Boston University Linux

Linux is a powerful open source Unix-like operating system. These pages aren't intended as a general guide (for that, check out our list of resources) but rather information specific to using Linux here at Boston University, and particularly to using our custom distribution, BU Linux.

BU Linux is based on CentOS , but specifically tailored for the BU environment. We've added security updates, made modifications to make software work better with the way things are set up here, and added some applications that we think you might like to have. For details, see the FAQ.

The latest release of BU Linux for desktop systems and servers is BU Linux 5.3 (Monde). Currently,  Monde is available for i386 and x86_64 (Opteron, Athlon64, and Intel EM64T).

When you install BU Linux, your machine will be configured to work with the computing environment here right away — no tweaking to get things to go. We've added security fixes and a bunch of applications we think you might find helpful. Our goal is to make BU Linux the best choice for any system connected to the BU network.

Furthermore, the install process is simple and easy — the install program has been tailored for BU as well. (But we've also retained the ability for expert users to control what happens more directly, if they choose.)

And of course, it's completely free.

Although the core of BU Linux is very similar to that of CentOs  or Fedora (any packages written specifically for CentOs/Fedora or Red Hat Linux should work fine), there are many key differences. Among them:

• Network install tailored for the BU environment. The install program asks fewer questions, because it already knows many of the answers.

• Works with centralized BU login names and Kerberos authentication. Users don't need to have local passwords. (Local passwords and NIS will still work if desired.) The new add-bu-user program (or the useradd -K option in previous releases) automatically configures Global UID compliant accounts.

  And, the system-config-users graphical tool also does automatic lookup of BU login names. You can access this program by logging into X as root using the default session, or by logging in as a regular user and choosing it from the System Settings menu.

• Tighter default security, making BU Linux systems safe to run in labs out of the box (when appropriate physical/hardware-access security is in place).

• Essential updates are automatically installed via bulinux-autoupdate. This makes it simple to keep your system up-to-date with the latest security fixes.
  
  You can also yum to install packages which you don't have on your system.

• OpenSSH configured for BU network. This is the preferred method for connecting between systems, replacing the older and much less secure telnet and rsh.

• OpenAFS allows access to campus-licensed programs like Matlab, Mathematica, SPlus, and Maple. (Please check with us for licensing and access details.)

• Local system administrators (in the group wheel) have sudo privileges, allowing secure and logged access to administrative functions.

  Members of wheel will also have sudo-like acceses to the graphical configuration tools.

• Automatic root alias management system attempts to insure that important system messages are delivered to a human being.

• Configured to automatically sync system clocks with our time servers.

• Many small usability tweaks and improvements to programs like less and joe. Several other packages have been updated to their latest versions.

• Added around 300 packages, including:

  • Window Maker desktop environment (including wmweather+ preconfigured for Boston)
  • FluxBox lightweight window manager
  • Dillo web browser (tiny and fast)
  • bash_completion (command-line junkies will wonder how they did without this)
  • Blender, a full-featured 3D graphics creation suite
  • Inkscape SVG vector-drawing program
  • Pybliographer framework for bibliographic databases
  • QCad 2d CAD program
  • PARI/GP number theory-oriented computer algebra system
  • 'R' language and environment for statistical computing and graphics, including R-gnomeGUI.
  • GAP system for computational discrete algebra
    
  • GRASS geographic information analysis system
    
  • LyX document processing system
  • Scribus desktop publishing program
    
  • BU utilities like ph, bkupfile, and flost
  • Audacity and Sweep sound editors
  • Objective Caml compiler and programming environment
  • SQLite self-contained zero-configuration database
  • Programmer's utilities like astyle and c_count
  • Additional libraries — ClanLib, Allegro, and others. This will make it easier for you to build other open source programs, or for us to add them to the distribution at your request
  • Perl modules from CPAN (dozens included; we'll add others on request)
  • many popular Python modules
    
  • Games! BSD games, LinCity, IceBreaker, Heroes, Enigma, SuperTux, TuxKart, Nethack Falcon's Eye, Foobillard, Powermanga, and more.

We aim for a two-year lifecycle for the desktop versions of BU Linux. Server releases will have a longer lifetime (generally five or six years). Please plan to upgrade systems during (or before) the last summer in which they are supported, not after the dates below have passed.

Currently supported BU Linux releases

• 4.5 Server Edition (Zodiac): supported through August 2010
• 5.X Desktop Edition (Monde): supported beyond August 2011
  

Previous BU Linux releases (Stormy, Velouria, Bossanova, Doolittle, Surfer Rosa, Gigantic, and earlier) are no longer supported.

If you're a department we support, or if you want IT Operations to do backups for you, then yes. But otherwise, no — you're still in control.