Peace upon you Dear all brothers

I am a newbie crazy about LINUX and i'm a network admin on microsoft environment. my small business company
my top managment want to reduce there TCO so i suggest to migrate to linux. so no more CALs or license, i want your kind help and support to let me start this project with the right way with your experiance witch i need badly to know the steps and the phases that i have to have. to ease the start process.

I live in egypt i have only 4 companies support Linux "Redhat, Novel-Suse,Ubuntu"
I am relly confused which distro shall i go forward ?
Can i administrate windows xp workstation like what microsoft do with Group policy and so on,, can linux control the windows users ?? coz this is very important to me.\
and what about the risk assesment "backup"

My Current status
Infrastructure :-
====================
LAN/WAN
i have a HQ linked with 4 branches throgh a VPN/MPLS routers.
Internet Leased line 512Kb throgh a cisco router.
Workgroup " coz all the workstations are win xp home so no domain controller no active directory no group policies , extra.."

Business Applications:-
=========================
EDI,Shipping operation,Agency,payroll,General Ledger

Security:-
============
Personal firewall&AV

Services:-
============
Domino mail
SQL2000
Xerox FTP
File&Print

This is what i imagine if i go to linux
"Services,Installation,Support,Training"

Professional Services (Enterprise Server)
==========================================
. Linux-based Mail Server
· Linux-based Firewall Server
· Linux-based Proxy Server
· Linux-based DNS Server
· Linux-based DHCP Server
· Linux-based FTP Server
· Linux-based Directory Services
· Linux-based Web Server
· Linux-based File Server
· Linux-based Print Server
· Installation and Startup Services (Servers)
· Installation and Startup Services (Clients)
Enterprise Distribution
========================
Red Hat Enterprise /Novel suse/ ext....)
Linux ES Version
Unlimited Number of Users (No CALs)
• Up to Dual Processor support
• S/W Updates
• S/W Fixes and Maintenance releases
• Operating System Upgrades.
Linux Client Desktop
======================
Open Source Linux Desktop


In details ,i need solution with all services required for internal operation functions as well as the connectivity with the outside world

So kindly send me a your vierw that covers the following :

The design and implementation of a fully functional solution based on Redhat or Suse-Novel or any other distro Linux system including network implementation , hardware configuration, software setup & configuration, Network infrastructure

architecture scenarios
Recommended solution "scenario" description
Technical solution details
"Required O.S, H.W, Services on every machine"
Services descriptions
"Firewall, Proxy, DNS, DHCP, Mail, LDAP, Web, FTP, Print &File server"
Clients required H.W, Linux desktop

Installation and setup services for both server & clients
Support service program
Training track and courses

License & CALs
S/W updates, fixes
Operating system upgrades

I have to get good understanding for all above points so that I can to persuade the top management to accept the project as soon as possible.
Awaiting your swift reply
Thank you for your help and support

Hi ra7eeel2002,

Welcome to LQ,

You have mentioned so many things, I think better consider a consultant / googling for each of the topic,


Be ready for a hard play


Aniruddha

I am in an organisation that is spread across my country (India) networked completely. We are using RedHat enterprise Linux 4 and it is able to handle our entire business load. We have around 2200 offices across the country connected together. We use only COBOL for our entire application package. We are also using the Red Hat for our mail and web services.

COmmon Business Oriented Language, fine but that isn't really usefull information, your applications were written in cobol..what applications?

So? you can buy a support contractfrom almost all distros, local company support isn't really needed.
using Samba, you can administer what users can access network resources from windows machines.
it would be easier to just dump microsoft completely and use linux workstations as well.

Networking..exactly what all unix and unix like operating systems excel in.
gnucash should be able to handle the accounting needs.
Shipping operations, what software package?
EDI?
if you use linuxworkstations, then you don't need to worry about the av, and they will all have iptables installed.
clam-av is available for linux, and is designed to detectwindows viruses, there aren't any linux viruses to worry about.
no adware, spyware or other types of malware in linux.
Domino is available for linux..actually the entire Lotus Notes package is available for linux.
sql2000, use postgresql or mysql, they both come FREE with every distro worth using.
you will have a choice of open source ftp server software to install, so you don't need to use the Xerox server.
file and print sharing through nfs and cups.


You don't need to buy any distro of linux, you can use the freely available versions for download.
every such download has everything for both server and workstation use.
connectivity to internet and intranet is not a problem.
hardware?
your existing hardware is more than sufficient.

just pick a distro that is more than 1 cdrom in size, the single cd distros are useless for what you need.

os updates, youcan write a cron script to update weekly if you want. or any other time interval you pick.
software updates? included with the os updates.


Jaqui

linux only, including business use.
no proprietary software at all in my business, it isn't needed.

Dear Jaqui Peace upon you...
many thanks for your care in help me .... as i told u i am a newbie linux user, u light many topics to me but as i told u i have no experiances in using linux i need your advise how to switch to linux and learning from this migation.... frankly i need to learn what i do in windows environment but this time with linux
again my friend i dont know whitch distro and what about the certificate ?? should i pick the Redhat and go through RHCE ?? to get the experiance and the practise?? i dont know from where should i start... wishing to find an answer from you as an expert
awaiting your swift advise
Thank you in advanced
yours
Ra7eeel

Hi,

Following your request for help, it is possible to use Linux to fully administer and run a windows envionment.
There are a couple of issues that you need to look at, especially administrative issues, i have a similar setup on Linux, and the only challenge is administering the network
my curent setup has 3 dedicated servers
1. File and Print server running Samba 3
2. Mail server on Postfix for {MTA} and Zimbra suite
3. Web Server on Apache and Tomcat

the Samba comntrols authentication on Kerberos, and provides logon profiles and home drives for clients. Also i control my AV and patches from my Linnux servers

i can send u sample configs from my servers and that will be agood start up for you!!!

Exactly,

get a consultant. I think Xandros Linux could make you good.

ra7eeel2002,

your best option, get a selection of live cd versions of a number of distros.
try them out, see which distro is most comfortable to you.
then get the full install version of that distro.
and start playing with it on a test network.
you'll only truly learn by doing.
asking questions here on LQ as well as in the community section of the distro's website will give you some FREE support.

once you have a good idea of what will be involved with getting the services and functionality you need to have on a linux powered network, you can write up a report, include time estimates for making the switchover, include cost estimates for teaching your company staff how to work with the new system

get the board of directors to approve then start doing the worrk of switching over.

hiring a consultant, as has been suggested, can get you switched very quickly, but then YOU are not fully capable of supporting the network.
While I strongly support switching to open source software, in a business environment you have to take small steps. you have to learn the open source operating system before making the decision.

BTW, I am a consultant. I could probably have your entire network switched in a month, but if you can't support the network afterwards, you haven't done your job right, which is why I say to start learning the os before making the switch.

http://distrowatch.com/ has a fairly complete listing of linux distros.
you can start to select a few to test from their listing.

ra7eeel2002,

Most linux admins learn to administer the server via the Command Line Interface or CLI. Since most of your experience is with the Windows GUI you will have to learn (Memorize) the text commands for starting, stopping and upgrading/downgrading server programs.

Red Hat and Suse are almost as expensive to purchase as Windows. You may wish to try out a server distro that is cheaper then Red Hat or Suse such as CentOS or FreeBSD.

I would suggest that you begin your research by going to www.distrowatch.com and reviewing the active server distros. (You may even find one available in your language.)

The you should go to www.webmin.com to look into getting a GUI remote admin interface.

Finally you should head over to www.samba.org and read everything they have on-line about Samba.

Good Luck

Hello ra7eeel2002,

This is quite a tall order. You will most likely want to start slow with a an integration plan that spans across many months. I would recommend setting up a small test network (mentioned above). This will allow you to play around with different distributions without interrupting the production environment. Once you have a working test network (even if it is just a couple computers) you can configure one aspect of the production environment on the test network (lets say mail). Once you have everything worked out, you can migrate the production environment over to the test network slowly and ensure that everything works as expected. Once QC has been preformed, you can shift the production service over to the test network and then re-configure the production hardware with Linux and finally shift the service back onto the production hardware and move on to the next service with your test network.

An excellent distribution for Enterprise class deployment is CentOS (Comunity Enterprise Operating System). CentOS (centos.org) is binary compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and is free (although donations are encouraged). I would think that it would be a good place to start.

Another invaluable resource is google.com/linux. You can search for things like MTA or mail server etc etc.

Good luck with your migration!

Hello,

I am completely new to Linux (always been a Microsoft administrator), but i had struggled for 2 years to move to Linux for ever at my work.
I've got the approval to move to Linux
Please give me your kind support and your experience in this field...

what exactly do i need to administrate the new Linux environment as good as the current windows environment ?
And what the maximum power of the new environment
i means what is the best environment scenario ever??

What exactly should i do to start this migration correctly without any problem ....is there any risks ...what is the mitigation actions

any shut down ...??
what should build from scratch ??
what your recommended phases ??

what are
pre-implementation,during-implementation,post implementation "ACTIVITIES"

what analysis should i have to do before moving

i have many concerns about the
services,installation,training,support,certificate
which distro should i choose !!!

what is the required H.W for servers and workstations ??
what about the license ??
software updates and CALs ??
O.S upgrade ??

concerns very important to me

the Training
Red Hare "RHCE" package plus the exam,or any other
certificate you recommend... Like Suse or what ever u recommend to me
specially i have only Microsoft experience no Linux background..

the Implementation
what are the best services needed for a medium company??

Your help will be greatly appreciated. I'm finding Linux to be very interesting that it renewed my interest in learning something new.
Wishing to be a geek in Linux one day.

Thanks.

I'd say your company appears to be nuts. there's no way you should be asking these sorts of questions given your apparent level of knowledge. you need to use Linux at home, in test systems for a good few years before you should even think about using it for business critical processes. Stick with Microsoft.

dear Eng.acid_kewpie
Thank you for your swift reply
excuse me for my unprofessional post and questions

explanation
They will paid around 130.000 L.E for licenses, Hardware, Servers,extra ..
they cant afford this amount of money in bulk
plus Linux is the future
Data base will change too Oracle sooner or later which its better under Linux as u know

so they will invest in me when they give me good training then certificate
about using Linux at home this is good idea but we need to move ASAP
due to the illegal windows license

so i guess the scenario will goes like this
ٍٍٍwe should rely on company with hands on experience
they implement all the service and gives support for 1 year

about the business critical process you are right in this
for that i'll bring a company to make this job and gives the support
and in this year i should learn, get experience, take certificate

i still need your advice which i appreciate it much
thank you in advanced for your support and help

regards
Ra7eeel

What you need depends on the requirements of your company. In my experience Linux has a tool to match any Windows tools. Here's a list to help - I suggest you grab a few tutorials/books and install and play on a test server.

For File sharing - Samba.
For Print sharing - CUPS.
For Proxy (User web control) - Squid.
For a Database - MySQL.
For DNS - BIND.
For a Web server - Apache
For Server monitoring - Nagios

As for Distro the three Major players are RedHat, Suse and Ubuntu (Debian). The first two have Enterprise versions or Open Source versions of their distribution. I am unsure what Ubuntu offers. If you need Official support, I would go with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or Suse. If you want a free Distro go with CentOS (RedHat's free version of RHEL), OpenSuse or Ubuntu.

I would recommend OpenSuse or Ubuntu as they are a little more user friendly.

Good Luck