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What
is an Operating System?
When
you first get a new computer, it is mostly a collection of components
connected together and stuck in a case. There is one small component,
called the BIOS, which knows some things about the machine and
also remembers some other items of information a user or technician
may enter into its data store.
Without
the information in the BIOS, the system would not know, for
instance, the date and time, or what sort of hard disk drive
it should be reading from and writing to.
After
the BIOS has done its little bit, the operating system takes
over. This enables the system to use most of its capability.
The
final gloss on functionality occurs when application software
is loaded.
Why
Select an Operating
System?
Operating
systems possess varying capabilities and attributes.
Some
offer a high level of security. Others offer very efficient
use of disk space. Still others use RAM effectively, run applications
better or worse, are readily scalable or are more costly.
So
when you are purchasing a new file server or workstation, it
can be a worthwhile exercise to examine the available and supportable
operating systems and determine which provides you with the
best solution to address your needs.
What
Operating Systems are Commonly Used?
Lets
cover the file server environment
first. The most common operating systems for this genre of machines
include:
• Windows
Server
• Novell
NetWare
• Linux
• Unix
Linux
and Unix are pretty similar. These operating systems are widely
used in locations where high reliability and low resource demand
are the prime requirements. We use Linux as the operating system
in our firewalls. Others use it for Web and file servers, while
still others use it for application serving.
Windows
is widely used across the board because of its universal acceptance.
It can be a firewall, an application server, a mail server or
a database server. In fact, Windows servers of several versions
are used to do just about anything.
Novell
NetWare used to own the PC-based network operating system space.
It has always been a prime file and print server, and as it
has passed through its various iterations, it has picked up
security, Web, database, communications and Internet access
serving capabilities as well.
What
Each Does Well or Badly?
Linux:
is very stable. It is inexpensive to purchase. It is reliable
and a parsimonious user of resources. Linux runs satisfactorily
on smaller machines and like a rocket on more powerful models.
It is open source, which means that most of the program code
is available in the public domain. Many applications are available
for a very small cost.
However,
Linux does not have the user interface of Windows. Nor did it
have the formal support structure of Microsoft or Novell until
Novell recently started supporting this product. Applications
are written by a varying group of enthusiasts and often differ
because of the pedigree.
Windows:
is well supported and widely used. It has applications to do
just about anything. It suffers from a reputation for poor security,
even though 2003 server has improved this position somewhat.
Windows
is relatively resource hungry, requiring a larger machine than
the other operating systems discussed here to perform a given
task at the same speed.
It
is an excellent application server, offers some hard to find
functionality as standard and has a mass of applications written
for it around the world.
NetWare:
is still a really serious contender. It is stable, efficient,
full functioned and simple to maintain. It is also exceedingly
secure. It has two incarnations: the standard version and a
Small Business Suite.
SBS
comes with all the server-based applications required by small
business. It is a very reliable and economical solution for
those whose needs are met by the technology included. These
are groupware (e-mail and calendar), Apache Web server, MySQL
database, ZENworks provisioning, BorderManager proxy server
and firewall and offers on other software like Veritas backup
and Tobit fax server.
Desktops
The
same variety is available in desktop operating systems. This
will be a whole future eNewsletter on its own. Windows is the
most widely used, but not the only option.
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Thank
you.
Stewart
Rankin Pty Ltd – ACN 007 972 901 & DL & LD Greenhough
trading as
TRIPOS IT
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