Linux features

Linux is ideal for use as a server.

Meaning of Linux

Linux is the name of the OS kernel. The kernel means the core of the function of the OS. It controls the input and output of displays, communication devices, hard disks, mice, etc. It is also the role of the Linux kernel to instruct the CPU and manage virtual memory.

A Linux distribution that makes this easier to use is configured on top of the Linux kernel.

Linux distribution type

This includes Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, openSUSE, Redhat Linux and more.

Server type

Servers include web servers, application servers, database servers, and so on. The name of the server depends on the type of server application running on the server. For example, if a web server such as Apache or Ngix is running, it is called a web server, and if Perl is running as an application server. , Called an application server, and if a database server such as MariaDB is running, it is called a database server.

Linux is open source and free to use

Thankfully, Linux is open source and free to use. An individual named Linus is the person who made Linux. He is also the creator of Git. As of 2020, Linus is the leader of the Linux project and is being developed by the team. Another feature is that it is not open source made by a specific company.

Why Linux is good for servers

Here are some reasons why Linux is a good choice for servers.

Text communication using commands

First of all, Linux is premised on text communication using commands. It used to be Telnet, and now it is mainly connected by SSH. It connects from an SSH client, receives commands, and performs programming.

Text data is easy to read, portable across operating systems, and independent of network byte orders. Therefore, in remote communication, the de facto standard for sending instructions is text data.

The GUI is, well, a bonus. The GUI is also built on the assumption of remote connection. Windows Remote Desktop looks like the default.

But most Linux server administrators work with text commands.

Adding a GUI will increase the disk capacity and memory usage of the server. For server use, if you can send commands, it's enough as a function.

Abundant free software for servers

Most of the commands can be used in common on both Linux and Unix. In fact, there are many things that are thought of as Linux commands, developed by an open source team that is different from Linux, called the GNU Project. For the sake of convenience, we call them Linux commands, but in reality, the commands created by the Linux and the GNU Project are different.

On Linux and Unix, there are commands created by the GNU Project that can be used in common. Of course, there is a lot of software that can be used for both Linux / Unix, created by other open source authors and teams.

It's easy to install, just run an install command such as apt on Ubuntu or yum on CentOS.

Line breaks are LF

The line break is LF. This is a modest but good feature of Linux / Unix.

Text-based, so automation is easy

It's text-based, so it's easy to automate. In short, if you understand that automation and efficiency of work is textualization of data, it will come to your attention immediately.

The GUI is not suitable for automation. Even if you forcibly automate the GUI, it will be difficult to respond to changes in work, you will have to start up your computer, you will have to run it on that computer, and you will need a lookout.

I think that converting data into text and writing a program such as Perl on the Linxu server is the main point for automation and efficiency of work. However, converting data into text (making it possible to store it in a database) requires design sense and technical capabilities.

Linux Server Management