Information Services

Using Unix on ResNet

Each year, we have a few people on ResNet that run Unix. If you need information for setting up TCP/IP on our network, email network@kzoo.edu.

There are many versions of Unix and Unix-like operating systems available to run on Intel or Mac hardware. Unix was originally developed in AT&T Bell Labs by Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson in 1969. Unix has been around a long time and there are many versions:

Solaris

Created in 1992 by SUN as a fully multi-threaded and real-time reimplementation of their previous UNIX OS named generically SUN OS. It is a very robust and scalable platform, working on small workstations to extremely large (64 CPU) servers. Sun Microsystems provides a free license of Solaris 9 for download here for developers and educational users. Sun also makes Solaris 9 available via a media kit for $95.



GNU/Linux

The GNU Project was launched in 1984 to develop a complete UNIX style operating system which is free software: the GNU system. (GNU is a recursive acronym for “GNU's Not UNIX”; it is pronounced “guh-noo.”) Variants of the GNU operating system, which use the kernel Linux, are now widely used; though these systems are often referred to as “Linux,” they are more accurately called GNU/Linux systems. Below are a few link to the most popular flavors of GNU/Linux:

Mandrake

Mandrakelinux was created in 1998 with the goal of making Linux easier to use for everyone. At that time, Linux was already well-known as a powerful and stable operating system that demanded strong technical knowledge and extensive use of the "command line"; MandrakeSoft saw this as an opportunity to integrate the best graphical desktop environments and contribute its own graphical configuration utilities and quickly became famous for setting the standard in ease-of-use and functionality. You can download a copy of Mandrake here or purchase the CD/DVD media for Mandrake here

SUSE

Established in 1992, SUSE LINUX is one of the world's leading providers of Linux software and services. With the largest dedicated Linux research and development team, SUSE delivers enterprise-ready software and services that harness the innovation, speed-to-market and independence of the open source community. You can download a copy of SUSE here or purchase the CD/DVD media for SUSE here

Debian

Debian is a free operating system (OS) for your computer. An operating system is the set of basic programs and utilities that make your computer run. Debian uses the Linux kernel (the core of an operating system), but most of the basic OS tools come from the GNU project; hence the name GNU/Linux. Debian GNU/Linux provides more than a pure OS: it comes with more than 8710 packages, precompiled software bundled up in a nice format for easy installation on your machine. You can download a copy or purchase the CD/DVD media for Debian here

Red Hat - Fedora

The Fedora Project is a Red Hat sponsored and community-supported open source project. It is not a supported product of Red Hat, Inc. The goal? Work with the Linux community to build a complete, general purpose operating system exclusively from free software. Public forum. Open processes. A proving ground for new technology that may eventually make its way into Red Hat products. You can download a copy of Fedora here



BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution)

BSD operating systems are derived from operating system developed at the University of California at Berkeley. Below are a few of popular flavors of BSD:

OpenBSD

The OpenBSD project produces a free, multi-platform 4.4BSD-based UNIX-like operating system. Our efforts emphasize portability, standardization, correctness, proactive security and integrated cryptography. OpenBSD supports binary emulation of most programs from SVR4 (Solaris), FreeBSD, Linux, BSD/OS, SunOS and HP-UX. You can download a copy of OpenBSD Here or purchase the CD/DVD media for OpenBSD here

FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible, AMD64, Alpha, IA-64, PC-98 and UltraSPARC® architectures. It is derived from BSD, the version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It is developed and maintained by a large team of individuals. Additional platforms are in various stages of development. You can download a copy or purchase the CD/DVD media for FreeBSD Here

NetBSD

NetBSD is a free, secure, and highly portable UNIX-like Open Source operating system available for many platforms, from 64-bit AlphaServers and desktop systems to handheld and embedded devices. Its clean design and advanced features make it excellent in both production and research environments, and it is user-supported with complete source. You can download a copy or purchase the CD/DVD media for NetBSD Here