What’s New with Linux-Mandrake 7.0?
This column was originally supposed to be about supporting FrontPage
users on Unix, but Boardwatch’s editors edited all the swear words
out of my 2,000 word column and were left with a total of 12. So instead, I
turned to Macmillan’s Linux-Mandrake 7.0.
Linux-Mandrake 7 is earning rave reviews all over the place right now,
and with pretty good reason. Linux-Mandrake is heavily optimized for Intel
Pentium-family chips, but should run fairly well on AMD or Cyrix-based systems.
System requirements are listed as any 586 (Pentium-equivalent) or higher CPU,
16 MB RAM (64 MB recommended), 500 MB disk space minimum (1 GB+ recommended),
and a 3.5" floppy drive or CD-ROM drive for installation.
Linux-Mandrake 7 is available free via FTP from http://www.linux-mandrake.com/en/ftp.php3. It comes in
standard FTP install format, as well as a downloadable ISO 9660 CD image.
MandrakeSoft itself sells distro CDs, and Macmillan also distributes and sells
three shrink-wrapped versions of Linux-Mandrake 7.0: Complete, Deluxe and
Secure Server (see below in the interview for more information on what the
different packages contain). The Complete package retails for $29.95 (although
I found mine at Wal-Mart for $25); Deluxe sells for $55-$60, and the Secure
Server package sells for about $100.
The distribution is pretty up-to-date (at least as of this writing). It
includes kernel 2.2.14, glibc 2.1.2, XFree86 3.3.6, and more. All of the
defaults here are stable – you won’t find anything too bleeding edge
in the included components, so if you want to wreck your system with the
development kernel or XFree 4.0 beta du jour, you’ll need
to go out and download it for yourself.
Most of the clamor for Linux-Mandrake 7 has been over the reports that
it’s the easiest Linux distribution ever for a new user to install and set up.
Mandrake’s efforts in this direction are focused on three new (or at least
fairly new) tools.
The first and second are DrakX, first introduced with Mandrake 6.1, and
DiskDrake. DrakX is the new all-singing, all-dancing, all-graphical
installation tool – and it’s certainly the most user-friendly install tool that
I’ve seen for a Freenix (an install tool with themes?). It handles
all of the basics you’d expect, as well as taking a good stab at
autoconfiguring the LILO boot loader and X Windows (plenty of drivers for
popular video cards are included). DiskDrake is the graphical disk-partitioning
tool for use with DrakX, although you can also use good old fdisk or cfdisk.
The third new tool is DrakConf, which bundles in LinuxConf as well as its
own versions of hardware, software, networking and security tweaking tools. For
a user or administrator new to the platform, DrakConf keeps a lot of common
tools very handy. Also available are RPMdrake (for RedHat Package Manager
installations) and Lothar, a nifty program for autoconfiguring sound cards and
other audio-related devices.
So, what’s not to like? With all of the goodies in this distribution,
Mandrake has its sights squarely focused on its intended consumer – and that
consumer probably isn’t you. Linux newbies and desktop/workstation users
are the target market here, and it isn’t evident that much has been done to
optimize or enhance Linux-Mandrake’s performance specifically as an Internet
server.
However, that last assessment may be a little too harsh (or too much to
expect). Regardless of what type of user you are, good administration tools
help everybody; and the Pentium optimization certainly helps if you’re running
an Intel-based server. And to some extent, every Linux distribution uses some
version of the same kernel, so there isn’t much you can expect Mandrake to do
to increase the performance of the Linux TCP stack.
To find out more about the appeal of Linux-Mandrake 7 for ISP/webhosting
users, I asked Steve Schafer, the Senior Title Manager for Linux at Macmillan.
Jeff: Can you give a brief history of Linux-Mandrake?
Steve Schafer: Linux-Mandrake started as a volunteer project to
help make the standard Red Hat Linux distribution more robust and yet more user
friendly. Approximately two years ago the principals of the project created a
company, MandrakeSoft, to oversee and lead the project into a retail venture.
Version 5.3 of Mandrake was built from the Red Hat 5.2 distribution and was
distributed through outlets like LinuxMall. The distribution continued to gain a
following for power and ease of use. Versions 6.0 and 6.1 went on to win the
“Editor’s Choice: Product of the Year” award at LinuxWorld in 1999, and various
kudos for being a “better Red Hat than Red Hat.” Mandrake 7.0 raises the bar
even further as you will see below.
J: Why should I use Linux instead of another Freenix like FreeBSD or OpenBSD?
SS: One word: support. Linux remains on the cutting edge of
technology, with solid support both online and paid, the latter provided
through retail purchase or a support contract through a dedicated Linux support
organization like Linuxcare. The interface and standards continue to evolve,
presenting a clean, more user-friendly environment for a technical OS.
J: What's new with Linux-Mandrake 7?
SS: The main differences in 7.0 come in the way of
installation and configuration. The new graphical install (DrakX) can be
tailored for each user’s tastes and technical level – the “Recommended” install
provides for less decision making on the part of the user and makes various
assumptions about the target machine to make the install fairly seamless, while
the “Expert” install allows the user full-control over how the OS will be
installed. Several new customization utilities allow the user to quickly and
effectively change the configuration once the OS is installed, changing the
interface, security options, adding and configuring hardware, and more.
Mandrake continues their tradition of offering more base utilities and
pre-configured desktops as well.
J: How does Linux-Mandrake perform for Internet serving tasks in relation to other Linux distros? Is the differentiation something other than performance (e.g., ease of use, pre-installed apps, etc.)?
SS: By and large, most Linux distributions perform the same
types of serving tasks since they are all cut from basically the same mold. The
difference Mandrake makes comes in two areas: customization and Pentium
optimization. See the other section(s) for info on the customization (both what
Mandrake does automatically, and what tools exist for the user). As for Pentium
optimization: Mandrake recompiles ALL packages with Pentium optimization.
Although the performance increase for workstations is slight, it is much more
pronounced in the server environment. When a server is loaded with several
users all utilizing resources, the faster the server can complete tasks, the
better. (Of course, this is only true if the server’s processor is Pentium [or
derivative] based.)
J: What are Linux-Mandrake's different products, and whom are they
intended for?
SS: Macmillan offers three distinct Linux-Mandrake
products, geared toward specific Linux customers:
Complete: This value-packed product is geared toward the
beginning user, or the user who is taking Linux for a “test drive.” Macmillan adds the following components
to the base Linux-Mandrake OS:
• PartitionMagic and BootMagic – for ease of installation on a Windows
machine for dual-booting between OSes. (Recent research showed that 70% of
retail Linux purchasers install Linux in a dual-boot configuration.)
• StarOffice 5.2 – This powerful office suite provides word processing,
spreadsheet, presentation, and graphics functionality. Compatibility with
Microsoft products ensures maximum data transportability.
• Linux Library – 3500 pages of additional Linux documentation (in
electronic form) from the Macmillan imprints Que and Sams.
Deluxe: This six-CD set provides the most Linux content for the
money. Geared to address the professional user, this product provides more of
everything Linux. In addition to the base Mandrake OS and its sources, these
additional 4 CDs are provided:
• Contributors CD:
Close to 900 additional utilities, applications, documentation, etc from the
Linux community.
• Contributors Source CD: Source code for the Contributors CD.
• Applications CDs (1
& 2): Over 30 commercial and demo applications, including StarOffice,
WordPerfect for Linux, etc.
[Jeff’s Note: The Commercial Applications CDs (available with
the Deluxe version) includes full and limited versions of some very tasty
goodies including: Acrobat Reader 4; Executor (a MacOS emulator); IBM’s JDK,
Lotus Notes and ViaVoice (voice recognition word processor). It also has demos
of the games Civilization: Call to Power, Railroad Tycoon II and Myth II; an
evaluation version of VMware; and WordPerfect. True, almost all of this is
available via download – but if you’d like it all in one easy-to-install package,
this is a mother lode.]
Secure Server: For the professional “with a purpose,” this
product offers the base Mandrake OS bundled with a secure Web server for
starting an e-commerce operation. Additional utilities and a custom Linux
Library (over 4200 pages of electronic docs from Que and Sams) round out this
product.
J: What are Linux-Mandrake's particular strengths? What are its
weaknesses?
SS: Mandrake’s strengths include:
• Red Hat compatibility
• Pentium optimization
• Cutting edge components (latest kernel, XFree, etc)
• Scalable graphical installation
• Pre-configured desktops and user interfaces
• Comprehensive graphical configuration tools
• Additional packages, drivers, utilities, apps and more
Honestly, it’s hard for me to think of weaknesses regarding Mandrake. This distribution has the depth to satisfy the hardcore user, but the simplicity (install and customization) to engage the beginner as well. Linux overall does have weaknesses, mostly surrounding the implications of open source and staying ahead of the technology curve. For example, there isn’t one multi-million-dollar firm behind the Linux distros (Microsoft) and the kernel has just begun to support technologies like USB. Keep in mind that these disadvantages exist across the spectrum of Linux, not just with Mandrake.
J: Why should I use Linux-Mandrake instead of another distro for my web, mail or dialup authentication server?
SS: All the reasons stated above, particularly the ability
to support the latest hardware, ease of customization, bundled components, etc.
This is true across the board of applications (web, mail, dialup
authentication, etc).
J: What's the recommended hardware for a Linux-Mandrake Internet
server? Is there anything that works particularly well?
SS: The answer really depends on the workload and user load
the particular box will experience. One prominent ISP (CiHost) uses Red Hat for
their Web hosting servers which are dual-Pentium boxes. Recently LinuxWorld
(February in New York) used Mandrake for their registration system, probably
high-end Pentiums using dumb terminals (low-end boxes) for input.
When considering Linux-Mandrake, it’s important to consider running on a
Pentium or derivative due to the recompilation using Pentium optimization.
J: How easy/difficult is it to migrate from another Linux distribution to Linux-Mandrake? Is there anything I should know?
SS: It depends on what you are migrating from. Although
most Linux distros are pretty much the same, some vary considerably in
customization, installed tool sets, libraries, etc. Like migrating between
Windows versions, you want to ensure that your added tools (applications,
utilities, etc) are compatible with the new system. Red Hat and derivative
Linux distros use some different libraries than other distros, requiring
different base level support for some programs.
J: On the client side, can ISPs support Linux-Mandrake
dialup users easily? Why?
SS: You should be able to with no problem. Linux speaks the
Internet natively (TCP/IP) so utilizing a PPP dialup is almost second nature to
the OS. It’s a bit tougher [for the user] to set up than [for the ISP to] support
really … the ISP shouldn’t have to change a thing.
As Linux distributions go, Linux-Mandrake 7.0 is very good. Aside from some strange gaps in documentation (for example, my Macmillan Linux-Mandrake Complete “User Guide and Reference Manual” didn’t even mention DrakConf), it seems pretty solid.
For the
ISP/web user, there are two groups that will find it particularly compelling.
First are new users/admins who want the easiest, most pain-free installation
and setup. Second are users with Pentium-based machines, who may see impressive
speed gains over other distributions. Note: I wasn’t able to throw enough
machine load at my test server to test this out reasonably; if someone out
there does,
please let me know the results. For anyone, though, Linux-Mandrake 7 is
certainly worth a look.