After the Unix System Administrator encounters Ubuntu

This article is not about a cainiao Linux exploration note, but about the troubles of an old Unix System Administrator when using Ubuntu. Most of the system administrators who log in between 1980s and 1990s are familiar with Unix systems. With the popularity of x86 servers and Linux, it is only a matter of time for most Unix system administrators to transfer to Linux. Most tech people and media take it for granted that transferring from Unix to various Linux distributions is easy, but is that true? Author

This article is not about a cainiao Linux exploration note, but about the troubles of an old Unix System Administrator when using Ubuntu. Most of the system administrators who log in between 1980s and 1990s are familiar with Unix systems. With the popularity of x86 servers and Linux, it is only a matter of time for most Unix system administrators to transfer to Linux. Most tech people and media take it for granted that transferring from Unix to various Linux distributions is easy, but is that true?

　　Brian Proffitt is a Linux and open-source expert. He used to be the Community Manager of Linux.com and Linux Foundation, and is also the author of 19 Linux and open-source books. Next let's take a look at his description:

Recently, a friend of mine wants to convert a large number of video files in AVI format into Windows Media files for a client. Although this friend prefers to use Microsoft Systems, he does not want to spend a lot of money to buy software for bulk conversion.

I recommend that you try to get a Ubuntu, install the video decoder and edit the software, and then use ffmpeg (with a convenient WinFF GUI) to perform batch file conversion. This is usually what I do. In Ubuntu and openSUSE, you can easily find and install suitable software, which can solve this problem.

My friend installed Ubuntu on Hyper-V as I suggested, because all he needed was a virtual machine. I don't think I need to assist him any more, because I have provided him with a list of detailed software to be installed, and I know that he used to work on Unix systems, therefore, Linux should also be easy to use.

However, one hour later, we started to talk through instant messaging:

"Where is the terminal ?"

Where is the terminal? Is he kidding me? This is like a doctor asking where the stomach is.

My calmly replied: Applications application | Accessories attachment | Terminal

One minute later, he said, "I cannot get the root user ."

What ???

"Are you using your password for installation ?" I asked.

"Yes. The computer returns the 'su: Authentication failure 'error, "he replied.

Su, su... wait ......

"Are you using the su or sudo command ?" I asked.

"Su," he replied.

At this time, I picked up the phone and called him because I needed to explain something. Most Linux users know that Ubuntu does not allow the use of su (Super User) commands by default. On the contrary, if you want to execute a superuser command, you must consider the sudo command in advance before performing any operation.

I told my friends that Ubuntu does this to prevent inexperienced users and administrators from terminating a su session. This also helps to lock other potential paths to the system.

For most Linux users, this is a cliché. Also, if you really need it, you can configure a system experiment. However, my friend's powerful Unix knowledge cannot help him with this problem.

Based on his experience, running the su command in the command line is a very simple and basic Unix function. Similarly, terminal options appear in the right-click menu on the desktop. However, in today's Ubuntu and other Linux versions, these simple Unix tools have all changed.

I don't mean to expect Linux releases to go backwards. However, this also makes me realize that the comments that "the system administrator is very easy to change from Unix to Linux" are impractical, because there have been many minor changes in various Linux versions over the years, any change can cause trouble for administrators.

There are two cases. The first case is that as Linux changes, important Unix knowledge is constantly failing. The second case is the rapid development of Linux. It is difficult for a Linux system administrator to switch between different versions of Linux, not to mention those who are only familiar with Unix systems.

This is only at the management level. Obviously, there will be more differences in other aspects, which makes it not a simple task to port applications from Unix to Linux.

Of course, training is the key to solving this problem.

For example, Red Hat is a Red Hat certified engineer (RHCE, according to 51CTO's previous report, this is one of the most popular IT certifications in the world and has considerable value for Linux System Administrators) we have prepared a Rapid Track class training course with only one course. This course requires students to have a knowledge of Unix (and Linux) System Management in advance to make them RHCE.

Novell also offers similar courses for administrators who want to switch to SUSE Enterprise Linux Server Enterprise Linux servers. Canonical does not seem to have a specific course for Unix administrators who want to switch to Ubuntu Server, but it shows in the Ubuntu career certification description that "Unix experience is an advantage ".

In view of the current IT economy and the fact that data center employees in small and medium-sized enterprises are slowly not using Unix, I strongly recommend these courses to you. It would be better if I work in Red Hat or Canonical, And I will design specific courses for those Unix administrators.

The difference between the two is not to say that they appear suddenly, but they actually exist. It is a natural practice to create more training sessions for Unix-experienced administrators.

The easier it is to change to Linux, the more employees who actually manage the machine are willing to switch from Unix to Linux.