A Commercial Office Environment - Essay Example

A Commercial Office Environment By A Commercial Office Environment Introduction Considering the software licensing costs that are always increasing, as well as the poor performance witnessed by other operating systems, Linux has stood out as one of the best operating system satisfying both servers and desktop roles especially in a commercial office environment. Linux has proved to give an improved performance compared to other operating systems that were traditionally used in such an environment. Linux has very many advantages as well as some disadvantages when used both from the perspectives of a desktop and a server. Linux is an operating system that is free and was designed by Linus Torvalds. Linux runs on a variety of hardware platforms including Sun, Intel and digital. To meet its role and stand out from similar operating systems, Linux has been included with several edge features which are constantly improved. This paper is out to present an overview of a commercial office environment in which Linux is applicable, mention the relevant factors for the Linux to be deployed in such an environment and present the successes associated with this Linux deployment (Siever and Robbins, 2005). Considering the way a commercial office environment is a dynamic network that entails many key requirements such as scalability, flexibility, extensibility and adaptability, Linux is suitable in such a place as it meets all the above requirements. A commercial office is a business operation thus any equipment or facility used has to be cost effective. This is where Linux beats most of Operating Systems as it is free thus economical to any office environment. Such an environment operates best with Java development as the office activities call for the need to access network resources in a way that cuts a cross platforms allowing for addition applications into the network is the shortest time possible. Linux is the best when it comes to such adjustments which are common in offices. Now that the office environment is ever changing, workers need to be in a position to log in from different locations and stations and at the same time consistently accesses of the files shared. This is a common practice in commercial office environments and Linux makes it as easy and convenient as possible. This will allow the workers work in an environment that is familiar thus increasing their productivity (Rubin and Corbet, 2005). Linux in Commercial Office Environment Traditionally, most if not all the machines in commercial offices were operated with Windows NT, with their software servers being Solaris. Such a set up called for the need of additional applications such as NTEmacs and Bash to windows so as to improve the operations of the windows. This however led machines to be slow and often crushed. It was as result of this that most offices settled on Linux and after a given period under application, Linux has gradually matured and gained several applications thus becoming the most appropriate in any commercial office environment. Most of the office machines run with xdm resulting to a graphical interference to the screen that has been logged on. The window manager’s applications in such an environment are KBE and AfterStep and are used to accommodate users who are not technically equipped to still use it effectively. The NFS has been mounted in the home directories to allow any user to log in from any office and still access the same environment. All machines in all the offices are able to see files regardless of the Operating System they are using be it SMB in Microsoft, NFS in Unix and Appletalk in Apple Macintosh. When making use of Linux, it is very convenient and easy to utilize several machines remotely and at the same time fix problems on configuration without interfering with the user. This implies that all the machines can be operated from the same location. Now that office environments are consistent, they require easy administration with limited confusion and interferences like switching machines (Rubin and Corbet, 2005). A fileserver exists that shares all the files through SMB and NFS allowing access to any Operating System used by other users. Linux when applied in a commercial office environment also makes use of Apache in intranets that are internal including client’s information, an area with sysadmin information on procedures and machines. This application also serves as the mailserver. It sends mails to the external server by using fetchmill and allows all office workers to transfer these mails down their directories. This ensures easy and convenient communication. The time appearing on all the machines in different locations is synchronized to the main server and the server is then synchronized to a time source that is external using xntp. Linux backups are normally done using tar and then copied to another network on a machine that serves as a backup containing a tape drive. Here a full dump takes place weekly followed by a daily incrementals. As each week begins, a tape worth one week data is written and transferred to the offsite. This is a backup strategy that allows the management to easily recovery office data. It also serves as a security measure in the office by having a backup in the offsite incase anything disastrous takes place in the office machines. The use of Linux in such a commercial office environment makes the operations flexible, secure and useable. All the machines and components under Linux application are free and easy (Robert, 2005). Linux on the Server Running Linux on any server has been associated with many advantages in an office environment. Linux has made this process extremely easy to office administers as they can easily integrate the network into their operating system. Also, by having the Linux run on both the desktop and the server, a consistent working environment is achieved on all the machines in the offices making it very easy to administer. It is advantageous as it gives the management the ability to carry out several tasks automatically by scripting in shell or perl. Commercial office environment are very flexible and dynamic; this calls for the need to have an operating system which can allow users in different locations run any available server they want. With Linux used on the offices servers, all these is possible and it presents the users with several choices for news, web servers, proxy and mail of which most of them are for free. Many people in an office environment will be using the servers at the same time thus Linux allows bug fixers applications to be done in the shortest time possible. Linux server supports are of the best quality providing a variety of mailing lists, websites and newsgroups. Linux has a multitasking ability which is an absolute necessity for any server used in an office environment. Linux has the ability to run multiple tasks and services on a machine effectively. Most users in the past had doubts about the stability of Linux but over the years, the Operating System has been improved and no such worries are being experienced. In the past, there existed only one type of server used in almost all environments, and it was being operated by Solaris. As the office environment became more complicated, more servers had to be added and this is when Linux came in. The router now operates with Linux and has remained the only Intel machine server. This type of machine when used as the mail server, it runs programs on sendmail and also serves as a Sparc machine. This server operates the available load in the best way possible and offers room for any expansion needed (Robert, 2005). Linux on the Desktop In the past, Linux was believed to be an Operating System for the hackers. This has changed with time as it has since then been designed to accommodate several applications from commercial uses to freeware. It has established itself to be a stable Operating System on its own with its programs well advanced to accommodate programs that are GUI-oriented like GNOME, After Step, and GIMP. When Linux was introduced into the market, it required technical skills for it to be operated making it a challenge to many users. However, this has changed with time as the Operating System has become less technical with the inclusions of distributions such as windowing environments like CDE, Afterstep, and KDE as well as RedHat distribution. A well designed office environment making use of X-Windows is as easy to use as Windows 95 but stands out as being more powerful. There are some areas in the office environment where Linux has not been fully developed to meet those applications. However, the Operating system is being developed and it is getting more commercial every day. The latest developments include the Applixware by the Star Office and the RedHat which functions fully in any style suite regardless of the type of office environment applying the likes of spreadsheets and word processor. The other Linux development that is relevant in the office applications is the GIMP manipulation program that has gone as far as version 1.0. The striking Window’s advantage when used in the office set up is its applications and the several running methods under Linux (Daniel and Marco, 2005). Freeware Linux products like Dosemu, Wine, and Bochs are some of the products that make it possible for such applications to be utilized with commercial counterparts like the SoftWindows and Wabi. The other Linux advantage when used on the desktop especially in an office environment is its customizability. This refers to a variety of windows managers that allow users to select a working environment that they are used to. Every user has the chance to apply their own setup which can be easily changed. OpenOffice vs. Microsoft Most commercial offices depend on Microsoft Office as they continue to increase their value at the present moment and also for the future. The priority in any environment is to lift productivity levels to the highest and to achieve this, considerations have to be put while choosing applications that cut down on the total costs in terms of management, acquisition and costs of deploying them. Commercial offices also have to check on benefits and risks associated with the alternative software. A choice on OpenOffice means no initial costs but the operation and maintenance costs will be higher than expected. In comparing between OpenOffice and Microsoft Office in a commercial office environment, it is evident that Microsoft stands out as being the most convenient in ensuring work is done in the most efficient way. It is not advisable to use OpenOffice in the office environment as it doesn’t have modern and natural user experience. Studies indicate that users complain about OpenOffice as being unattractive visually, not efficient and cumbersome to use. Microsoft Office is preferred to OpenOffice as it is a user interference that is smooth and spontaneous coming with a variety of functionality and features. It has the best experiences when it comes to phone, PC and browser enabling the users to work in the best suited style. OpenOffice also lacks important features such as access and collaboration that is crucial in an office setup. Its tools also have productivity restrictions while working with them. The collaboration technology used by Microsoft ensures easy trust and sharing of information which is a crucial application (Daniel and Marco, 2005). Office 2010 has also been included with features which will ensure that the users can easily boost collaboration with several other new features like integration and co-authoring with communication information that is unified with Microsoft as well as Office Web Applications tractability. OpenOffice also fails to meet the tools, architecture, infrastructure and interoperability requirements of most offices. This may result to extra IT complexities increasing the operation costs in relation to license savings. Hence the Microsoft Office is preferred between the two as it offers all the tools needed in a commercial office environment ensuring that workers can effectively work together, easily share ideas, work from anywhere and enjoy the freedom of including any new developments. Advantages of Linux When used in a commercial office environment, Linux is associated with a lot of advantages that make it the most suitable Operation System in such an environment both as a desktop and server. Linux can be downloaded easily and freely from many sites. Its main strong point is the way it gives an environment that is consistent coming from the server to the desktop. This application cuts down on the requirements of the administration. Linux networking is integral making it cheaper and simple when it comes to maintenance on desktops and wide range of servers from a single location. Most of its tools used for scripting are readily available thus checking on the load of administration through automating most of its tasks. Linux performs best in such an environment as it enjoys the support of many developers. Some of its supports are from mailing lists, Usenet, and irc channels. The result is its rapid development keeping up with the dynamic office environment. The most recent development includes the Linux kernel that is included with features such as modern video drives that support applications like QuickCam Videos. The rapid development is also witnessed in its bug fixes speed. Generally, there are two streams in reference to kernel and they include; development and stable. Stable kernels come only as bugfixes while development series include locations for additional features and new developments (Wirzenius, 1997). A new fix is always developed with every discovery of a bug. The best example is the bug commonly referred to as the “ping of death”. It was patched out after only two hours. While preforming the role of a server, its role is fulfilling and admirable. It always integrates perfectly into any network and receives support from almost all the major platforms. Applications such as printers that are used by windows are supported through Macs and Samba. Linux also offers a modern life lease to old hardware now that it requires low RAM and CPU terms allowing a better utilization of resources. Linux also runs on several platforms like PowerPC, Sun, Motorola 68K and DEC Alpha (Wirzenius, 1997). Conclusion The ability of Linux to efficiently run on multiple platforms allowing a revitalization of the old hardware and utilizing to the fullest the resources that are available, makes it an important and effective Operation System in a commercial office environment. It allows a lot of work to be done with limited resources and the results are always efficient. Despite the many advantages associated with Linux, there are few concerns such as its application with users who are not technically fit. However, this issue is being addressed now that the environment keeps on maturing. Linux has proved to be capable of handling the ever expanding network and accommodate any additions services and application. Linux in a commercial office environment works as both a server and on the desktop and is secure, stable, and runs every desired application. Linux makes the office network be stable, easily expandable and meets startup software requirements Bibliography Daniel, B. & Marco, C. (2005). Understanding the Linux Kernel. O’Reilly & Associates: New York. Robert, L. (2005). Linux Kernel Development. Novell Press Publishing: New York Rubin, A, & Corbet, J. (2005). Linux Device Drives. O’Reilly & Associates: New York. Siever, E. & Robbins, A. (2005). Linux in a Nutshell. O’Reilly & Associates: New York. Wirzenius, L. (1997). Linux System Administrator’s Guide. Linux Document Project: New Jersey Read More