Linux Community Magazine

Learning how to setup a linux email server is valuable. The more you can do for yourself for your business' web presence and email abilities the more money you will save. There will be no need to call in a tech when the email goes down, when you need it installed, or when you need to do simple maintenance like adding addresses or setting up. When you know how to setup a linux email server you are simply giving yourself more power over your own company. If that is something you think you would like to do, then there are a few resources you should consider for educating yourself.

The first place to look for ways to learn how to setup a linux email server is, of course, online. You may be able, through a search engine, to find some free information on the process. However, you may have better look with low-cost ebooks and internet classes that will give you a better quality of education and better guidance. It is not just about learning how to setup a linux email server, but about learning Linux in general so that once it is setup you can fix small problems and make adjustments as needed. However, not everyone enjoys working through the internet on things like this, so it is good that there are other options.

The second option for learning how to setup a linux email server is to visit your local book store. With the popularity of linux, it is not difficult to find instruction books that will walk you through the process of setup as well as troubleshooting. In your local book store, go to the how to section or perhaps a technology section. You will undoubtedly find a number of quality books that will teach you how to setup a linux email server. Find the one that is best for you and take it home. The advantage to a book is that you can have it with you the entire time, at your fingertips, so that you will have a quicker reference.

Thirdly, you can try taking a class at the local tech school or community college. There are many linux programs out there where you can certainly learn how to setup a linux email server effectively. The cost is higher with a class, but you will likely get a more thorough understanding of the program as well as good support as you take on more and more with linux. Additionally, a class will actually end with you having some sort of certification in linux, which means you will not only know how to setup a linux email server, but also how maintain it for yourself and others.

Learning how to setup a linux email server can be of great value to you in your company. You will save money from having others do it, and will likely make yourself more valuable to clients, no matter what your true business is. In order to learn how, you should consider three main sources: online information that you can find for free or pay for, hard copies of books at your local library or bookstore, and classes you can take locally. No matter what you choose, you will be happier once you know how to setup your linux email server.

It means hosting that is provided on Linux/Unix operating systems platforms. There isn't much difference between these two types of operating systems because Linux/Unix is an improved version of Linux/Unix operating system. When just applying for web hosting companies for web hosting that is based on Linux operating system it doesn't matter which one you are using on your computer as it is commensurable with any operating system. UsabilitySome years ago Linux operating system used to be available only for professionals and if you were not an experienced user you had no future with this OS. In the last couple of years the situation has changed. Providers have done their best to make users' web sites administrating more comfortable and easier. In case you're just a beginner you'll find friendly control panels that include Web-interface. And if you are an experienced user you can control your site by means of shell. ReliabilityExperts claim that Unix-based platform is one of the most reliable ones but it will mainly depend on maintenance stuff professionalism. Thus quality and stability of Linux-based web hosting won't depend on some sudden system bugs and the operating system consistency itself secures your web site operating dependability. FunctionalityIn this area Linux differs the most from other popular platforms. It can handle a lot of processes that happen at the same time. This gives you a possibility to get more from the server. What Scripting Languages Are Available For Unix? Unix supports a wide variety of application languages, more than any other operating system. The most common applications of such kind include C, C++, Shell, Perl, Tcl, Python, Java and PHP. What Databases Does Unix Support? Databases available for Unix are mSQL and mySQL. The one you choose would depend on your own needs and your Host Provider's offers. This is important for you to review when choosing a hosting company.CostLinux operating system was developed by Linus Torvalds as an alternative to other operating systems and is being improved by many specialists all around the world. Most of its versions are free of charge. This circumstance makes Linux-based hosting much cheaper than any other. As for Linux versions they are sometimes called Linux Distributions. The most popular Distributions are RedHat and Mandrake. Which are easy to install have a lot of different utilities and suitable for any web hosting type. Why choose Linux/Unix-based hosting? So, as it was mentioned before using this platform is cheaper and more convenient than others. All existent scripts, like PHP, function best when using the Linux-based web hosting. Linux/Unix based web hosting upgrading possibilities increase when using Shell and Telnet access. The Linux/Unix-based platform is probably the most stable and reliable.

If just a couple years ago we'd told you Microsoft had tasked its sales force with selling SUSE Linux Enterprise and agreed to refrain from suing Novell customers for patent infringement, you'd check to see if you were reading the April 1 issue. But not only is theNovell-Microsoft deal a reality, Oracle has made some bold statements about Unbreakable Linux. The OS for each app," says David Daniels, director of technology for Aleris International, a recycler and maker of aluminum products. And often, Linux has filled the bill. In 2005, Aleris consolidated about 30 patch them, they aren't affected by viruses, and they're secure. That translates to a lot of time we can spend on other things."Aleris still uses Windows for its Avocent IP KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) and Hyperion software, among other things, but Daniels says where there is a Linux alternative, he generally goes with it."It typically is easier to deploy and allows us to run more services from different vendors o n the same box," he says.Aleris receives SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as part of its Novell OES (Open Enterprise Server) maintenance, so there's no added cost for running SLES. Not everyone has that advantage: Our analysis shows that if you're buying Red Hat, SUSE Linux or even Ubuntu with support to save money over Microsoft Windows Server, you're in for a rude awakening (see "Three-Year Costs of an Application Server" in the image gallery ).We decided to bring four Linux distros into our Green Bay, Wis., Real-World Labs to see whether enterprises can cut these costs. We examined two commercial variants, Novell SLES and Red Hat Enterprise Linux, along with Canonical's Ubuntu and Slackware, both freely distributed under the GPL (GNU public license), with an eye toward usability.We found that even companies without hard-core Linux pros can get out from under high mandatory support fees by adopting Ubuntu, which lives up to its slogan, "Linux for Human Beings"... as opposed to the aforementioned command-line jockeys, perhaps. And it's been good for competition: Since Ubuntu stormed the scene and claimed the top free distro spot, Novell and Red Hat have been forced to pick up the pace (see "Storming the Last Bastion").The BorrowersIn the open-source paradigm, code is written and tested by thousands of developers around the world, from hobbyists to those who work for companies like IBM, Novell and Red Hat. This code is available for everyone to use and modify, with the stipulation that you don't distribute it in binary-only form without also providing access to the source. All this open collaboration means Linux source code is run and tested on many different platforms as it's being developed. Then, it's further hardened when vendors like Red Hat and Novell prepare the software for their enterprise-class products.Now, with all this code in the open, what's to stop someone from taking someone else's product and rebranding it?Nothing. In fact, Oracle is doing exactly that to Red Hat Linux, and it plans to undercut Red Hat's support costs by more than half. With every Red Hat release, Oracle will download the code, remove all Red Hat trademarks and compile it. Oracle will also provide bug fixes for current and past releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.This may sound like cheating on Oracle's part, but it's really true to the nature of open source. Look at it this way: Red Hat does contribute a lot of source code that everyone can take advantage of, but the company receives more benefit from other developers than it gives. In the end, choosing one vendor over another is based on which offers the amenities you need--if Red Hat's services are really worth what the company's charging, it has no need to worry.To that, Oracle's Monica Kumar, senior director of product marketing, told us that Oracle customers running Red Hat are not satisfied with the support they're receiving. "Problems range from delays in bug fixes to the in ability to diagnose interoperability issues," Kumar says.When we asked Nick Carr, director of marketing for Red Hat, about Oracle's plans, he responded in true open-source fashion: "The question is, will it shrink or grow the open-source world? Clearly, it will grow the market."The winner here is the enterprise. Because Oracle products on Linux are a significant growth area, it makes good business sense for the company to make sure its Unbreakable Linux platform is truly unbreakable. And, with more than 9,000 Oracle developers busily developing Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle E-Business Suite products, the company clearly sees Linux as the platform of the future and has a lot of incentive to see it succeed.

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What is Linux?

Linux is an operating system created by Linus Torvalds during his days as a student at the University of Helsinki. Linux was created and meant to be used as an option or substitute to the other operating systems being used by computer users, like MS-DOS, Windows, Mac OSX, etc. Linux is not a program or a set of programs like a word processor of an office suite.

A Brief History

While studying at the University of Helsinki, Linus used a version of the UNIX operating system called 'Minix'. Several requests for modifications and improvements for the operating system were being sent by Linus and other users to Andrew Tanenbaum, Minix's creator, but he felt that they weren't necessary. Therefore, Linus decided to create his own operating system; one that would take into account the users' comments and suggestions for improvements.

A "kernel" is the focal point of any operating system. Without going into great detail, the kernel tells the CPU to do what you want the program or application that you're using to do. An operating system would not exist without a kernel. However, a kernel is also useless without any programs or applications.

In 1991, two critical situations evolved that would serve as the starting point for Linux. A kernel was already created by Linus, but he had no programs to use; some programs were available from GNU and Richard Stallman, but they had no working kernel. So Linux was born by combining the programs from Richard and GNU in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the kernel provided by Linus in Helsinki, Finland. It was a lot of ground to cover and far to travel, so the Internet became the primary method of getting Linus' kernel together with the GNU programs. It can almost be said that Linux is an operating system that came to life on the Internet.

Not For Everybody at First

Other software companies will sell you software contained in a CD or a set of floppies, together with a brief instruction booklet, and in half an hour or probably even less, you could install a fully functional operating system on your computer. You only needed to know how to read and follow instructions in order to install it. This was what those companies had in mind when they developed their operating systems. However, when Linux was developed by Linus, this factor wasn't initially considered. Later on, Red Hat and other likeminded companies made it their purpose to develop Linux to the point where it could be easily installed just like any other operating system in the market, by anyone who can follow simple instructions, and today we can definitely say that they have succeeded in this particular purpose.

Linux Today

Nowadays, there is a great deal of favorable reactions from computer users regarding Linux. The fact that Linux has proven to be impressively stable and versatile, especially as a network server, surely has played a big part in this popularity. Down-time is minor or insignificant when Linux is installed and used as a web server or in corporate networks. Many cases have been reported wherein Linux-powered servers have been functioning smoothly for even more than a year without needing to re-boot, and when it had to be taken down, it was only for a brief period for maintenance purposes. Its cost effectiveness has become to be one of its strongest selling points. Linux can be installed and run on either a home PC or a network server, without having to spend as much as it would be for other software packages. More reliability and less cost - it's ideal.

Anyone who has used Linux will agreed that it is a better OS than Windows; some people have hard feelings about this, but from a technical view Linux is a far superior OS than Windows, why? Because Linux doesn't use a slow over abused registry to store information about software, hardware, user accounts. etc. think for a moment, on windows when you install a program it gets installed on many locations, my programs, registry etc, thus wasting space on your hard drive you could use for something else, Linux takes care of this more efficiently, that's why programs don't crash as often like in windows. Well, if Linux is utopia why doesn't everyone use it you might ask? And that's what I was wondering last night about, I think the biggest problem with Linux is the distro confusion; there are many distros of Linux and the different between them people rarely know, so Linux lacks a centralized OS distribution where people can be sure what they will get, but this happen because Li nux kernel is free, and anyone can grab it tweak it around and come up with their own distro, but in reality at the very core all Linux distros are the same.

Now with Windows Vista the same problem is happening, how many flavors of Vista are there? There are six; and what is the difference between them I do not know, and I'm sure a lot of sale guys at the retail stores don't know this either, I asked one of them at staples; what was the difference between home basic and home premium and he pondered for a moment and then told me that the difference was that home basic didn't have aero and graphics were not as good in basic like in premium. There is like a 100 bucks difference in price, well that was a good explanation, but what about the rest of flavors do? Brew your coffee at the office?, wank you when you watch porno on the computer?, I do not know what is the special thing the other flavors do to justify the hefty prices. Windows vista is centralized and proprietary and Microsoft has a good marketing budget for it, this is where Microsoft has the advantage over Linux, but now that we have to do the home work to figure out wha t each windows Vista flavor do, we might just do a little research on Linux and save a couple of bucks. Buy a computer without OS and put Ubuntu or Redhat on it. Even though this can only be applied to a standalone machine because Linux lacks existence of robust applications like Microsoft exchange server and outlook, implementation of Linux in corporations for this reason is not possible; everyone is dependant on e-mail these days. I bet when a Linux Exchange and a mail client like outlook comes around, every corporation will jump to Linux. Bill Gates will be buried for ever.