Here's some (conflicting) clues:

From ClarkConnect Administration Manual, page 10: "ClarkConnect 4.x is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4."So, what flavor & version of Linux do I have?

Thanks -- Mark

Since you installed Clark Connect 4.3 you have Clark Connect 4.3. There are a lot of distributions that are based on others, it's not really important which distro is was based from, (in your case Clark Connect is based on CentOs wich is based on Fedora of which RHEL is based on Fedora as well)

I'm not sure what ClarkConnect is...

But when you

# cat /etc/redhat-release /etc/release /etc/system/release

CentOS release 4.4 (Final)
ClarkConnect Community Edition release 4.3
Point Clark Networks relase 4.3

That tells me they've built their release off of CentOS 4(Community Enterprise Operating System)which is based off RHEL 4.

So I guess your flavor is "business" and your version is RHEL 4

cpuobsessed

Centos is directly based on RHEL. They take the RHEL source rpms, remove proprietary bits (mostly logos), and rebuild the rpms.

Fedora is effectively(despite what many will say) the development branch of RHEL. RHEL4 was based on FC3, RHEL5 was based on FC6, and RHEL6 had been scheduled to be based on Fedora 9, but F9 had too many bugs (as did F10 and maybe even F11).

Mark

It looks like you are running clark connect. Which is based off of Centos, which is in turn based on RHEL. More than likely this was done to save duplication of effort (with Centos). They probably just tweak/add a few packages. Generically they are all called el5 (for version 5, or el4 for version 4). For the most part you can mix and match rpms built for Centos/RHEL/CC, but it would be a good idea not to do so for "core" components.

If you don't know what is installed on your computer, you would be well-advised to wipe the disk and start over. How do you know what clever little tweaks someone put in there when they set up the machine?

Yow! You guys are great... (so much info, so quickly... grats)

RHEL 4 --> CentOS 4.4 --> ClarkConnect Community Ed. 4.3 (The mind boggles!)

RHEL means "Red Hat Enterprise Linux", correct?

Okay, here's the deal: I lose support soon. Where should I look for updates, especially for critical, security updates?
(Note for the curious: ClarkConnect is a pre-built server. See: http://www.clarkconnect.com/info/compare.php)

Sorry... What does "el5" and "el4" mean? Assuming that "el" means "Enterprise Linux", are you saying that any RPM targeted to EL 4 should work for me?

The final issue is this: Since ClarkConnect came with no Linux documentation, and based on the information in my original post, what Linux version documentation should I use?

(I am trying to join the ClarkConnect forum, but any information you kind folks could contribute would be very welcome.)

Thanks and blessings to all! -- Mark

RHEL is Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

RHEL4.X, Centos 4.X, CC4.X are all generically referred to as el4. The 5.X versions are generically referred to as el5. The vast majority of el4 rpms will work on any of the the three(assuming they are version 4.x). Since RHEL also has a pay to get updates system, that leaves you with using Centos. However keep in mind that Centos only supports the most recent .X version (4.8 and 5.3 currently). So in order to use the Centos repos you will effectively be updating your system to 4.8.

Thanks so much for your informative post.I assume "repos" means "repository"... So, is there any danger in updating to 4.8? Linux has such a steep learning curve that it's terrifying to me to think of mucking with my server. I can handle technical documentation (I AM an engineer), but ... well, there seems so much that is undocumented that I feel like I'm walking into the middle of a movie (imagine walking into "The Shining" just as the blood starts flowing out of the elevator). Full disclosure: I hate what MicroSoft did to David Cutler's beautiful operating system and I especially hate the whole idea of Active-X, i.e., punching holes in the Intel kernel hardware protection model (bypassing call gates and all that jazz). Thanks for your help. I hope I can contribute in the future. Ciao -- Mark

As long as you stick with "official" repositories you should be fine.

Heh, I knew they were all related somehow:
Fedora -> RHEL -> CentOs
circle of linux life?