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Red Hat Advanced Server Gets DoD COE Certification
DaveAtFraud writes "CNET is reporting that Red Hat Advanced server has been certified as a 'Common Operating Environment' (COE) when running on an IBM server by the U.S. Department of Defense. Red Hat Advanced Server is the first version of Linux to receive this certification. The certification clears the way for broader use of Linux in governement computer systems. Its interesting to note that the certification effort was made for the more proprietary (and costlier) Red Hat Advanced Server and not the basic Red Hat distribution." This despite the best efforts of certain lobbyists.
Read the RH press release here.
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
... isn't that the same certification than the one we scoffed at when Windows 2000 got it?
Nonsense.
Anyone can download it for free from Red Hat.
You just don't get the support for free.
Mirrors: http://www.redhat.com/download/mirror.html
Check the "enterprise" directory.
Not to mention that the certification is only valid for a specific version of the OS (what Microsoft neglected to say back when they were selling NT 4.0 was that it's NT 3.5 that is C2-certified).
The Advanced Server is released every one and a half year or so - the desktop OS every six months. Personally I find it a very agreeable deal - the free users get faster releases and contribute towards bug testing, the paying customers get what they want, slower but longer-supported (and now certified too) releases.
Michel
Fedora Project Contribut
Disclaimer - I work for the DoD but i don't speak for them.
:)
"Segments" are basically customized software installs for COE. This includes Government produced software (Government Off the Shelf, GOTS) and commercial software (Commercial Off the Shelf, COTS). For instance there is a "segment" that installs Netscape.
These segment installs basically install the software such that it conforms to the COE environment. For example, applications must live in a certain path, follow a certain naming scheme, use certain environment variables to find things, only put user data in a certain place, etc, etc. Think "rpms" or FreeBSD packages - segments are just big tar balls with a standardized format and install scripts
The segments are available via DISA to those programs that are developing COE software - you have to show proof of need and sponsorship (i.e. somebody has to pay somewhere along the way for you to have access). Basically if you are developing applications for the DoD, you can get them - we have to get them through a certain chain of command. I think vendors can get access, but you have to talk to the DISA folks about how that works.
/* ICBM Coordinates 32.78N, 79.93W */
I haven't seen a COE Linux environment, but based on my experience with COE Solaris, I can tell you that the answer is a bit more complicated.
Starting from a bare system, you first install the COTS (Common Off The Shelf) OS (RHAS, in this case). This will likely be a "custom" install since it will likely have some strange partition requirements.
On top of this, you would then install the COE "kernel". This is a core set of COE services, scripts, utilities, etc. Part of this process is the creation of several user accounts (sysadmin, etc) as well as a general lockdown of the box (no root logins allowed, lots of permission changes, etc.) This step will also likely involve installation of package updates to close various security holes.
From there, one would install the various "segments" (COE name for packages) needed to set the box up for a specific usage.
Personally, I'm curious to see if the COE kernel will load on top of a regular RH 8.0. I can see having RHAS for target systems, but it would be nice to be able to use the regular version as a development platform.
Corporate Gadfly
Jonathan Archer: the most beaten up Enterprise captain in Star Trek history
What Red Hat calls 2.4.9 has hundreds of patches compared to what Linus called 2.4.9.
Comparing that to Solaris, I have no idea where you pulled out the 11.5 year life cycle. According to Sun's web page, it's 5 years from last ship date. Reference this page: http://wwws.sun.com/software/solaris/fcc/lifecycle .html
I will admit that 5 years from last ship is greater than 5 years from initial ship, but there's no way in hell it's an 8.5 year delta like you're trying to claim.
Ya know, "gobs of system management tools" and "a kernel many tricks up it's[sic] sleeve" don't exactly add to much of a review :-). I believe I can honestly claim that Red Hat Linux Advanced Server has "gobs of system management tools" and "a kernel with many tricks up its sleeve". Of course, this claim holds true for Windows too.
How you got moderated to 2 on your post is beyond me...