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IBM's Linux Upgrade Roadmap
petrus4 writes "IBM have put together a nine-part series on upgrading from various incarnations of Windows (NT in particular) to Linux. Although it's mainly aimed at corporate customers, it's a good read, and could help the Linux advocacy effort in general."
Am I the only one who gets a tingly feeling deep inside when I read about IBM and linux? It just feels so nice to be backed by a mountain of hard cold cash ^_^
Do they answer how to buy IBM computers without being forced to also buy a preinstalled Windows? Do they answer why they still "recommend Windows XP Professional" for their laptops? Do they answer where to get Linux support for their hardware - including wlan, power management etc.?
What they are discussing is migration from NTx to *nix
While I look forward to the day a Linux distro can upgrade an NT system, carrying forward system settings, user passwords, domain logons and applications carried across into WINE, this isn't happening anytime soon.
I'd be surprised if it doesn't happen eventually, though.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
That article is about how to learn Linux, not how to convert your shop to Linux. A conversion guide would have more info about how to convert data, which is the real problem.
So if IBM is now going to be using Suse, does this mean that the Blue Linux rumor is bogus?
While some may consider it an upgrade (and pretty much everyone here at least would call it an upgrade), most average joe PC users might not. Afterall, he loses MS Office (and yes, I'm aware of the alternatives, but again, Joe Average might not), a lot of his games (WINE/etc might not be the best option), and everything he is familiar with.
We're assuming you already have Linux installed.
While the article does point you to linux.org for choosing a distro and whatnot, any good guide to switching to linux should at least cover the basic installation methods and what you'll need to think about before installing. Since distros have different installers, you don't want to get too indepth or focus on any one installer, but it should at least cover ideas that would be universal or at least common to getting ready to install linux.
WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
Information like this has been needed for a long time, there are plenty of HowTo's and Man pages around, but not much information to help with the actual transfer from Windows to Linux. Good job IBM.
Very elegantly put ;)
["If you have been using Windows for a long time, you are accustomed to rebooting the system for many reasons, from software installation to correcting problems with a service. This is a habit you will need to change to start thinking in Linux. Linux tends to be rather Newtonian in nature. Once set in motion, it will tend to stay in motion until it is acted upon by an outside force, such as a hardware failure."]
1. Buy any machine equipped with an IBM Travelstar or Deskstar Hard drive.
2. Install Windows OS and any related applications
3. After the IBM drive crashes and destroys your data (6 to 8 mos), you can install Linux without worrying about prior data.
I get that same warm, tingly feeling inside as did the members of Team OS/2 in the old days.
The list IBM covers is quite handy for training others who think Windows is the beggining and end of what computers can do.
(That said, I would be careful using Webmin -- Step 3 -- as it can cause problems, though as an introduction when a more experienced admin is around it is OK.)
Is this useful for you and me directly? No. Can these texts help us by making conversations with the Windows-obsessed but willing less frustrating? Yes.
Here's the list from the link;
The first step to success in Linux is learning to think in Linux. Take what you already know and redirect it to doing things the Linux way.
Step 2. Console crash course Linux provides great power and flexibility through the console. If it has been a while since you've spent much time at the command prompt, take a little time to reacquaint yourself with this environment by reviewing common commands you'll use all the time.
Step 3. Introduction to Webmin
While it is important to know the nuts and bolts of administration, it is often more convenient to have a tool. Also, a higher-level application makes complex configurations easier to handle. Webmin provides point-and-click configuration for beginning and experienced administrators.
Step 4. User administration If a system has no users, is it really a system? Learn about the Linux approach to users.
Step 5. Linux logging Linux makes extensive use of logging. Nothing is hidden from you. Becoming comfortable and familiar with logs will allow you to monitor the health of your system and track activities.
Step 6. Working with file systems File systems are at the heart of every server. Linux provides a lot of flexibility in its file systems.
Step 7. Networking
Working unconnected is unthinkable in today's world. Linux on the network unleashes its full potential. However, Linux networking looks very different on its face. You'll need to learn some new terminologies and new tools.
Step 8. Backup and recovery
The first line of defense against disaster is a backup of the data. Linux provides different options, some of which are very simple to work with.
Step 9. Installing software
Linux can use prepackaged binary files, or you can compile programs directly from source code. The tools for installing Linux programs are very useful and provide functionality you might not expect.
A firewall can not protect you from yourself. Turn off what you do not need. Do not use the firewall to do your work.
Step 2. Console crash course I think this is is the fundamental obstacle to the success of linux in the desktop. It is completely unrealistic to expect your avg user ( the type who never even consider changing their homepage because they dont know how ) to work with a console. And lets face it, linux today still requires you to work with a console for alot of things, esp software/hardware installation and system configuration.
In fact, I just finished installing a wireless card in my linux box. Comprared, to windows, where I pop in a cd and hit install, under linux I had to:
1: make & make install the software
2: install some necessary wireless libraries
3: manually configure the wireless card's config file
4: set the kernel to intialize ath0 at startup
now to a techie following a recipie, this is a piece of cake. However, it is quite beyond the capabilities of your avg windows user.
First point on roadmap.
Change businessmodel from:
1: Do stuff.
2: sell it.
3: Profit!
To:
1: Do stuff.
2: Give it away for free.
3: Hmmm.....
almost every time someone mentions nt to linux data migration, i mention that if someone pays me money, i'll do the work.
r yone-we-send-documents-to-can't-read-them fees could instead pay me to do the development work on exchange and nt domains compatibility - and then NEVER HAVE TO PAY THEM AGAIN.
the migration tools for nt 4 style domains would take about 2 to 3 weeks to do: most of the work has already been done, it's a matter of documenting it, checking it and making it easier to use.
the open source migration tools for nt 5 (aka w2k) style domains would take a bit longer: a few months, at most, though, as various efforts (e.g. heimdal) are already underway.
the open source migration tools for exchange, now _that's_ a challenge, requiring about twelve to eighteen man-months of work to get somewhere.
i know someone who has done most of the work already, in his spare time: it's proprietary but if an open source exchange project was to seriously take off, i know he'd consider releasing some of his code to 1) help out 2) make sure _his_ copyright notices are at the top of the files, because in open source just as in the proprietary world, the _first_ person to release is the one that tends to take off, not the best.
ironically, just ONE company with more than one hundred employees that will be looking to pay microsoft's next set of exorbitant upgrade-because-everyone-else-has-and-oh-look-eve
If someone feels like spending a lot of time in court, start writing an app for the following specs:
0) Install spare HD and set BIOS to boot from CD, restart.
1) Knoppix-based CD boots the server
2) VMWare installation on CD boots the Windows OS from the HD on top of Linux.
3) Various scripts portscan the VMWare-running server and scans the filesystem for info, creates a Linux installation on the empty disk and copies all services and shared files to this new installation. Creates Samba server to host login/password info if needed (PDC). Copies Exchange server, IIS, DNS etc. etc. Shutdown when finished.
4) Swap the old intact primary HD with the brand new disk and restart, booting the new Linux clone. Test and apply any manual changes if needed.
5) Sell these scripts as Linux Migration Kit.
6) Get sued.
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
cat
Yeah unfortunately this requires something Americans and most modern business-types don't have...
It's called long term planning. Sure right this instant it may cost more to move to Linux from WinNT. However, what about when license renewal day comes around? What happens when WinNT is no longer supported [e.g. no patches for the day-to-day exploits?] etc, etc, etc...
In the long run the average linux distro [say Gentoo] will cost a hell of a lot less.
And hey, if it requires the users to learn a bit about computers is that really such a bad thing? I mean for the most part people can just use KDE and be happy for it. For other things they can learn the fun way, google for it.
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
The title of this post is a bit misleading--the series doesn't really tell you how to upgrade your system landscape from NT to Linux at all, it's merely a Linux tutorial for Windows users. I can see no corporate aspects discussed.
I have used things like this in the past from companies like RedHat abd Mandrake to convince people that Linux is not "only for nerds" and "too hard". Now that IBM has this, it is perceived as having come from a third party, as IBM still is not thought of as a "Linux Company". This will likely help in my fight to get Linux on my corporate desktops. Go IBM!
bash: rtfm: command not found
To start with, because the interface is so similar, plus "Hey it's just Windows!" comments from superiors means that few are taking the time to learn the intricate differences. (such as permissions and account handling)
Then you get the broken programs.
Then you get the boss who has [what he calls] critical data in an older version of Access that you must now move to [new] Access, which seems to be impossible in certain (read many) cases.
Or, I can implement an IBM-driven Linux-based solution that would force superiors to treat it differently, plus I would have more control over whether or not to continue on the upgrade path to future versions. Microsoft doesn't give me that. To stay secure, even using their loose definition, means continually upgrading, breaking software, data, and perceptions all the while sending them more money.
Oh, how I wanted to get out of that cycle at my last job. Now, I might be stuck implementing it, but at least I'm not responsible for the mess my superiors make trying to fall in line behind Microsoft.
Kudos to IBM for making it reasonably easy to know what's in store for those trying to get away from Microsoft.
"Are you on some kind of medication?"
"No"
"Well, you should be."
--Bean
Yeah! Roadmaps are for sheep! Real Men pretend to know where they're going!
Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
The current business model using Windows is:
1. Do stuff
2. Report plenty of bugs, RFEs to MS for free
3. Pay annual licensing fees to MS
3a. Hope that Microsoft won't screw you by making changes to their s/w that help their bottom line but hurt you
4. Hope enough money is left over from your core business
With OSS s/w, this becomes
1. Do stuff
2. Report plenty of bugs, RFEs to OSS project (occasionally fix/implement one) for free
3. Make profit from your core business
In both cases, you do free work for other people, but with OSS, all the free work is aggregated and you don't pay for it over and over again. With MS, you end up paying for the same piece of software and for the volunteer work of others and yourself not just once, but over and over again. Furthermore, with MS and other commercial s/w vendors, you constantly run the risk that they will screw you by discontinuing or changing products you depend on, and you have no recourse.
The business case for OSS is easy to make: OSS greatly reduces risks and cost of ownership. OSS isn't without any costs, but it is cheaper on balance.
Note that OSS is a business model and money saver for the actual end users, comapnies whose business is not the creation of the OSS itself, but something else. Founding a s/w company that creates OSS and makes money from it is, as you yourself observe, a long shot and only works rarely. And that's OK.
But before you get too enthusiastic, remember that they're treating Linux strictly as a server OS. Go to their web site and try to find a single desktop, workstation, or laptop that does not come bundled with Windows. You don't even have the option of buying the system witout an OS!