Original question: "...anyone has any experiences they would like to share
regarding migrating from Tru64 Unix to Linux..."
Received several replies plus some expressions of keen interest. Thanks to
all who replied.
I've summarized the responses into 4 sections.
Coexisting Tru64 and Linux servers:
-- file sharing: using NFS to share files between Linux and Tru64 works
fairly well under Linux 2.2.x kernels, but works very well under a 2.4.10
kernel, since it supports NFS version 3.
-- Tru64 and Linux can coexist with shared user directories but took a
little bit of time to figure out how to share .cshrc between two servers
simultaneously
Migrating Tru64 to Linux:
-- migrating apps is pretty easy, generally just recompile the C code on the
Linux server with no changes to the make files
-- both Tru64 and Linux adhere to Unix standards, so the migration is simple
-- Tru64 ksh scripts work fine with SuSE Linux pdksh, and most work with
bash as well
-- several university departments responded saying they are switching to
Linux on Intel
-- rc?.d and init.d directories look the same
-- some config files are different, eg: instead of rc.config you have some
files in /etc/config
Linux vs. Tru64:
-- the Linux installation process includes many items that have to be done
separately in Tru64, eg: tcp_wrappers, openssh (list goes on) are installed
with the O/S and you don't need to compile them yourself
-- Linux supports a huge selection of software, eg: StarOffice, MatLab, etc.
-- open source software often compiles much more easily on Linux. With SuSE
Linux for example, you can just tick the right boxes when installing Linux
to install various open source software. Using open source software on
Tru64 requires recompiling and often some time-consuming fiddling.
-- essential network protocols are much better supported on Linux, e.g.
tcpd, ssh, PAM.
Misc. comments:
-- recommend Linux on Intel vs. Linux on Alpha since Alpha version doesn't
have StarOffice, MatLab, etc.
-- some users plan to convert entirely to Linux eventually (from a shop
partway through a migration)
-- some users moving from Tru64 Alpha servers to Dell Intel Linux servers
-- migration to Linux is "inevitable" for some users
-- uncertainty about HP/Compaq merger helping drive decisions to switch to
Linux, but some users will switch regardless of merger outcome
-- will miss the 64-bit world but Itanium should be ready soon (from a Linux
Intel formerly Tru64 user)
-- Tru64 is more stable, more reliable and essentially more secure and less
attacked than Linux (from a user who migrated to Linux and then went back to
Tru64)
-- Tru64 is reliable, including 4.0E and 4.0G. Most Linux servers have been
just as reliable, but in hindsight would try to get hardware and software
support from the same organization (from a university computer science dept.
which migrated several Tru64 servers to Linux on Intel in the last 2 or 3
years)
-- disk space needs for Tru64 can be easily handled with Ultra2 SCSI
adapters with external enclosures, for example, but would try a Linux
machine using some brand of IDE Raid system using NFS to increase storage
for a Tru64 server
-- a Pentium 133 with 64MB memory and 60GB IDE disk space running Linux
makes a cheap fileserver for Tru64 using "automount" on Tru64 or Solaris
-- one user will use Suse Linux 7.1 to set up a Radius and Ldap server when
they implement a new RAS server. Also plan to use a Webmail application so
users can retrieve e-mail from the server via a website.
-- one user set up a firewall using OpenLinux and Ipchains which works very
well and is very stable, rebooted only once or twice in 3 years since setup
Thanks again to all,
M.A.
Vancouver BC
Received on Mon Feb 18 2002 - 23:25:39 NZDT