How to integrate Linux with Unix

Computerworld - The use of the Linux operating system is becoming more common throughout the IT industry. Many corporate IT departments are using Linux to complement existing Unix systems using special-purpose Linux servers on company networks in areas s
uch as file and print services and Web services.

The question many IT administrators face is where and how to begin integrating Linux and Unix. While each IT department will have its own needs, I will explain a few simple approaches for beginning to use Linux and Unix together to strengthen and enhance a corporate IT strategy.

Multihosted operating systems and shared storage

The simplest approach to learning Linux while still maintaining the Unix operating system is to install both operating systems on the same machine. This allows the user to learn Linux while sharing its file systems and data with the Unix operating system. The two can coexist and boot independently of each other by using the boot managers that are included with Linux, such as the Grub or LILO boot loaders. Be sure to note that when you install both Linux and Unix on the same computer, Unix should be installed first. For more information on using Grub or LILO see www.gnu.org/manual/grub/html_mono/grub.html or http://docsrv.caldera.com/LateNews
/osT.unixware7_linux.html.

Unix and Linux can share storage and file systems in a variety of ways. The two operating systems can be installed on the same server and can share storage in this way. However, in a networked environment with many users, a more efficient way to share storage is to set up a network file system, such as an NFS or Samba share. The documents located at the following URLs offer information on configuring NFS or Samba on Linux: http://tldp.org/HOWTO/NFS-HOWTO/index.html and http://tldp.org/HOWTO/SMB-HOWTO.html.

Virtual OS hosting

Another approach to integrating Linux with Unix is to virtually host one operating system on another by using a commercial product such as VMware. In this way, the host operating system can run a separate operating system within it, providing access to all the systems' resources, allowing both native applications on the host operating system and applications on the guest operating system to run side-by-side. It's possible using these virtual hosting utilities to set up a system with a Linux host operating system and an x86-based Unix operating system as the guest operating system, where the Unix operating system runs in a Linux session.

	Opinder Bawa is senior vice president of technology and development at SCO Group Inc. (formerly Caldera International Inc.), where he is responsible for integrating corporate vision and technology strategy. He has close to 20 years of industry experience, including serving as director of IT at 3Com Corp., as well as technology and management posts at Citibank, IBM and Toshiba.