I run 5 linux boxes at work. All of the machines I am running are built from cast off hardware that I have scrounged from other departments. All serve a variety of purposes. I will try to detail them briefly below.
Box 1 is a network monitoring server. It runs VisualPulse and MRTG to monitor our network links and their usage. It also runs a internal apps server as well as a ftp server. It is a Pentinum Pro 200 running RedHat 7.0. Its last reboot was to swap the batteries in the UPS it was on:
10:31am up 50 days, 22:56, 3 users, load average: 1.55, 1.32, 1.23
Box two is a NASTRAN (NASTRAN is a Finite Element Analysis program, otherwise known as Computer Aided Engineering) compute server that I use for testing issues with our translators. It is running on a Dual Pentium Pro 200. It has only been up for 20 days due to a brown out (no UPS for it :( ).
11:43am up 21 days, 17:54, 4 users, load average: 0.20, 0.20, 0.20
Box three is a samba/nfs/backup web server/Proxy server that serves as extra data storage. It is running RedHat 7.0 on a PII 233. The last reboot was to replace a failing SCSI HDD.
11:53am up 265 days, 21:58, 1 user, load average: 0.08, 0.02, 0.01
Box four is my network station. I use this to do software installation/maintence, surfing, playing mp3 files, file storage, and other nonwork related tasks (games). This is running on a PII 266 running RedHat 7.2. I also use this box for general playing with Linux (I am trying to setup a streaming audio server so that I can have a continous stream of mp3 files from any machine in the office...). The uptime for this machine is a rather poor 7 days, but I had to bring it down the other day to replace the KVM swtich it was on.
Box five is my newest box. It will soon be our departments primary webserver and it will also run ftp, samba, and maybe a backup NIS server, as well as whatever else I put on it. It is running on a PII 550 Xeon running running RedHat 7.2.
6:48pm up 48 days, 23:03, 8 users, load average: 0.67, 0.70, 0.67
So yes I use linux, however I don't use it as my primary desktop system for a bunch of reasons (that I don't have time to go into). But as far as a server platform, I think that linux is great and I rely on it heavly. As for futzing with it, I do that becuase I enjoy the chanllenge of it> :)
-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald LeVine [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 9:54 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [EUG-LUG:2824] Re: Getting more life from your old hardware
Does anyone actually use linux instead of just doing installs???? We seem
to talk a lot about how this thingy is cool and that distro has a lot of
cool features. but, how many of us are actually using linux on a daily
basis without constantly futsing with it?
Just curious.
Ron
"Bob Crandell"
<bob@assuredcomp. To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
com> cc:
Sent by: Subject: [EUG-LUG:2822] Re: Getting more life from
owner-eug-lug@efn your old hardware
.org
06/04/2002 09:45
AM
Please respond to
eug-lug
Not yet. I've been reading their instructions. It doesn't sound too
difficult.
Jamie ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote*:
>
>hmmm.... Thats curious... its sort of halfway between regular workstation,
>and terminal... Ill have to give that a try with the laptops... Have you
>setup a terminal (like the LTSP) and compared the 2 systems? Id be
curious...
>It sounds like your using the hard disk for local config, and temp stuff
>(like print spool, www, ...). I wonder if your way maybe bettter than
LTSP?
>
>Jamie
>
>Sometime just before Monday 03 June 2002 09:58 pm Bob Crandell Wrote
>about:[EUG-LUG:2818] Getting more life from your old hardware
>: Hey Jamie,
>:
>: Remember that advice I gave you about building a beafy server and maping
to
>: it from the lessor computers you're running? I finally tried it to see
if
>: it works as well in practice as it does in theory. It does.
>:
>: I mounted /lib, /opt, /usr, /tmp and my home directory. I kept /etc and
>: /var local. It is amazing how smoothly it runs considering how much is
>: coming over the wire.
>:
>: I don't know how well different distributions would work this way but
the
>: server is running 2.4.17 and my workstation is 2.4.18-xfs.something.
>:
>: I have to change how it shuts down because it stops the network before
it
>: dismounts the drives.
>:
>: See you.
>
>
--
Bob Crandell
Assured Computing
When you need to be sure.
Cell 541-914-3985
FAX 240-371-7237
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.assuredcomp.com
Eugene, Or. 97402
