with Nova Computech, Inc. for systems with Lindows installed. Despite the worst of circumstances (as we noted in the LindowsOS review), Lindows continues to roll on.

There's a quick and interesting article on Newsforge describing the first six months of Linux use. The article notes:

Another myth I'd like to dispel is the ease of use of the Linux desktop. With a little reading, and some trial-and-error testing, Linux has proven to be very accommodating.

That's good to see from a first time user, especially after a reasonably extended period of initial use. While I doubt that it will put to rest the "not ready for the desktop" Linux slam, it's a nice confirmation that Linux is making bigtime desktop improvements.

ZDNet recently ran a SuSE/Red Hat Shootout. The conclusions of the ZD Labs aren't a big surprise to many. The SuSE desktop is cleaner, while Red Hat is more stable. Personally, I think it's a toss-up for look and feel the new Red Hat design. Configuration is, indeed, a bit simpler in SuSE, as well, as we've seen in this distro review round. The shootout is an interesting read that will, no doubt, spark some discussion.

Finally, from inside the Locker-sphere, don't forget about our newest addition: the Lockergnome forums. There's an active Linux group there, as well as nearly any other tech and computer-oriented group you could need. Though I don't have solid numbers, it looks as though literally thousands have signed up - free! - so the experience pool is growing by the day. If you can't find an answer in the forums, the problem's just not solvable. My postings have been limited, but I do hope to see you there soon.

Have a great Wednesday.

Tony Steidler-Dennison

GnomeTWEAK

Firewall Boxes - Part V

Yesterday, we talked about configuring the interfaces to both the WAN and the LAN. Using two or more Network Interface Cards, you make a connection to the outside world and establish an internal network that will be hidden. This assumes that you're connected via a full-time high speed connection, such as a cable modem or faster.

Connecting your firewall box to the 'Net using a modem is a bit more complex, though far from difficult. Fundamentally, you'll need to tweak several configuration files.

ifcfg-ppp0 controls the hardware settings for the modem.
ifcfg-chat controls the login to your isp and the communcations with the Internet.
diald is the dialup daemon. It makes it possible to dial your ISP on demand from your system.
ip-up and ip-down configure the rules that will shape your firewall traffic. With a dialup connection, it's necessary to re-establish these rules each time the network interface changes, i.e: when the modem connects or disconnects.

If you've had some success at creating a modem connection with your Linux box in the past, many of these files will exist on your system already. They take several steps to accomplish something that already exists in a full-time on connection to the 'Net.

Once these scripts are in place and working, configuring the internal network is fundamentally the same as the configuration for a full time connection. Internal addresses must be assigned, with the firewall box serving as the gateway, as discussed in yesterday's issue.

Rather than driving off into another 25-part series on these items, here are some useful resources for setting these configurations, where necessary, to connect to the 'Net via your modem.

ifcfg-ppp0: ppp-2.3.5
General: Firewall and Proxy Server HowTo
Linux and Modems: Modem HowTo
Firewalls: Firewall HowTo
diald: diald HowTo

Tomorrow, we'll look at the necessary elements of the kernel configuration to lock your Linux firewall box down tight.

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GnomeCORE

Logging In

There's so much going on behind the scenes in Linux, sometimes it's hard to know just what you're seeing. What process must be called in order for x to be possible? How does that process work? Are there related or dependent processes that must also be called. Much happens in a Linux system that is, from all indications, pretty seamless. But that's the purpose of the GnomeCORE section of Penguin Shell - to uncover and explain these processes. This is the kind of stuff I always wonder about, especially when the system works exactly as it's supposed to.

One of those mysteries is the process of allowing a user to login. What happens that allows a user to actually be logged into a system? It's actually a three-part process using three different programs. Logging into a system requires init, getty and login. We'll talk about these processes some this week. They have much deeper implications to your system than mere logins, but their connection for that purpose is instructive.

init is, really, the mother of all processes. In fact, it really is the mother. It's the parent process for all other processes on your Linux system. In other words, it's the top-level process that spawns all others. init is launched as the last step of the kernel boot process. It checks the file /etc/inittab for the default runlevel. The runlevel is a definition of which group of processes will be allowed to exist. For instance, runlevel 0 halts the system. No programs are allowed to exist in runlevel 0. Runlevel 5 on a Red Hat machine allows X Window to run, while runlevel 3 allows all most applications except X Window.

So, init checks to see what set of programs are allowed to run in your system by default, by checking for the default runlevel.

init also controls autonomous processes - those that don't require a user. They're spawned and controlled by init which almost serves the function of a user.

init monitors all the child processes spawned by your programs or input. When a child process is terminated, init notes the termination and the reason in /var/run/utmp and /var/log/wtmp. You've heard of zombied processes? These are child processes that, by some error, have survived the parent. They have no parent process reference by which they can be killed. They're tough, but not impossible to terminate.

Finally, init spawns getty. getty is the at the heart of the login process and is the topic of tomorrow's GnomeCORE.

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GnomeFILE

ClarkConnect Internet Gateway 1.2

http://www.clarkconnect.org/

"ClarkConnect is a software package that transforms an old beat up PC into a smart, simple, and secure Internet gateway and server for your home or small office network. In addition to connection sharing, the software comes with a strong firewall, Apache, dynamic DNS utilities, and Samba file sharing. The software is based on Red Hat Linux."

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GnomeVOICE

Correcting An Error
Scribbled by Pete Prodoehl

"Movable Type is not open source.

"Read the license, and read up on the issues surrounding it. Six Apart can revoke the license at any time, and you'd have to comply by DELETING Movable Type immediately. (Though not your data.)

"Also, Movable Type is $150.00 for a 'commercial' license, and you may have to discuss with Six Apart what exactly a 'commercial' web site is.

"The license (and surrounding issues) is what prevents me from using it in my projects...

"Besides all that, it's a great piece of software, just know that it's not open source, and it's not 'no cost' to anyone who wants to use it."

Recommend It!
Speak your GnomeVOICE

GnomeCLICK

Security Archive

http://security-archive.merton.ox.ac.uk/

The Security Archive is a collection of security notices from the Bugtraq, CERT, Linux-security, Linux-alert, rootshell, security-discuss and security-audit mailing lists. Given that 95% of the security alerts pass through these lists, the Security Archive is as comprehensive a picture of network security as you're going to find anywhere. The lists are broken out by month, dating back to November, 1997. A search interface would make the site a bit easier to use, but it's a good repository nonetheless. If you have questions about network security issues related to a specific program or protocol, the Security Archive probably has your answer.

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