Timothy
Parker Consulting Incorporated
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UNIX and Linux as an Internet Server We've spent the last two columns putting a Windows server with either Microsoft's IIS or O'Reilly's WebSite Professional in place. If you really don't want to use Windows, the are other alternatives. The two most popular are Unix and Linux. Why use one of the Unix versions (Linux is a version of BSD UNIX with a lot of SVR4 thrown in)? Primarily because this is exactly what Unix was designed to do: manage an Internet services site. Unix kernels for PC machines make much better use of the processor and memory than does Windows, and the operating system has been around for thirty years, is solid, reliable, and many people have expertise in it. It also does a heck of a lot more than Windows, at least as far as development systems goes. When it comes to true commercial Unix versions (as opposed to Linux or FreeBSD), there are two alternatives: an expensive Unix workstation running a Unix version from the manufacturer (AIX from IBM, HP/UX from HP, Solaris from Sun, and so on), or SCO Unix for Intel PCs. Let's assume you don't have a workstation laying around, but you do have an 80486 or Pentium system to use for Unix. There is only one vendor really to consider, and that's Santa Cruz Operation (SCO). SCO makes two operating systems to consider: OpenServer and UnixWare (the latter was bought off Novell a couple of years ago). Recently, SCO announced UnixWare 7 which combines the two operating systems, but OpenServer will be around for many years to come. Since both are commercial products, there is not much pricing difference between them. The difference as far as underlying philosophy is major, though: UnixWare is BSD (Berkeley Software Development) and OpenServer is SVR4 (System V Release 4). They are both Unix, but implement a lot of underlying mechanisms differently. The directories for each system are different too. If you know one version of Unix over another, stick with the one you know best. Now is not the time to play around with a new version! Which makes the better Internet server, UnixWare or OpenServer? For pure performance, UnixWare is faster. OpenServer is a little easier to learn to use and configure, though. Both operating systems have a SCO add-on called Internet FastStart which simplifies setting up Internet servers, as well as security, although you don't really need FastStart to get going if you know a lot about Unix. Still, if you can afford it, either SCO version with Internet FastStart is a great idea as it takes care of a lot of the mundane configuration tasks for you. Linux has caught on big the last five years. For those unaware of the Linux project, it is a copyright free version of Unix. It behaves the same as BSD Unix, but is available either free or for a modest media charge. Linux is a very capable operating system as is stable. Indeed, most people are buying Linux for use as a Web server, a testament to Linux' popularity and stability. There are dozens of versions of Linux available, but for a neat, all-in-one package consider the systems offered by Caldera. Caldera OpenBase Linux has all the software needed to install an Internet server (including Navigator and other Netscape tools), as well as decent documentation and a guide for newcomers to the system. If you don't want to fork over the money for Caldera, look for copies of Linux on the Web or FTP sites, or pick up a CD-ROM from a dealer. Installing and configuring Linux to work as a Web server depends a lot on the version you are using. Some are easier to configure than others. Caldera's system is the simplest I've used, and my personal favorite for those who are not Unix gurus. Slackware Linux and RedHat Linux both make excellent Web servers, too. There's a Unix-based public-domain Web server called Apache which runs under any of these platforms if you don't have a Web server included with the system. I should point out a very important fact: installing and configuring Unix or Linux for an Internet server is far more complicated than the same task with Windows 95 or Windows NT. It takes longer (a typical Web setup takes me about three hours), and requires more maintenance (to check directory permissions, user loads, and so on). On the plus side, Unix or Linux is about twenty times more efficient than Windows NT running IIS, at least with simple client Web page requests. Also, since TCP/IP was designed for Unix, it works with all the protocols you can require. Security is an issue with any Web server, but the holes in Unix and Linux are well known and easy to plug. You do need a good knowledge of Unix to do most of the plugs, but there are many sites on the Web that give you step-by-step instructions in securing your server. Once up and running, Unix or Linux is a joy to work with if you are a "power" user. You can avoid GUIs entirely and work at the command prompt, or if you want, use Motif to give you Windows-like access to the entire system. If you do have Unix knowledge and are trying to decide between NT and Unix, go with Unix. It just works better, is more powerful, and heck, is a lot more fun. If you're not acquainted with Unix, though, stick to Windows. Learn Unix on the side, perhaps, but the Web server is not the best place to experiment with a new operating system. |
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