Boston University Linux

The Boston University Office of Information Technology is pleased to announce the release of our newest desktop-focused operating system, BU Linux 5.0 (Monde). Download and installation instructions are available at http://linux.bu.edu/installation/. Later this fall, pre-made installation CDs will be available for $5 from the Office of Information Technology at 111 Cummington Street.

This is our first desktop-oriented release based on the CentOS Community Enterprise Operating System project. CentOS comes from the same lineage as the Fedora distribution on which previous desktop BU Linux releases were based, and is already the basis for our BU Linux server edition. Using CentOS as a base platform assures a stable, secure underlying technology with a supported lifetime long enough to meet our needs.

The desktop edition of BU Linux endeavors to track the leading edge of Linux development while still providing a stable computing platform suitable for daily use. Like all versions of BU Linux, it features an easy installation process, integration with the Boston University networking environment, and automated security updates.

Supported Hardware

BU Linux 5.0 (Monde) runs on almost all typical desktop computer systems, and is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit editions to take advantage of the latest processors from AMD and Intel. We recommend the 64-bit version on newer computers, although note that the proprietary Adobe Flash Player plug-in requires the 32-bit version of Firefox even on 64-bit systems. BU Linux also will work on many laptops, although the wide variation in laptop hardware sometimes leads to incompatibilities.

BU Linux Server Edition

BU Linux 4.5 Server Edition (Zodiac) remains our supported and recommended platform for server applications. However, if you require newer software (either for features, or simply to run on very new hardware), BU Linux 5.0 (Monde) can also be configured as a server. Please contact us to discuss details.

End-of-Life for Older BU Linux Releases

BU Linux 4.0 (Bossanova) and older are NO LONGER SUPPORTED. Any systems still running Bossanova or BU Linux 3.0 (Doolittle) must be updated immediately.

As explained in our January message, BU Linux 4.5 (Velouria) and BU Linux 4.6 (Stormy) will be supported through the rest of this summer. Please make sure all systems are upgraded by the end of August. (See the technical note on upgrades, below.) The BU Linux team is available to assist with such upgrades; please let us know how we can help you.

BU Linux 4.5 Server Edition (Zodiac) remains supported through summer 2010. We plan to produce a replacement server edition in 2009 to avoid the upgrade crunch problem we're faced with currently.

In summary:

BU Linux 3.0 (Doolittle): unsupported

BU Linux 4.0 (Bossanova): unsupported

BU Linux 4.5 (Velouria): end of life 8/31/2007

BU Linux 4.6 (Stormy): end of life 8/31/2007

BU Linux 4.5s (Zodiac): end of life 8/31/2010

BU Linux 5.0 (Monde): end of life 8/31/2010

Thank you.

Technical Notes

Software Availability

One negative consequence of the switch from Fedora to CentOS is a significant reduction in packages automatically included -- CentOS includes approximately 1100 source packages, while Fedora provides over 4500. We have identified and included many of the most interesting, useful, and important packages from Fedora and other sources and built them for BU Linux. If we missed something that you want or need, please let us know and we will consider it for inclusion in an update.

Upgrading from BU Linux 4.5 (Velouria) or 4.6 (Stormy)

While we have endeavored to make upgrade installations from these releases work as smoothly as possible, there is always a risk of difficulty. Since systems which have been in production for a long time all have their individual quirks, it's difficult to test for all possibilities. Problems are especially likely if the software selection on the older OS was customized from the default.

Therefore, for most cases, it is easier to wipe the system partition and do a new, "clean" installation while preserving the /home partition. BU Linux defaults to making /home a separate partition for exactly this reason. A clean install is usually faster and more reliable. The BU Linux web site has detailed notes on this procedure.

In any case, please make sure all critical configuration information and user data is backed up before beginning.

The BU Linux team will be available to help with upgrades.

Upgrading from Even Older Releases

If you are upgrading from BU Linux 4.0 (Bossanova) or BU Linux 3.0 (Doolittle), please use the clean installation method described above.

Security-Enhanced Linux

BU Linux 5.0 (Monde) includes the SELinux access-control system and a targeted policy designed to reduce the risk from security flaws in application software.

This is the first release of BU Linux in which SELinux is available.We are still experiencing some problems with this technology, so it is in "permissive" mode by default. This mode alerts you when forbidden actions are taken, but does not actually prevent them.

You may change SELinux to "enforcing" mode using system-config-securitylevel, but be aware that this may result in the need to diagnose and correct security policy problems.

Boot Loader Password

The password for GRUB, the system boot loader, is set to match the root password, and will be kept in sync if the root password is changed. This behavior can be changed via the system-config-authentication program.

Other Repositories

It is possible to add other package repositories (like RPM Forge or ATrpms) to BU Linux, but be warned that doing this may interfere with security updates or other operation of the system. Please do not add third-party repositories without expecting to deal with the resulting problems. If there is software missing from BU Linux which we can legally provide, please let us know.