We have now finalised details with NTI Leeds for the desktop Linux integration workshop and are taking bookings. The day is modestly priced at £99 (Full price) or £39 “Funded” for Yorkshire based businesses (Click the banner for booking information)

As previously mentioned, the day is predominantly “hands-on” and is constructed to provide technical integrators with the concept and skills overview required to implement an Ubuntu Linux desktop platform into their existing Microsoft enterprise network.

Content structure is as follows -

Origins

• UNIX
• GNU Foundation
• The Open Source Initiative

Why Linux?

• Stability
• Security
• Efficiency
• Cost
• Choice
• Case study

Where to get Linux

• Linux flavours
• Linux distros
• Derivatives

Installation & admin

• Installation
• System updates
• Folders
• Files
• Software
• Command line

Enterprise integration

• File formats
• Active Directory
• Domain networking
• Likewise
• Exchange eMail
• Network folders
• Network printing
• VPN
• WINE
• Terminal clients

Supporting Linux

• Remote admin
• Deployment
• Vendor support
• Community support
• Third party support
• Partners
• Training & certification

The workshop is held in NTI’s superb training venue at Old Broadcasting House near the Met University, lunch is included in the price and you get a chance to heckle the guy behind TooMuchGreen (yes, that would be me), hope to see you in sunny Leeds on the 23rd.

Check this out, it’s a Windows XP themed Ubuntu distro from China. Microsoft are “apparently” not going to take any legal action against the producers (Ylmf), although I’ll wager that’s said through clenched teeth

So, what’s the lowdown. Well, Ylmf is built on the latest version of Ubuntu (9.10) and includes all the standard goodies + a few extra niceties to compliment the blend. Here’s a brief run through of the install and a few added shots from the end desktop..

Initial splash, already nicely themed..

The disk partitioning & user info request screens are as per a standard Ubuntu installation however once things get rolling it drops back into character (check out the “interesting” English welcome text..!)..

Installation finished..

Log-in screen..

After adjusting screen-res & choosing a wallpaper things are looking familiar. I purposely didn’t go for the default XP desktop “field”, I just couldn’t do it, it’s just not a very good image (it never was). Check out the nicely matched Office icons for Open Office, even the lowest end user has NO excuses..

Open Office Writer, Terminal (of course) + menu..

And how’s this for attention to detail, they’ve even stuck their own Firefox “Google search” home page in the mix as default, comprehensive (and nice) indeed..

WINE is packaged and ready to roll should you wish to install any “real” Microsoft apps (iTunes or Adobe Photoshop perhaps?)..

Movie Player & shutdown panel..

Ylmf is most certainly a fun & comprehensive Ubuntu distro and whilst obviously teetering on the brink of blatant copyright issues it does highlight a most notable point regarding computer operating systems in general – conceptually they all operate in a more or less identical fashion.

All mouse driven operating systems present a graphical structure offering access to disk drives, folders and files. Within this is a “Home” user folder containing Pictures, Documents, Music and Movies. Searching and saving to these folders from menu drop downs again is standard procedure and the applications themselves all function in a statutory manner (Document formatting is document formatting etc). Cross platform apps don’t vary at all (e.g Firefox, Skype) and operating system config (display properties & file/folder display options) generally offer a list, expanding list or icon view (+ a cover flow option under Apple OSX).

With such ubiquitous operationality coupled to what are now fully cross-compatible file formats any intelligent business platform choice should be decided not for aesthetics but around core factors which do differ and which will affect enterprise infrastructure and service delivery – i.e stability, security, performance and cost, because, and as shown, eye candy can quite easily be added later, it’s what’s under the hood that counts.

Linux is a clear winner here on all counts and with an emerging strain of cutting edge Open Source strategy providers* now helping forward thinking businesses realise the alluring benefits of adoption I heartily welcome “left-field” ventures like Ylmf which concurrently raise awareness, irrespective of whatever reasons the Chinese may have had for creating it..

Ylmf (English version) can be downloaded HERE.

*MEBBI™ Solutions can provide a full consultancy and open source solutions service.

One of the easiest and most popular cost saving routes into Open Source is a simple “Open Office >  MS Office” replacement. Open Office is a free and completely compatible alternative which even across a relatively small enterprise network can contribute substantially to major reductions in T.C.O through negating one area of software licensing expenditure. Compatible as it is, though, reluctancy for change at operational level is a big one, even more so at the user end as they’re the ones who like (?) to complain about the minutiae (of document formatting?).

There is a flip side however, a flip side which leaves *them* with their nice familiar Outlook & MS Word environment but provides even more secure stability & cost effective choice offered by open source. The answer? Simply migrate the operating system platform to Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a free computer operating system with a 6 monthly upgrade cycle, it’s built on Linux so is inherently stable and incredibly secure (no virus checker required..!). For incorporated user account authentication into your Microsoft Active directory network the latest version (10.04 – Lucid Lynx) includes Likewise Open v5.4 pre-packaged (see previous post) whilst installation of the free WINE utility provides a seamless portal under which to install Microsoft Office (or any other Microsoft application), user & departmental shares are accessible for simple bookmarking and it’s all fluid and easy (click above screenshot for large version).

Operating an Ubuntu OS platform provides most alluring benefits for any pressured user support department..

• Ubuntu LTS releases offer a guaranteed 5 year support cycle
• Ubuntu runs efficiently and revitalises existing hardware
• Ubuntu is built on Linux so is inherently stable
• Ubuntu will not catch any PC viruses
• Ubuntu is licence-free

And last (but by no means least) – users can’t tinker or try to install their latest game or program as “.exe” files just don’t exist in Ubuntu. Yes, it is also possible to tie Windows down to prevent “tinkering” but have to do so is is yet another admin overhead, Ubuntu is nailed down out of the box and with a default Likewise logon even a knowing Linux geek has no privileges from the word go.

The inclusion of Likewise Open 5.4 in Ubuntu 10.04 LTS is a logical and forward thinking industry first, even Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop doesn’t include such ease of AD integration O.O.T.B. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge Novell & SUSE fan but I have to question their self proclaimed tag as “the leading alternative to Microsoft Windows” (for business).

Lucid Lynx (final version) is due for release later this year in April and will be the market leading enterprise desktop replacement for Windows.

If you are interested in re-enabling and re-vitalising your existing I.T infrastructure through Linux & Open Source TooMuchGreen are your one stop shop from consultancy to migration..

Give us a call.

Email is officially yesterdays technology. Previously groundbreaking as the quickest form of communication it now lags on the periphery of snail mail terminology due to the instant zip of new alternatives such as Twitter.

Of course collaboratively it’s still the de facto standard for business interaction, but that’s only because Google Wave hasn’t been released and adopted yet. Google Wave? Indeed. After being shipped off to Google’s Sydney office to develop the product in secret the Wave team presented their two year project at the recent Google IO developers conference, I went through the presentation and really didn’t expect to be so impressed. So, what IS the Wave?

Take all the annoyances and shortfalls of bulk project emailing and streamline them, re-invent some old concepts (Operational Transformation), pull in some new ones, add something really cool and re-package it all for delivery through a browser. Print some t-shirts, preview it to a bunch of whooping developers (quite literally) and release it to them as open source, welcome to the Wave.

Obviously that’s selling it way short  and in all honesty you’d do far better to watch the (80 minute) presentation than try to glean the enormity of it’s potential from this meager blog entry, however I’ll try to expand the concept sufficiently to do it justice and push you toward the YouTube Video.

A Wave is a packaged communication module for recorded group collaboration, it runs in a slick browser based GUI environment and consists of messages and related updates through videos, links, text or any other form of digital media you wish to include, it’s member manageable and stunningly instant. You know those awful disjointed long email trails which just grow and grow and become even more disjointed and harder to decipher and confusing to follow as extra information gets added by others reading them at different stages and adding their own opinions before checking amendments they can’t  actually get to anyway because someone forgot to Reply to All somewhere back down the line (BREATHE..!!), exactly, but not an issue with a Wave, you just add your *bit* where applicable and it’s all recorded for staged playback. It’s genius in it’s simplicity – group email with extras and a time-line, expandable and flowing, one instance, one place.

I thought Twitter was  a revelation (and it was/is) but the Wave can streamline connected productivity even more, how about instant real time language translation for a start, and we’re not just talking Babelfish here, it’s contextually intelligent. Previous experience with Maps showed the enormous potential for rapid expansion by opening up a product for 3rd party API development and Google are most wisely doing the same with the Wave codebase. They also need the quickest route for adoption if they’re going to succeed by replacing project email as we know it to become the new global standard for group collaboration, obviously no small undertaking…but…remember, this is GOOGLE.

Aside from envisioned real-time interaction the fact Wave is delivered solely through a browser (ANY browser) could seal the fate of the desktop operating system and the in-box for good (hello Google Chrome OS ?). As you can run the Wave GUI through Firefox on any platform for free with no need for MS Exchange and Outlook Microsoft should (quite rightly) be most concerned, and although they do still have Active Directory it now seems only a matter of time before the centralised security of Linux based desktop virtualisation comes knocking there too, Ubuntu Server is by nature already a hypervisor and KVM support (Kernel based Virtual Machine) has been offered since version 8.10.

Times they are a changing, cloud cover is coming and the surf is rising, looks like it’s time time to wax up the longboard and ride the Wave.

There’s no doubting the ubiquitous predominance of Microsoft® Active Directory™ (AD) across business enterprise networks of the world (well done Microsoft), however in the emerging new age of browser based cloud application delivery an Ubuntu Linux desktop client is a distinct no brainer, why pay good money for software licensing and expensive high end hardware to (basically) just run Firefox?

As an innovative and forward thinking Network Manager you’re impressed by the TCO savings and increased stability an Ubuntu enterprise platform will bring, you’d like to look into adopting an open source strategy but you’re confused about implemented integration with your existing AD infrastructure. You’ve heard cross-client AD authentication is possible but aren’t sure how much work it will involve and have no burning desire to drop your poor technicians into the depths of  command line confusion for Windbind, SAMBA and OpenLDAP, well the good news is that you don’t have to, Identity Management Solutions from Likewise will save you (and them) from a world of pain. Likewise are sector leaders for facilitated extension of Microsoft networks and provide truly secure Kerberos staged integration with your AD environment for Linux®, UNIX® and Mac through a three tiered application suite.

Base user credential authentication comes via Likewise Open which is FREE to download and presently supports over 125 different platforms, it’s sociably available through the Ubuntu apt-get repositories and offers a user friendly domain join GU for those preferring to work with the mouse rather than the CLI.
Moving up the scale to their chargeable mid ground is the UID-GID module offering increased flexibility of administration for UID, GID & OU values via an MMC snap in.
At the top of the tree is the all encompassing Likewise Enterprise providing fully comprehensive administration for centralised ease of deployment and infrastructure management.

Likewise offer a most reasonable range of varying service plans and support contracts starting from basic online self-service How-To’s and leading up to contracted 24/7 live response. Their pricing structure is extremely competitive with a perpetual server licence for their top end Enterprise solution pitching in at only $299, this also includes 1 year product support. Further information, contact details and on-line demos are available on the Likewise website.

Too Much Green are staunch advocates of Likewise. We include and configure base Likewise Open AD connectivity as part of our tailored O-Build service and would be more than happy to discuss Ubuntu & open source migration and integration strategies with you.

Feel free to contact us anytime (details via the Solutions page)