Windows vs Linux : Hosting

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By Teeyes Siva

The Basics of Linux & Windows :

Linux (and its close relation Unix) and Windows 2000 (and its close cousin Windows NT) are types of software (known as operating systems) that web servers use to do the kind of things that web servers do. You do not need to know any real detail of either to make a decision as to which you need but here a few guidelines.

Just because you use a windows desktop PC doesn’t mean you have to opt for Windows web hosting (and the reverse is true as well). The operating system you use on your desktop has little to do with your choice of web hosts. As long as you understand how to use your FTP or web publishing software, your can use either operating system.

But what is important is that you know what you want your website to do and what you want to offer on it. This is what will ultimately help determine the type of web hosting that will work best for you. As mentioned earlier, interactive websites usually rely on ASP, PHP, or Perl type languages.

Linux Web Hosting or Windows 2000 Web Hosting ? Make your Choice !

When it comes to Web hosting, Linux has, for some time, been widely considered the best OS for Web servers. It’s typically found to be the most reliable, stable and efficient system and, as such, it’s commonly used for the demanding environment of Web and mail servers. Indeed,Most of the clients websites of aalpha NET runs on the Linux OS precisely because of this traditional stability.

The million-dollar question is what application are you looking to use for your hosting? Consider the tools and scripting languages you plan to use – if you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windows is what you need.

If your site, like most web sites, is what might be termed “brochure-ware” then Linux servers are ideal. By brochure-ware I mean a site that offers the kind of information that in the past might have been provided on paper in the form of brochures, newsletters or data sheets. Brochure-ware sites will offer some interaction through enquiry forms and can certainly incorporate online purchasing and other routine e-commerce functions.

If however your site incorporates an online searchable database or interactive chat facilities then Windows 2000 or NT will be a better bet in most cases. It will cost a bit more but you’ll get that back in reduced development time and simply better functionality.

The following are the advantages of using Linux based web server compared to Windows based web server :

Stable: Linux/Unix operating systems has traditionally been believed to be very stable and robust. A web site housed on a Linux operating system will have very high up-time (of the order of 99.9%). Of course, other factors such as power supply, network admin skills, and network load etc. also matter when it comes to maintaining the system uptime.

Low cost of ownership: The Linux OS comes free of cost (or at very insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution). Also, it has full fledged server, and desk top applications that comes free along with the OS. These server applications (such as FTP, Web Server, DNS Server, File Server etc.) being free, are also very stable.

Ease of use : When it comes to web hosting, it is easy to host on Linux web servers. The process of uploading and hosting is almost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. If you want to use a Windows based tool such as Front Page for uploading a web site on to a Linux based web server, make sure that the Front Page extensions are enabled. This is only required if you are uploading using HTTP feature (http://www.yourwebsite.com) of Front Page. Front Page also makes it possible to upload a web site using FTP. You need to select [ftp://www.yourwebsite.com] for up loading using front page FTP option. Note that if you select “Front Page Extensions” during web site design, you must enable Front Page extensions on a Linux web server also. These days, all Linux web servers are coming with installable Front Page extensions, and this should pose no problem for hosting on a Linux platform.

You can use almost all types of file extensions (or scripts) when using Linux web server. Commonly, the following extensions are supported:

.cgi, .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .xml, and others.

Basically it means that you can host web sites that use different types of server side scripts including .cgi, .pl, .php, and .asp (with plug-in).

Easy to move between hosts : A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily, where as the reverse is not always true.

Most widely used : Linux/Unix based web hosting is most widely used compared to Windows based web hosting.

Scalability : A web site is dynamic. Usually, a web site starts with a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suit the customers requirements. It is preferable to design a web site keeping this requirements in mind. A web site designed for compatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets the scalability requirement easily without making any site wide design changes.

On the downside, Linux based web server is not fully compatible with Microsoft technologies. If you are using any specialized applications or VB for development of your web site, it is preferable to host with a Windows based web server.

About The Author

Teeyes Siva heads the Sales Operations @ aalpha NET. He can be reached @ siva@aalphanet.com or 00 91 452 3105858. aalpha NET (http://www.aalphanet.com) – is India’s leading domain name registration, web hosting service provider.

The above article can be re-printed as long as the bio lines stay in place.

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By Richa Sinha

Confusion often arises while choosing a web-hosting platform, as which one is the best one and which one is the better one between Linux & Window hosting. The million-dollar question is what application are you looking to use for your hosting? Consider the tools and scripting languages you plan to use, if you use PHP, Perl or MySQL, Linux is the way forward. If apps are Microsoft-specific, then Windows is what you need.

Well in most of the cases, the general inclination generally moves towards the Linux web hosting platform and not on the window web hosting, because there are several positive factor that affect Linux and that Linux carries with itself.

While casting our views on Linux hosting we conclude that Linux is more reliable. These are considered to be the best OS for web server. Linux web hosting are typically found to be the most stable and efficient system and as such, it is commonly used for the demanding environment of web and mail server.

Besides, reliability, cost effectiveness is also one of the most favorable factors that make Linux first choice. Generally, the Linux OS comes free of cost or at a very insignificant cost, usually cost of distribution. Also, it has full fledged server, and desk top applications that comes free along with the OS. And, these server applications being free are also very stable.

In addition, Linux web hosting is easy to use and is perfect for your plan. When it comes to web hosting, it is easy to host on Linux web servers. The process of uploading and hosting is almost same for both Linux and Windows web servers. If you want to use a Windows based tool such as Front Page for uploading a web site on to a Linux based web server, make sure that the Front Page extensions are enabled. This is only required if you are uploading using HTTP feature of Front Page on your website. Front Page also makes it possible to upload a web site using FTP. These days, all Linux web servers are coming with installable Front Page extensions, and this should pose no problem for hosting on a Linux platform.

A web site designed for compatibility with a Linux/Unix based web server meets the scalability requirement easily without making any site wide design changes. A web site is dynamic. Usually, a web site starts with a few pages of html and grows over a period of time to suit the customer’s requirements. It is preferable to design a web site keeping these requirements in mind.

Today, Linux based web hosting is most widely used compared to Windows based web hosting. A web site designed to be hosted on a Linux based web server can be hosted on a Windows web server easily but this is not possible with the window web hosting.

Therefore the above mentioned points proves that Linux web hosting maintain a much better position than window web hosting on the server platform.

REPRINT RIGHTS statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio box is retained as usual so that all links are Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Author Richa Sinha is working for Website Design India. Vexat Inc. provides cheapest domain name registration India, and website hosting India [http://www.vexat.org/host.html].

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By Cy Lee

If you are thinking of availing of a virtual host plan, you can choose from a dedicated server or a shared server. While there are some website developers who go for the former, there are a lot of individuals who choose to avail of a shared hosting plan. This decision to stick to the latter is due to various reasons. The general benefit that you will be able to get from your shared host is the opportunity to get low-cost services. What is more, there are several other benefits and privileges that come with your decision to go for this type of server.

Linux – Your Cheap Alternative at The Magic Host

There are various web hosting companies who offer affordable hosting plans to their clients with free setup services. One of these companies is The Magic Host, which provides operating systems like Oracle, Solaris, Linux, and Windows. Among these O.S., Linux offers cheaper alternatives. There are four Linux host plans, which are:

o Linux Host-Dwarf – which has 200GB bandwidth, and 50GB disk space, along with free domain name and setup

o Linux Host-Hobbit – 2,000GB bandwidth and 200GB disk space, along with free domain name and setup

o Linux Host-Elven – 3,000GB bandwidth and 300GB disk space, along with free domain name and setup

o Linux Host Wizard – 400GB disk space and 4,000GB bandwidth

You are not obligated to pay for set-up fees when you choose these hosting plans. Within a span of thirty days, you are allowed to get your money back if you are not contented with the services of The Magic Host.

The Magic Host – Offering You Free Setup Services and Cheap Hosting Prices

The Magic Host offers budget host plans. This type of plan is very appropriate for you when you are tied to the long terms of the previous plans of your hosting provider. If there are some terms which you are tired of, you can choose another hosting company to buy out these terms. Or else, you can also buy terms from other web hosting providers. Other than providing you the privilege to buy out other terms, you can also avail of the following from The Magic Host:

o Host your website without setup fees.

o Host your multiple websites, if you have more than one site. This service is offered without costing you.

o You can choose from various reseller terms and privileges at low prices.

When you go for the Linux Host Hobbit, there are various package features offered to you. The first is your private disk space which consists of 200GB. On the other hand, the bandwidth of the Hobbit for each month is 2,000GB. Your disk space and bandwidth are upgradeable according to your requirements. This Linux hosting plan is also comprised of triple backup. This means that your hosting provider stores data for you without asking for charges. Its multiple websites and databases are unlimited; as with its sub domains and its FTP accounts. You can avail of a free domain name throughout the whole term of your plan because you’re the registrant. Since the host plans of Linux has lesser number of accounts with a maximum number of 150 accounts, your server control is less complicated.

Linux is a cheap host which offers you reseller privileges. The first is a dedicated IP, followed by a private nameserver. There is also a WHM for the cPanel, and a WHMCS ticket and billing system. This reseller host (new) also has a rapid SSL or WildCard. You can avail of a customized design for your website. Another privilege that you can get from your Linux Host Hobbit is the submission of article or directory. You can also get an account as a Directi Reseller, along with a Directi Live Chat. What is more, you are offered with RV Skin. If you want to purchase more domains, you can do so for $6.49 per year. When you want an affiliate program, you will get a $150 signup bonus.

The Magic Host offers budget host plans. When you go for the Linux Host Hobbit, there are various package features offered to you.

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He descargado la última versión de Linux Mint 12 (Lisa) y me decidí a probarlo y escribir acerca de algunos de los conceptos básicos para empezar.

(Haga click en cada imagen para tamaño completo)

Prueba del sistema:
  • A través de un microprocesador a 1,5 GHz
  • Nvidia GeForce 8400GS tarjeta de video
  • 1 GB de RAM
  • 1 GB de espacio de intercambio de Linux en el disco duro
  • a bordo NIC

El intento de arrancar primero desde el Live CD no, así que tuve que añadir

acpi=off

a los parámetros de arranque de Live CD para obtener el sistema operativo para arrancar con éxito. Una vez que inicia en Casa de la Mint 12, me saludó con el escritorio:

Linux Mint 12 de escritorio

Linux Mint 12 de escritorio

La primera cosa que me decidí a hacer es cambiar la ubicación, ya que siempre me molesta que Ubuntu-distros basadas siempre tienen el tiempo muchas horas fuera, así, hice clic en el momento en la parte superior de la pantalla y selecciona Mi ubicación:

ajuste de la hora / lugar en Casa de la Mint 12

ajuste de la hora / lugar en Casa de la Mint 12

A continuación, me decidí a abrir un terminal, en este caso

Xterm

de Aplicaciones | Herramientas del sistema y realizar una de mis herramientas favoritas, de

top

a comprobar la cantidad de uso de memoria RAM y algunos otros detalles divertidos:

El "top" de comandos en Xterm

El "top" de comandos en Xterm

Yo llamaría a esos pasos los primeros que siempre tienen cuando se trata de una nueva distribución. Trabajan con casi cualquier distribución de Linux imaginable, pero Linux Mint es especial, y es rápidamente tomando cuota de mercado a Ubuntu. “¿Qué será lo próximo”, usted puede pedir … Bueno, me gustaría echar un vistazo a todas las aplicaciones interesantes a su disposición un par de clics de distancia en el Administrador de Software, ubicado en Aplicaciones | Otros:

Linux Mint 12 Software Manager

Linux Mint 12 Software Manager

Ahora que usted ha tenido la oportunidad de leer detenidamente todos los grandes juegos, gráficos, software de productividad disponibles (e incluso instalado unos pocos con el Live CD!) Es posible que se vaya a instalar como sistema operativo principal, o por lo menos, además de a un sistema operativo existente. Que es el más fácil de hallar, tiene un icono de mano en el escritorio para su conveniencia!

ps Esta crítica fue escrita el uso de Firefox en el Live CD de Linux!

© 2011 Linux.Bihlman.com

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By Clyde E. Boom

When you are a new user and trying to get Linux training, you need to learn how to use commands.

What you most often need is a clear, detailed example showing you exactly how to use a command.

And you’ll often hear seasoned Linux users say (over and over again) “just see the man page” for a command. This has become a quick and easy way out of really trying to explain how to use the command.

Linux man pages are useful if you already know how to use a command, but extremely frustrating if you are new to the OS (operating system).

Linux Training Tips: Linux man pages are practically useless for someone new. In fact, they’re almost as easy as trying to read hieroglyphics. Great for the ancient Egyptians – lots of really nice pictures, but really hard to read.

Here’s Why Man Pages Don’t Work for Someone New to Linux – And What You Can Do About It

linux man command“Man” stands for “manual”, as in “software documentation and you run the Linux man command to display the contents of a help page (file).

So, if you need help on a Linux command (or software program), you just run the man command to get instant online help.

Sounds great – but it’s not great for a new user.

And it would be great if the people that knew how to use Linux, didn’t expect the people that are new to understand man pages!

Linux Training Tips: The Linux System Administration concepts, commands and tasks covered here apply to ALL other Linux distributions, including: Red Hat, Fedora, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Slackware, Debian, SUSE and openSUSE.

Here’s how to run the Linux man command and get help on the grep command:

$ man grep

This displays the contents of the help page (file) for the grep command.

Linux Training Tips: There are several options of this command that can be used to display information on multiple pages. But hey, how do I get help on this command? You guessed it – just run: man man

Now, the grep command is pretty amazing in what it can do. It has lots of options and different ways of getting tons of useful information from a Linux system – but you’d never know it from looking at the man page.

The man page for any Linux command just shows you: a vague description of the command, a cryptic statement showing how to run the command, and a long alphabetic listing of the options. There’s no way of knowing which options are the most useful and most commonly used.

And the worst part is that it’s almost impossible to find an example of a command.

In the thousands of man pages, there are almost never any examples of how to use a command. And seeing examples of a command (and then running the command) – is the best way to learn how to use Linux.

Instead of trying to decipher a cryptic man page, imagine watching a clearly narrated Linux training videos. Easy training at it’s best!

With this Linux training method you get to see and hear how to use a command – or learn a new concept.

You see every step in the process – and whenever you need to think about something, or want to try a command you’ve just seen, you just click pause and try it yourself!

And now I would like to offer you free access to my Linux Commands Training Mini-Course, a 7 Lesson, Daily Mini-Course, including the free Linux Commands ebook and Linux audio podcasts – showing you how to get started learning how to use Linux commands.

You can get your instant access at: http://www.LinuxCommandsTrainingCourse.com

From Clyde Boom – The Easy Linux Training Guy – Easy, self-paced Linux training – In Plain English!

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…and I’m trying to figure it out. I added some links to it, so I’m thinking I’m doing it right as far as that goes.

If you have any tips, I’d love to hear it in the comments!

thanks

http://delicious.com/free_linux

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By Frank Lusk

When it comes to selecting a hosting server for your website, one of the hardest decisions you will have to make is which platform to use. The most popular option is Linux hosting server as it is an open source program, is extremely affordable and provides the ideal environment for running other web-based applications.

Reliability, Security and Functionality – these elements form the backbone of Linux web hosting. Also referred to as LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL & PHP) it is the most cost-effective and flexible hosting solution available today.

Here’s a list of 10 reasons that make Linux Hosting Server a smart choice.

1) This is one of the most economical hosting solutions available today. With Linux hosting you will get access to a wide variety of features such as My SQL database, ecommerce tools, multiple domain facility and many email options at a low price. Thus you get excellent value for your money.

2) Linux is an open source software program and unlike other softwares you can freely download it and make changes as per your requirements. There is no licensing fee whatsoever and only the distribution cost is borne by the host or user.

3) A Linux-based website can easily be converted into a Windows website. The ease of use with Linux is unmatched, as the user can make modifications as per his requirements

4) If your website uses scripting languages such as PHP, MySQL or Perl, then Linux Hosting is the most reliable and cost effective solution for you

5) Another advantage of Linux server is the flexibility it provides. Linux is compatible with most scripting languages and it allows you to add your own security mechanisms with the operating system

6) Much more secure than Windows server which makes it the first choice for all web designers and programmers. You can also update and add security patches to the software whenever you feel the need.

7) Another advantage of Linux platform is Scalability, which means that all your web applications, processes and modifications can be streamlined effectively. This comes in handy when your website starts growing and you need to manage multiple tasks. Linux hosting makes it easy to update and manage your website.

8) Most programmers consider Linux as the most robust and stable operating systems available in the market. When hosting on this platform, you can be sure of getting exceptional performance along with the maximum uptime.

9) Linux servers hold the reputation of being extremely fast and reliable. Linux OS has natural speed which is further enhanced by the Apache web server used with it. This gives it the ability to quickly load web pages and run applications in languages such as PHP and CGI.

10) One of the most user-friendly operating systems. The Control panel software and comprehensive management tools allow even non-technical users to excel on a Linux platform.

If you want to set up a professional website and successfully run an online business, Linux hosting server can provide the right platform for your hosting needs. Reliable, secure, cost-effective and highly flexible – Linux is undoubtedly the best hosting platform available today.

If this article was of help to you, you can visit at http://hostingpackageweb.com/ for additional tips on web hosting information.

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By Rand Whitehall

damn small linuxIf you want to move a file from one place to another, use the mv, or move command. Now, the mv tool can send a file from one directory to another, but it also can rename a file. If you simply want to change the name of a file, say, from joo.txt to joe.txt, you can do that with mv also. Here are a few examples to get you going.

mv joe joe1

The file joe is simply renamed joe1

mv joe /Documents/joe

The file joe is moved to the Documents directory.

Now, what if we wanted to move joe.txt to the Documents directory and at the same time rename it to joe2?

mv joe Documents/joe2

This would move the file joe to the Documents directory and would change the name to joe2. This is similar to cp, but the original file is changed. With cp we get a new file and the original file is unchanged.

If you’d like to see the contents of a file, use the cat command. cat stands for concatenate. cat will display the contents of a file and also join, or concatenate several files.

cat joe

This command will output the contents of joe.

What if you’d like to view the contents of two or more files?

cat joe bob

Will output the contents of joe and then bob.

Ok. Now let’s play around with cat and two new commands: touch and echo.

Do this:

touch jj.txt

Which will create new text file called jj.txt.

echo “Hi there” >> jj.txt

This adds the text “Hi there!” to jj.txt.

You can append some more text to the end of jj.txt with another echo command and two greater than signs “>>” like this:

echo “How are you?” >> jj.txt

Now take a look at the contents of jj.txt via:

cat jj.txt

One thing to know when using cat, if you use only one greater than sign “>”, it will overwrite the contents of the file. Be careful!

Let’s overwrite jj.txt on purpose.

echo “See you later.” > jj.txt

Now view the contents via cat:

cat jj.txt

… and you should see only the “See you later.” line.

I hope this helped you become a little more familiar with the Linux command line. Have fun and experiment. Remember, while playing around, it’s best to create a new directory and make new files specifically to experiment with so you don’t lose any important data. Soon you’ll be using the command line like a pro!

Rand writes about web design, men’s health and latex free nitrile gloves. Please check out his new website all about Blue Nitrile Exam Gloves for info and nitrile glove knowhow! Rand’s other writings can be found here: Rand Whitehall.

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By Mario Pesce

Introduction

When a few years ago I decided to move from Windows to Linux (I created on my machine separate partitions for Linux and booted from Lilo or Grub either into Windows or into Linux, according to job requirements.

I normally used my laptop PC during the day in a company that had a Windows based LAN and therefore I normally had to boot in Windows during the day whereas I would boot into either Windows or Linux at home. This approach has a few disadvantages as follows:

  • My work e-mails were in Microsoft Outlook and I had to boot under Windows to access them.
    I used KMail (and later Mozilla Thundirbird) for my personal e-mails and I had to boot under Linux to access them.
  • I could access Window folders from Linux and copy data, but I could not access any of the Linux folders from Windows.

I concluded that there should have been a better way to use my PC and I looked for a solution to access both Linux and Windows applications without rebooting.

I investigated some of the available products. I found that the wine or CodeWeavers Crossover supported most common Microsoft Windows applications, but some other ones would not work. VMWare looked interesting, but finally I decided to buy Win4Lin (originally developed by Netraverse to support only Windows 95, 98 or ME, even if it allowed to install and use many more recent applications such as Office 2000 or other ones developed for XP without a glitch.

Some good advantages that I found in Win4Lin are the following:

  • Win4Lin has a very small overhead and pretty good performance. I discovered, after the installation, that sometimes applications run faster under Win4Lin than in the original Windows environment. The performance is due to the fact that Win4Lin is not really an emulator; it creates an environment where Windows applications run in native mode. This is done by providing modules that allow Windows to run as a Linux process.
  • The installation of Win4Lin is pretty straightforward.

Recently I had to install Linux on a new machine and I decided to install both a new OpenSUSE 11.0 distribution and the new version of Win4LinPro that now supports Windows 2000 and XP (according to the company Vista should also be supported in future).

The objective of this report is to give you an overview of the new Win4LinPro application and of the approach that I followed to migrate my dual boot machine to a single boot system.

Installing Win4LinPro

Win4LinPro is now distributed and supported by Virtual Bridges. You can easily order it online at the Win4Lin.com site and download either an ISO version or one of the Debian or RPM packages. Virtual Bridges confirms the order with an e-mail which includes also the licence code that must be entered during the installation.

Since I had an RPM based Linux distribution (OpenSuSE 11.0), I downloaded the RPM package. I checked the instructions of the UserManual which require to pre-install also the gcc and the kernel-source packages and then I could install the RPM without any problems.

The installation procedure of the original Win4Lin was more complex because it required to download a special Netraverse-enabled kernel according to each distribution. The new installer does not require this step because it automatically compiles and installs the kernel modules needed to support Win4LinPro.

The Windows installation has also become simpler. The original product required to copy files from your Windows 95, 98 or ME CD to disk and eventually install Windows. In the new version you can use the win4console command to request a Windows session installation and to define how it should be performed (installation directory, installation media etc.) You can specify that you want to install from the XP CD and the installation is performed as if it were a normal XP installation. The win4console allows also to install multiple copies of Windows and the system allows to run two of them concurrently (this could be useful if you want to have a Windows XP and a Windows 2000 session).

After the installation is complete, if you have used the defaults, you will find a Windows icon on your desktop and you can use it to start or shut-down your Windows session terminal. Alternatively you can use the win4 shell command.

You can install new applications in Windows in the same way as you would do with a normal Windows system. I installed various applications such as Microsoft Office, Acrobat Reader, Eudora, HotMetal PRO and a new version of Internet Explorer without any problem.

I had some problems with the original installation to use a COM device for a dial up connection. The new version allows Windows to connect to almost any type of Ethernet network from regular Internet access to Active Directory authentication, and anything in between.

Using Win4LinPro

Win4LinPro creates an interesting Windows environment which is pretty well integrated with Linux.

The personal Windows environment is normally created by win4LinPro in the home directory of the user who performs the installation. When the installation is complete, you will find two image files with the .IMG suffix which are used by Windows as the C: drive (used to store Windows programs and data) and the D: drive (used to store user settings).

By default Win4LinPro automatically configures shared folders so that Windows can access Linux files and Linux can access Windows files. Your Linux home directory is accessible from the Windows HOSTHOME path. You can also use the shared documents directory from Windows by double clicking on the Windows My Documents icon and accessing the path HOSTDocuments.

The Win4LinPro environment is surely much better integrated with Linux than a native Windows installation and you will have at your disposal the power of Linux and Windows applications without any need to reboot.

Moreover Win4LinPro offers greater virus protection than a stand-alone Windows installation. You can easily save your Windows directory as a tar archive and many viruses will not have any effect as explained below:

  • Boot sector or other boot time viruses. There is no Windows boot sector and therefore they are ineffective.
  • FAT32, VFAT or NTFS related viruses. Win4Lin installs Windows files in subdirectories of the Linux filesystem and therefore these viruses are ineffective.
  • Executable files viruses. These can still attack, but will not affect the Linux system.
  • Macro viruses. These can still attack Windows macros, but you can use Linux permissions to make them write protected.

Another protection is given by the snapshot running mode which insures that data in the C: virtual drive cannot be changed

Win4Lin Limitations and Peculiarities. Following main points should be considered:

    • Win4Lin offers different networking options that you can choose during installation and modify later (if needed). The basic TCP/IP and UDP/IP networking is the most secure and provides the best use of resources. If you need more advanced networking options you can use the NAT neworking or the Bridged networking options well explained in the UserManual.
    • Win4LIN does not support direct Windows access to USB devices. However, if they are configured in Linux, they can be accessed indirectly (You can use the My Host Computer function from the start menu to access devices mounted automatically by Linux)

.

Removing the original Window partition

One negative point of having both an original Windows partition and the Win4Lin installation is the waste of space (for instance I had MS Office applications installed on both partitions). This setup could offer better security, in case of problems to either the Windows or Linux installation, but, at some point, I decided that I could use better the disk space and work without double booting with Linux and Windows under Win4LinPro.

To avoid loosing useful data, I performed following activities:

  • I identified the Outlook mail boxes by using the Windows Find option with “*.pst” and copied them to the Win4LinPro environment.
  • I identified the Outlook Express maild boxes by using the Windows Find option with “*.dbx” and copied them to the Win4LinPro environment.
  • I identified my Eudora mail boxes (used for my personal mail) by using the Windows Find option with “*.mbx” and copied them to the Win4LinPro environment.
  • I found the ‘Favorites’ folders used by Internet Explorer and I copied it and its sub-folders to the Win4LinPro environment.
  • I copied the ‘My Documents’ folder and all other folders that I used in my Windows environment

Making the above copies in the Win4LinPro environment is relatively easy, because Win4LinPro can access mnt directly. You can mount the original Windows partition in the Linux /mnt directory by using a command such as:

$sudo mount /dev/sdb3 /media/windows -t vfat -o umask=000

Once the partition is mounted, you can access it in the Win4LinPro Windows session in the mnt Windows folder.

Once I was satisfied that all important data existed in the Win4LinPro environment, I decided to reformat the Windows partition and copy my Linux /home directory, that was included in the main root hierarchy, to a separate partition. This activity is described in detail below.

Using the freed partition for Linux

A good description of how to move /home to a different partition can be found in a good tutorial by Daniel Robbins at IBM DeveloperWorks. The main steps are as following:

  • Create a filesystem in the new partition by using a command such as mkfs /dev/???
  • Mount the new filesystem in /mnt with a command such as mount /dev/??? /mnt/newhome
  • Drop to single user mode (init 1)
  • Change to the current home directory and enter a copy command such as cp -ax * /mnt/newhome. The ax option causes cp to copy in recursive mode by preserving all file attributes.
  • Rename the old /home to /home.old by using the command mv /home /home.old and mount the new one with mount /dev/??? /home.

When you are sure that everything works correctly, you can remove the /home.old directory.

Conclusions

I believe that the approach described above allows an optimal use of both Linux and Windows resources.

It is often difficult to use only Linux, because one normally has to work in Windows based LANs, interact with other Windows or Linux users or just because one is too lazy to learn new applications instead of those normally used in a Windows environment.

A double boot system is a inconvenient to use. The solution proposed above allows a much better usage of the computer resources and time.

Mario Pesce – Computer consultant

email: mario@datamission.co.uk

blog: http://mariopesceuk.blogspot.com/

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By Joe Duchesne

There are literally hundreds of thousands of web hosting companies out there. Many of these companies offer both Windows hosting and Linux hosting plans. Windows plans usually cost more because of the license costs imposed by Microsoft. Knowing this, how can you know when you need Windows hosting and when Linux hosting will work just as well or better? Keep reading to find out.

Windows operating systems are found on something like 95% of all personal computers in the world. With such a total dominance, Microsoft Windows is top of mind to most new people looking for web hosting.

In the web server world though, Windows based servers are behind less than 20% of all websites on the internet. This is according to the latest web server survey from securityspace.com. By choosing a Linux hosting plan, you will find yourself in good company.

When do you have to use Windows Hosting?

1. .NET technologies including ASP.net are not available on Linux platforms. If you have a website built with Microsoft .NET technologies you will have to choose a Windows hosting plan. In fact, if you need ASP without .NET features, most Linux hosting plans do not offer support for it.

2. Access Databases are only available with a Windows hosting plan. Access runs on a Microsoft Windows platform and cannot run on a Linux Operating system.

3. MSSQL is an enterprise class database put out by Microsoft. If you need an enterprise class database there are some alternatives that run on a Linux platform but if you need Microsoft’s MSSQL database, a Windows hosting plan will have to be your choice.

4. If you are using Microsoft’s Sharepoint services like some of the Sharepoint features found in Frontpage 2003, a Windows Hosting plan is your only choice.

What is the advantage to choosing Linux Hosting?

All the major services you need to run an enterprise class website are available on Linux based systems for free. Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP are being used together to provide the infrastructure behind some of the most traffic intensive sites on the internet.

PHP runs better on a Linux server than on a Windows server. Having said that, unless you are putting a heavy load on your PHP scripts, this will not be noticable.

In general, Linux hosting plans are at least 20% cheaper than Windows hosting plans. If you don’t need any of the features mentioned above, Linux hosting is a fine choice for your needs.

For Microsoft specific technologies, Windows hosting plans are usually your best bet. For everthing else, Linux hosting plans will usually do quite well. With the cost savings usually found with Linux hosting plans, Linux hosting is usually the right choice for you.

This article was written by Joe Duchesne, president of http://www.yowling.com/, a web hosting company that offers Linux Hosting plans. Copyright 2004 Yowling. Reprint Freely as long as you provide a clickable link back to my website from this resource box.

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