You can expect an extensive amount of Linux software to be supported by Fedora, and in fact an extensive library of software packages outside the Fedora release is available through third-party repositories. This means your first Fedora CD-ROMs or DVD are just the beginning of a large collection of Linux software!
Fedora provides the latest version of the X Window System and its server, X11R7, which sports improved and integral font handling. The Linux desktop has never looked better, and you will notice the difference when you browse the web, use one of the dozen or so word processors and text editors included with Fedora, or view text at the command line in a terminal window.
Fedora is slated for upgrades two or three times a year, according to the Fedora Project. In reality, however, work never ceases on the distribution because open source developers, along with Red Hat engineers, cross-pollinate Red Hat's Enterprise Linux and Fedora with software package upgrades, security updates, and bug fixes. Fedora's free, online upgrade system is available via the Internet.
Red Hat works to an approximate 18-month release cycle for Enterprise Linux. This cycle is required to provide third-party application developers time to test, deploy, and market products. In the past, Red Hat has used a 6-month release schedule for the consumer version of Red Hat Linux, with a 3- to 4-month beta cycle for development and testing. Fedora will have a similar schedule; the Fedora Project has stated it intends to "produce time-based releases of Fedora about two times a year."
There is a specific numbering system for Linux kernels, kernel development, and Fedora's kernel versions. Note that these numbers bear no relation to the version number of your Fedora Linux distribution. Fedora distribution version numbers are assigned by the Fedora Project, whereas most of the Linux kernel version numbers are assigned by Linus Torvalds and his legion of kernel developers.
To see the date your Linux kernel was compiled, use the uname command with its -v command-line option. To see the version of your Linux kernel, use the -r option. The numbers, such as 2.6.23-1.49, represent the major version (2), minor version (6), and patch level (23). The number 1 is the developer patch level, while the final number (49) is the distro-specific version and is assigned by the Fedora Project.
Minor numbers that are even are considered "stable" and generally fit for use in production environments, whereas odd minor numbers (such as a Linux 2.7 source tree) represent versions of the Linux kernel under development and testing. You will find only stable versions of the Linux kernel included with this book. You can choose to download and install a beta (test) version of the kernel, but this is not recommended for a system destined for everyday use. Most often, beta kernels are installed to provide support and testing of new hardware or operating system features.
Fedora for Business
Linux has matured over the past 10 years, and features considered essential for use in enterprise-level environments, such as CPU architecture support, file systems, and memory handling, have been added and improved. The addition of virtual memory (the capability to swap portions of RAM to disk) was one of the first necessary ingredients, along with a copyright-free implementation of the TCP/IP stack (mainly due to BSD UNIX being tied up in legal entanglements at the time). Other features quickly followed, such as support for a variety of network protocols.
Fedora includes a Linux kernel that has the capability to use multiple processors. This allows you to use Fedora in more advanced computing environments with greater demands on CPU power. In reality, small business servers typically use only dual-CPU workstations or servers, but Fedora has the capability to run Linux on more powerful hardware.
Fedora automatically supports your multiple-CPU Intel-based motherboard, and you can take advantage of the benefits of symmetric multiprocessors (SMPs) for software development and other operations. The Linux kernels included with Fedora can use system RAM sizes up to 64GB, allow individual file sizes in excess of 2GB, and host the demands of — theoretically — billions of users.
Businesses that depend on large-scale, high-volume, and high-availability systems can now turn to Red Hat's Enterprise Linux products for stable, robust, scalable, and inexpensive solutions for various platform hosting. Storage requirements in the terabyte range, no lengthy file system checks, and no downtime are just a few of the minimum requirements in such environments.
However, Fedora can be used in many of these environments by customers with widely disparate computing needs. Some of the applications for Fedora include desktop support; small file, print, or mail servers; intranet web servers; and security firewalls deployed at strategic points inside and outside company LANs.
Commercial Red Hat customers will benefit from Red Hat's engineering and support teams because Red Hat works closely with many computer industry leaders, such as HP, Fujitsu Limited, and IBM. This enables Red Hat Enterprise Linux to work well on a wide range of computers such as laptops, mid-range Intel Xeon and Itanium platforms, and some of the most powerful enterprise-class servers in the world.
Red Hat also develops platform and development tools for other CPUs, such as the Xstormy16 CPU from Sanyo, NEC's VR5500 MIPS, Motorola's 128-bit AltiVec and Book E PowerPC e500, SuperH's SuperH SH-5, and Intel's XScale-based chips.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux has a presence in many government entities at various levels across the world. For example, the New Jersey State Police use a Red Hat-based Oracle system, whereas India's Centre for Development of Advanced Computing uses Red Hat Linux in its high-performance computing lab.
Use of Linux is expanding rapidly in the U.S. federal sector. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is on the General Services Administration Schedule, and the U.S. National Security Agency has offered a series of kernel patches to assist in building secure versions of Linux. This has quickened the development of SELinux within both Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Other agencies and departments, such as the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, and the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, and Energy also use Linux-enabled platform solutions from IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
Small business owners can earn great rewards by stepping off the software licensing and upgrade treadmill and adopting a Linux-based solution. Using Fedora not only avoids the need for licensing accounting and the threat of software audits, but also provides viable alternatives to many types of commercial productivity software.
Using Fedora in a small business setting makes a lot of sense for other reasons, too, such as not having to invest in cutting-edge hardware to set up a productive shop. Fedora easily supports older, or legacy, hardware, and savings compound over time as unnecessary hardware upgrades are avoided. Additional savings will be realized because software and upgrades are free. New versions of applications can be downloaded and installed at little or no cost, and the office suite software is free.
Fedora is easy to install and network and plays well with others, meaning it works well in a mixed-computing situation with other operating systems such as Windows or Mac OS X. A simple Fedora server can be put to work as an initial partial solution or made to mimic file, mail, or print servers of other operating systems. Clerical help will quickly adapt to using familiar Internet and productivity tools, while your business gets the additional benefits of stability, security, and a virus-free computing platform.