One of the coolest features of Ubuntu on servers is vmbuilder, which makes it super-easy to roll out guest machines. Here’s a look at this tool, and some thoughts on where it fits in to Ubuntu’s enterprise strategy.
If you’ve ever administered a virtual server, you’ll like agree that virtualization is great, but actually creating virtual machines is not always fun. The traditional approach, which involves building a disk image, booting it to a CD or ISO file and then running an interactive installer, takes a long time and requires having installation media on-hand.
vmbuilder
Ubuntu’s vmbuilder script, however, obviates all that hassle. Introduced with Hardy and rewritten in python for Intrepid, vmbuilder allows images for KVM, Xen and VMware guest machines to be rolled out automatically with one single command. For example:
s we wrote recently, KVM has a lot to recommend it as a virtualization solution in Ubuntu 10.04, especially in the server room. But how ready is it for the desktop, and can it contend with applications like VirtualBox when it comes to ease-of-use? Read on for a comparison of two of the Ubuntu world’s most popular virtualization products, and some thoughts on which one is better for desktop users.
If you haven’t yet tried KVM, you should, whether you’re using Ubuntu on a server or a desktop. As Linux’s built-in virtualization hypervisor, KVM can run a wide variety of guest operating systems with impressive efficiency. On some platforms, it can also take advantage of paravirtualization to make things even faster.
Every six months Ubuntu releases a new version. October's proposed release includes a few key changes
Ubuntu Lucid was released in April and the next release of the popular Linux operating system is now looming large. Planned for final release in October this year, Ubuntu 10.10, otherwise known as Maverick Meerkat, is already available as an alpha release.
The alpha release doesn't yet include many of the features that are planned for the final version and many of those that are included are still in the dearly development stages.
Maybe the answer for local schools facing daunting technology challenges lies with the penguins.
You know, penguins — those who worship free and open-source software, including Linux and the operating system's mascot, a penguin named Tux.
I've been hearing from the penguins since I wrote recently that if Silicon Valley CEOs want the state to improve K-12 education, then they should take a bigger role in helping those schools deploy classroom technology from this century.
At UDS in Belgium, I gave a 5-minute Lightning Talk during Friday's plenary. In that talk I gave a demonstration of a UEC LiveISO, based on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS. You can hear the 5 minute talk starting at the 29m30s mark of this audio file.
And you can find the 823MB ISO I used for my demonstration here:
In just over a month the Community Leadership Summit 2010 will be kicking off in Portland, Oregon; taking place the weekend before OSCON. The event takes place on 17th – 18th July 2010.
I started organizing this event last year, and it was a great success, with an awesome collection of attendees.
If you’ve recently converted to Linux from Windows, or if you’re just giving Linux a shot, there are a few things you need to know right off the bat about how Linux works and where the major differences are when compared to Windows. Some of the fundamental components are different between the two operating systems, and the way things are done can be drastically different; you need to learn these differences to be able to use Linux effectively, and to avoid trying to force Windows metaphors onto a Linux system that doesn’t accept them.
Are you like me and have multiple Ubuntu machines under one roof? Are you tired of downloading the same update multiple times? Sick of what seems to be duplicate work? Let me introduce you to my little friend… squid-deb-proxy.
Squid-deb-proxy is a new package for Ubuntu 10.04, and it’s designed to make your life easier and allow faster updates if you manage more than one Ubuntu machine. Conceptually, squid-deb-proxy consists of two pieces, a client and a server. The server package is “squid-deb-proxy” and the client package is “squid-deb-proxy-client”. The “squid-deb-proxy” server package is basically a squid caching server, with an out-of-the box configuration that allows it to cache .deb packages and make them accessible to the local area network. The “squid-deb-proxy-client” package is basically an include file to your standard apt configuration that makes apt aware of the squid-deb-proxy.
An Ubuntu-based Linux distro identical in look and feel to Microsoft’s Windows XP’s been updated.
Ylmf OS 3.0 has been released from a Chinese software maker with the familiar Luna theme found in Microsoft’s Windows 7 and Windows Vista predecessor.
YLMF open source operating system (Ylmf OS) English Edition is released!The interface operation is clean and clear.The adjustment and creation is based on the user’s experience and usage.We firmly believe that Linux can do as well as Windows through our efforts and give customers more choices.