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Since its debut in 1991, Linux has continued to quickly evolve as a desktop alternative operating system, as well as an alternative network OS.
We looked at four popular Linux distributions-Caldera OpenLinux Server 3.1, Mandrake ProSuite 8.0, Red Hat Professional Server 7.1 and SuSE Linux Professional 7.2-to see how they worked alongside Windows NT, the technology most likely to be used on the same class of hardware as that used for most Linux installations.
We were particularly interested in how Linux behaved in key networking and Internet application support situations. In testing the latest versions, we found that there were significant differences, even though all of the tools are based on the same Linux core. From Red Hat's support to Caldera's installation ease and SuSE's strong security and administration, each distribution has features tailored to a particular set of needs and a company's place along the Linux adoption curve.
As a group, the programs showed tremendous polish, feature depth and maturity, though there were at least a few key areas in which Microsoft's approach proved superior.
Many people confuse an operating system with its graphical user interface. Although the GUI is not the only part of an operating system, many IT professionals and system administrators are now much more comfortable working with a GUI than with a command line. And having a graphical interface helps many people to visualize and better familiarize themselves with the system. Because of this, we based our testing and evaluation on GUI administration rather than on command-line interface tools.
We focused on how well Linux played in an existing NT environment network, what new features were provided in each distribution and how easy each package was to install, use and manage. We tested them on a Compaq ProLiant ML350, with a 933-MHz Pentium III processor, a 9-GB SCSI hard drive and 256 MB of RAM.
Caldera is ideal for secure remote administration, but it lacks some easy setup tools for firewall and local graphical managing tools.
Mandrake is probably the easiest tool for those making a transition from Windows. It provides a lot of similar administrative tools and a GUI that makes Windows users feel right at home.
Red Hat is a good overall package with good documentation, and...