Linux Network Administrators Guide

2.9. Obtaining Linux

There is no single distribution of the Linux software; instead, there are many distributions, such as Debian, RedHat, Caldera, Corel, SuSE, and Slackware. Each distribution contains everything you need to run a complete Linux system: the kernel, basic utilities, libraries, support files, and applications software.

Linux distributions may be obtained via a number of online sources, such as the Internet. Each of the major distributions has its own FTP and web site. Some of these sites are:

• Caldera
   

http://www.caldera.com/ ftp://ftp.caldera.com/



• Corel
   

http://www.corel.com/ ftp://ftp.corel.com/



• Debian
   

http://www.debian.org/ ftp://ftp.debian.org/



• RedHat
   

http://www.redhat.com/ ftp://ftp.redhat.com/



• Slackware
   

http://www.slackware.com/ ftp://ftp.slackware.com/



• SuSE
   

http://www.suse.com/ ftp://ftp.suse.com/

Many of the popular general FTP archive sites also mirror various Linux distributions. The best-known of these sites are:

metalab.unc.edu:/pub/Linux/distributions/
ftp.funet.fi:/pub/Linux/mirrors/
tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/distributions/
mirror.aarnet.edu.au:/pub/linux/distributions/

Many of the modern distributions can be installed directly from the Internet. There is a lot of software to download for a typical installation, though, so you'd probably want to do this only if you have a high-speed, permanent network connection, or if you just need to update an existing installation.[1]

Linux may be purchased on CD-ROM from an increasing number of software vendors. If your local computer store doesn't have it, perhaps you should ask them to stock it! Most of the popular distributions can be obtained on CD-ROM. Some vendors produce products containing multiple CD-ROMs, each of which provides a different Linux distribution. This is an ideal way to try a number of different distributions before you settle on your favorite one.

Notes

Notes

   [1]    

… or you are extremely impatient and know that the 24 hours it might take to download the software from the Internet is faster than the 72 hours it might take to wait for a CD-ROM to be delivered!

   Prev    Home    Next
   Purpose and Audience for This Book    Up    File System Standards

* License

* Linux Network Administrators Guide Guide Index