It's been almost 20 years since Linux was first released into the world. The OS, which is free for anyone to use and modify however they like, has been put to a lot of uses.
Today, a vast number of servers run Linux to serve up web pages and applications, while user-friendly versions of Linux run PCs, netbooks, and even Android and WebOS phones.
One incredibly useful way that Linux has been adapted to the needs of modern computer users is as a 'live CD', a version of the operating system that can be booted from a CD (or a DVD or, in some cases, a USB drive) without actually being installed on the computer's hard drive. Given the massive RAM and fast CPUs available on even the lowest-end computers today, along with Linux's generally lower system requirements compared to Windows and Mac OS X, you can run Linux quite comfortably from a CD drive.
Live discs allow you to radically transform the nature of the machine you're working on - without modifying the installed operating system and software at all. There are a number of reasons you might want to do this. The most obvious is to test a new version or different distribution of Linux before deploying it, saving yourself the surprise of incompatible software or non-functional hardware after installation. But even if your business does not plan to deploy Linux as a desktop or server operating system, there are still good reasons to have a live Linux CD or two on hand.
Live CDs are great for system diagnosis and recovery when disaster strikes; they're also useful for securing and testing your network. And for road warriors, the ability to boot up a familiar, customised operating system on any machine, anywhere in the world, has an obvious attraction - as do specialised live distributions designed to provide security and anonymity for workers with sensitive data or communications to protect.
Live discs are read-only, which means they're quite secure, since malware can't make any changes to the core system. If you do get an infection, it disappears as soon as you reboot.
Here are five ways to use live Linux in your business, as well as pointers to distributions best suited to each particular task.
NEXT PAGE: Test-drive Linux
- Laptop buying advice
- See all laptop reviews
- What live discs can do
- Test-drive Linux
- Restore failed systems
- Creating a live USB from a CD image
Comments
Mike O'Connor said: Page 2 refers to a Pentium 486No such animal exists An 80486 CPU long pre-dates the Pentium eraMike
Brodo said: UBCD is not based on Linux It is a Windows Live CD or at least FreeDOS Rather a silly mistake
Cyteck said: Linux MOST CERTAINLY IS an operating system True its not like MS windows true not all versions of Linux are the same True not all Linux distributions are even based on the same kernel but that doesnt invalidate them or make them anything less as an operating system If Linux isnt an operating system how come millions of people are using it as exactly that
Cyteck said: Thats frankly a wee bit silly amp technically its just splitting hairs amp being rather pedantic to be honest with you Its like saying even though apes have hearts just like us amp large brains just like us amp share 98 the same DNA as humans they are not intelligent
Clive White said: Linux is not an OS It is the kernal upon which various operating systems are based