My love hate relationship with Linux
Finally, after trying on and off, for over three years I've got a working Linux install that I am happy with. This time everything worked - the server I installed it on is on the network and all my windows PCs can share files with it. It is running Apache and MySQL and PHP, and all without any extra effort. The difference with the install that I tried this time is that I chose Red Hat. I should have known all along to use the most popular but, instead, I've been messing round with the likes of Caldera and SuSE, never being happy with the final result. This lead me to my conclusion that Linux will never make it to the desktop. Now I might have to change my mind. Red Hat Linux is pretty slick.
The reason I tried Linux again was a conversation I had with Erwin van Hunen. He mentioned that he'd managed to easily get Puakma installed on Linux. I asked which Linux it was and next thing I knew, having taken his advice that there was no need to go out and buy it, I was downloading 1.2GB of disc images from their FTP site. Less than a day later and I had my very own Linux server. Thanks to Erwin. Who, you may have noticed if you followed the above link, has ported the DomBlog template to Puakma. Notice the URL ends in .pma! Nice work.
My next decision is whether to "upgrade" my Domino server from Windows 2000 to Linux. As far as I can see there's no reason whatsoever not to. Maybe I will even go as far as this and rid myself of everything Microsoft (via Vowe.net). Then again, maybe not. I really don't think I could use anything but Windows as my main desktop!!
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Jake,
Good to see your going for Linux.
I am undecided and have been playing around with knoppix to see if I like Linux. The nice thing about knoppix is you put the cd in the drive, reboot the pc and you have functioning linux on your pc without an install. Yes it is slow, but at least it gives you a taster of linux without having to wipe your pc. The only thing I had to to set up manually was my printer.
I have been assured by a friend that you are able to run Notes R5 client (Not sure about Designer or Administer) on Linux using Crossover Office.
So I really have no excuse for not going for linux. Maybe one day.
Jack
I'm not sure what Crossover Office is, but I've heard you can run all of the Lotus products on Linux using Wine or other Windows emulators. Which, granted, kind of defeats the purpose...
Jake,
Which build of Redhat are you using? Last one I tried still was heck and back getting a floppy drive or modem recognized. And then when I saw what needed doing to run some of the warez I have... I quietly put the cd's back on the shelf and crossed myself, vowing never to touch them again. ;-)
I'm dead tired of trying to keep windows machines clean and virus free, though, so if you can share any Redhat tips and further encouragement, all the better for the rest of us pondering the plunge.
Jerry, it's version 9.
As with any install of any OS on any machine it hit-and-miss whether the install goes smoothly.
My install was on an IBM xSeries server that was "designed" for Linux. Hence, it went well. I expect all the parts are fairly standard.
This is why I am now happy with RedHat. Had it not gone well, I would have been lost and incapable of installing hardware etc.
Got no tips as such. I was just lucky.
That's really the "secret" to any stable OS installation, isn't it? Getting drivers that work from the get-go, I mean.
I think the only thing really holding the Linux desktop back now (apart from the paucity of truly top-notch desktop apps) is an interoperability standard. As much as I think OLE/COM can be a real pain in the buttocks some times, it does allow one to do some truly kewl stuff without having to rewrite the world. What we need are standards-based application acccess wrappers and a "Visual Studio .NIX" that can grab and "understand" them. A lot of corporate apps are bespoke, and absent a reasonably RAD means of making them in a Linux environment, MS should remain safe for a long time to come.
CrossOver Office - you can run all of R5 clients very nicely on CrossOver Office but NOT any of R6 clients.
To Esther - CrossOver Office is very similar to Wine but supports only a number of Windows Apps - those it supports i.e. MS Office, IE & R5 it supports very well. You do not need a windows licence which you do with Win4Lin.
The latest from IBM indicates that a java based Lotus Workplace for Linux is due shortly. Web Access 6.5 (iNotes) works extremely well under Linux desktop browsers.
To Jake - presumably you will be loading Domino on RH also - you can bind it to a separate IP to Apache. Works a treat.
What advice were you given about using Red Hat Linux? I've not followed the whole open source thing, but am I right in thinking that if I choose to download RH Linux and run it as a server it is licenced but I don't get support?
Jim - No plans to disrupt my Domino setup as yet. It lives quite happily on a Windows 2000 server as it is.
Simon - The advice was from Erwin van Hunen who convinced me, on a whim, to install Linux and to use Red Hat. It's also the one flavour that I hear good things about all the time. It seems the default to talk about Red Hat when talking about Linux nowadays.
It's licenced (by the GNU) but, you're right, you don't get support. You can joing the Red Hat Network though for about the price you save by not buying the boxed CDs and you get support.
Who needs support anyway? Get your sleeves rolled up and get stuck in.
Just converted Domino R6 from Windows 2000 server to Linux(Mandrake 9.1) although redhat(9.0) worked ok too. Chose Mandrake because it had a more up to date version of apache and I also use tomcat-apache-jk2 connector for j2ee apps.
Get that Domino server onto Linux. You won't regret it - far far more stable. We run one W32 server and loads of Linux variants - do I need to say which requires physical rebooting most often ?
Domino on Linux is our USP - hey we own the domain name - www.domino-on-linux.co.uk - RH is fine, Suse is OK but the best without a shadow is something called Engarde Secure Professional - not free because the web configuaration interface and on-line updates cost but very stable and very secure as a server distro - there is no X client. Having said that it is free for personal use and there is a HowTo on our site for the R6 install.
IMHO the major problem with installing Domino on Linux is that IBM keep screwing up the install script but you just need to know where to look and its a relativley easy process.
Linux as a desktop - almost there but not quite yet.
Have any of you tried Mandrake 9.1 ? I have been a Red Hat fan upto now and have Red Hat 8 running fine but I must say I was very impressed with Mandrake (especially for Desktop use)
Has anyone tried using a Mac for a Domino server ?
I am led to believe Mac hardware can run Unix/Linux (OS X is meant to be the verisimilitude of Unix) -- I have heard of a large install base in the US -- but I am not sure of the details.
Anyone tried it?
Patrick
Patrick - no but am sure someone has. I did see somewhere that someone had run Domino on Linux on an XBox - quite why I don't know but they have.
Patrick, probably the best bet is to try and do it on top of the X11 project - {Link}
Hi.
Welcome to Linux world!
I like SuSE Linux. It's installed in my two home PC's. I installed Domino on SuSE Linux 7.2 two years ago. No problem. It worked at first time.
Yes, Linux is more difficult than Windows but is more stable, secure and fast thant Windows ....
You have *A LOT* of desktops in Linux. You can use another desktops instead of Gnome or KDE.
Regards.
Patrick, I have a friend who has set up 2 macs with linux. I will try and find out what version of linux he used.
A few urls for linux on macs.
{Link}
{Link}
Can anyone recommend backup software for Domino on Linux? That's the biggest concern for my IT department.
I have tried both Red Hat 8 and Xandros as desktop replacements for W2k, with an
operating Notes client as one of a few primary criteria. Red Hat is better
supported, but I think harder for Windows users to migrate to. Xandros is the current version of Corel Linux, now split off as a separate organization. It was designed to be a Windows replacement. You can buy a version with Crossover that will run MS Office and the Notes clients (at least R5). I've found few problems running all three clients, and most of them trivial. You could add an independent copy of Crossover to Red Hat and probably get similar results, though without the general similarity of Xandros to Windows. I haven't tried
running Domino in Linux.