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Linux Technical Overview

Background

Linux has stopped being a curiosity known only to the technical community and become a direct threat to Microsoft's alleged dominance of the low-end server market. Not only that, but voices can now be heard muttering the unthinkable - that it represents a viable alternative for many types of corporate desktop. Do you feel confident that you know what Linux is really about? What does it have to offer, how does it compare with other systems, how much does it cost? Why have IBM, HP, Oracle and others rushed to offer support?

How, for example, is it possible for a free system to provide as standard:

  • Windows file-sharing, printer support and NT Domain Controller services
  • Internal/External email and Internet services
  • SQL Database Engines
  • TCP/IP Networking, Firewalling, Network Address Translation and Management
  • C, C++, Java, Perl and other languages and development tools
  • Local and remote Windowing Systems
  • Internet/Intranet Web Server based on industry-leading software
  • Fax server
  • Administrative task scripting and scheduling
  • Remarkable robustness
  • Efficient use of low-cost commodity hardware
  • Office automation suites comparable with MS Office
  • Outstanding, auditable security

Synopsis

This course is aimed at delegates who require an understanding of the dynamic world of Open source software. This course specifically discusses the main features and benefits offered by today's leading open source operating system, Linux.

Objectives

By the end of the course the users will be able to:

  • Appreciate the history of Open Source, GNU Project and GPL
  • Understand the F.S.F. and Open Source movements today
  • Identify the major distributions available and their strengths/weaknesses
  • Appreciate RedHat/Suse distributions for corporate solutions
  • Become familiar with the KDE & GNOME graphical environments
  • Become familiar with the various Open Source office solutions
  • Identify the disadvantages of using Open Source as a corporate solution

Prerequisites

  • Basic computer literacy
  • Basic Internet literacy

N.B. For closed company courses this course can be tailored to suit requirements. The Linux overview course comes in two flavours: both share the same basic content, but one is more technically oriented than the other. The Linux Commercial Overview is gives more emphasis to the concerns of non-technical commercial managers (e.g. strategy, costs, marketplace, etc.), whereas the Linux Technical Overview provides more detail on practical issues of technical implementation (e.g. tools, architectures, etc.).

Delivery

This outline is intended to show the general direction of the ground to be covered and will be supported with handouts (approx 100 slides in all).

The trainer will ensure that the focus is on the principal reasons for the growth of the Linux phenomenon and will illustrate points by reference to other technologies in the marketplace, amongst them the proprietary Unix derivatives and Microsoft Windows in its various forms.

Delegates will be strongly encouraged to ask questions: provided that the numbers are keep within reason it should be entirely possible to take a number of questions in depth during the session.

Closed-Company Courses

Depending on the audience, this one day briefing gives either a technical overview or commercial overview of Linux, what it provides, how it works, its cost structure and its likely level of adoption in the enterprise. It is suitable for managers, administrators and developers who wish to understand where Linux fits in the future of network and desktop operating systems.

The focus is on the services offered by Linux, its suitability as an Enterprise Operating System and its use in business. The Linux Commercial Overview keeps technical content to an appropriate level and avoids excessive detail. The Linux Technical Overiew, by contast, provides added technical detail and cuts the commercial content to the necessary minimum.

GBdirect has been running the business on Linux since 1998 and have seen the cost of ownership plummet as a direct result. Crashes, re-installs and frequent maintenance are quite simply things of the past. Unlike others, our trainers are, therefore, able to report on over 8 years of direct practical experience with Linux in a range of production environments (on top of decades of experience in Open Source software and other Unix-like systems).


Outline Course Contents

Basics of Open Source and Linux

A Brief History of Open Source

  • The GNU Project
  • Richard Stallman and the GPL
  • The Kernel : Linus Torvalds
  • GU/Linux Timeline
  • Distributions, the main players
  • The Free Software Foundation
  • Disadvantages of Open Source Solutions

RedHat/Suse and other solutions

  • The RedHat product offerings and positioning
  • New features just announced
  • Support and features of each product
  • The Suse distribution
  • Novell's impact on Suse
  • Administering the main distributions

Linux : A practical tour

  • Basic installation procedures
  • Basic administration techniques
  • Network tools and utilities
  • A desktop guide
  • General Overview of drivers, updates and patches

X,the Desktop and Office Solutions

  • RedHat's BlueCurve theme
  • Gnome 2.0 and KDE V3.0 desktops
  • New features of graphical systems
  • OpenOffice.org programs
  • The "k" Office offerings
  • The Star Office product offering
  • Other Office solutions available

Open Source vs Proprietry Solutions

  • Deployment and training issues
  • Migrating to Open Source issues
  • Windows/Open Source integration
  • Integration Issues
  • PIM offerings

Linux training UK enquiries

UK Training enquiries and feedback form.

Linux training UK prices

For publicly scheduled training (individual places), see our UK training schedule.

In-house training for company groups is charged at a daily rate per group — see our In-House UK Training Guidelines.

Publicly Scheduled Training Locations

We currently run public training courses in the following locations:

  • London, UK
  • Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
  • Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
  • Carshalton, Surrey, UK
  • Chester, North West, UK
  • Coventry, West Midlands, UK
  • Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  • Glasgow, Scotland, UK
  • Harwell, Oxfordshire, UK
  • Manchester, North West, UK
  • Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK
  • Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK
  • Reading, Berkshire, UK
  • Slough, Berkshire, UK
  • Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK
  • Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK
  • Wokingham, Berkshire, UK

Most UK public training courses are available on a monthly basis.

Please see the individual course outlines or our public training schedule for details.

In-house (on-site) training locations

We deliver in-house courses at client premises and/or training facilities in any part of the world which is practically and commercially accessible.

Our In-house training guidelines outline our basic requirements and our UK pricing structure. To estimate costs for training in other countries, simply convert to your local currency and then make a rough calculation of our tutor's costs for travelling to and staying at your location.


West Yorkshire Office

GBdirect Ltd
Training Division
Bradford Design Exchange
34 Peckover Street
BRADFORD
BD1 5BD
West Yorkshire
United Kingdom

training@gbdirect.co.uk

Training: 0800 651 0338
General: +44 (0)870 200 7273
Finance: +44 (0)1353 615 174

Please call between 0900 and 1700 (UK time) on Monday to Friday


South East Regional Office

GBdirect Ltd
Training Division
18 Lynn Rd
ELY
CB6 1DA
Cambridgeshire
United Kingdom

training@gbdirect.co.uk

Training: 0800 651 0338
General: +44 (0)870 200 7273
Finance: +44 (0)1353 615 174

Please call between 0900 and 1700 (UK time) on Monday to Friday


Please note:
Non-training enquiries should be directed, initially, to our UK national office in Bradford (West Yorkshire), even if the enquiry concerns services delivered in London or South/East England. Clients in London and the South East will typically be handled by staff working in the London or Cambridge areas.