My Five Best Linux LiveCD OS

Linux is so useful, you don't even need to install it before it gets to work. One of the popular uses of Linux is to create live media that can be used to run desktop systems or to create utility discs for all kinds of administration. Confused about the live CD that's right for you? No worries, we've got the top five live Linux CDs to get you started.

The popularity of live CDs has waned a little bit over the years, for a couple of reasons. One of the big reasons a lot of users chose a live CD, initially, was the difficulty of installation. Back in the day, Linux just wasn't as easy to install as it is now. And many users liked to use Linux on a live CD to get the hang of it before trying to dual-boot with Windows or replacing Windows altogether.

By the way, while we're talking about live CDs here, you're not restricted to CDs for most Linux live distros. Some ship full DVDs of software, and most are bootable from USB as well in case you have a netbook or other machine without a optical drive — or just happen to prefer carrying a USB key over a CD or DVD.

Selection criteria: So how were the distros chosen? You'll notice that none of the major Linux distros (a.k.a. Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Slackware, etc.) appear in the list, though most of the picks are derived from one of the major distros. Though Ubuntu, Linux Mint, et al. have perfectly serviceable live CDs or DVDs, they're not really designed for long-term use as a live distro. I'm sure some folks do use them that way, but they're the cream of the crop for installing to a hard drive — not for live media.

When choosing the best of the many live media Linux distros out there, I looked for distributions that are actively being developed, that serve a specific and useful purpose, and should be useful to a fairly wide audience. To that end, I picked from end user distros as well as utility distributions that are used for specific tasks.

But I tried to avoid discs that are just interesting to a very, very small audience. You'll find live media distros that are great for niche tasks, but not too interesting to 98% of the Linux community. For example, dyne:bolic looks really interesting for folks who want to do multimedia production. But how many folks want to do serious multimedia production off a live CD? (It also hasn't been updated in a while, so it'd be bumped out anyway...)

Without further delay, let's take a look at the discs that hit the top of charts.

The Undisputed Champion: Knoppix

You simply can't have a list of best Linux live CDs without Knoppix. If not the first live CD to appear, it's certainly the most successful and enjoys a very large and active community.

Knoppix is a Debian-based live CD that uses LXDE (at least in the default) as its desktop and includes most (if not all) of the software you'd want for a desktop system. It's updated regularly, if not speedily, and has excellent hardware support. Knoppix is primarily aimed at being run from live media — but it's proven so popular over the years that support for hard drive installation has been added.

Note that you're not going to see the same set of applications, or quite as up to date, as with Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, etc. Knoppix is optimized for speed and uses some default Debian apps. For instance, you'll get IceWeasel instead of Firefox. But, if you're looking for a live CD with great performance, Knoppix is the one to turn to.

The Knoppix site is just a wee tiny bit cluttered. One might get the impression that the Knoppix folks really, really want you to buy a CD or DVD rather than downloading. You can find downloads via the Torrent tracker (probably the best way to get it if you don't have an ISP that fiddles with Torrent traffic), or grab it from one of the mirrors.

Note that when you download Knoppix, the list of files can be somewhat confusing. Look for the latest version of Knoppix, and pay careful attention to the file names. The current release is 6.2.1, and you want to grab KNOPPIX_V6.2.1CD-2010-01-31-EN.iso for the English language release, or KNOPPIX_V6.2.1CD-2010-01-31-DE.iso for the German release. If you want the DVDs, look under the knoppix-dvd directory on the mirror. This can be confusing because the top of the listing will include Knoppix ADRIANE, which is the Audio Desktop Reference Implementation and Networking Environment. This is primarily for users who are blind or have limited vision.

If you do happen to accidentally download ADRIANE, don't fret — you can use the knoppix "cheat code" to start in the default Knoppix environment. What's a cheat code? One of the many options you can use at the ISOLINUX boot prompt. Here you can specify the language, keyboard set, time zone, and tell Knoppix to skip various hardware detection options if you've had trouble.

Tiny and Feisty: Puppy Linux

For older hardware, or for users who really like minimalist systems, there's Puppy Linux. The ISO image for Puppy Linux is less than 200MB, and can live entirely in RAM — assuming you have a modern system with more than 256MB of RAM, of course. Most systems should be able to easily handle Puppy.

Boot Puppy and you've got a nice little desktop system that has a browser, media player, Word processor, terminal emulator, file manager, drawing apps, the whole shebang. It just doesn't ship with the standard (and some might say, um, full-figured) apps you'll find with today's popular desktop distros. No Firefox, but you've got Midori. No LibreOffice, but you've got AbiWord.

And you can get those other apps. Puppy makes it easy to install packages of the popular (pupular?) and most widely used open source apps. But if you're going Puppy, why not go all the way and live on the slim side?

Ready to embrace the Pup? Head over and grab the latest release. Want it on your hard drive? Read the how not to install Puppy Linux docs.

It's also worth noting there's a variant of Puppy that might be interesting, called Quirky. It's built using Puppy's Woof builder system, and might be interesting for folks who want to experiment.

Backup and Restore Any OS with Clonezilla Live

Computers come and go, but data shouldn't. I love Linux because it's stable and runs on cheap (or expensive, if you prefer) hardware. Linux runs great on older and refurbished hardware, and in my experience is consistently stable and reliable. The same, unfortunately, can't be said for hardware — when you factor in failed RAM, dead hard drives, and so on. It's a good idea to assume that any given system is just one keystroke away from sudden death, and plan accordingly.

For work documents I use Dropbox to keep my writing and notes backed up. That covers my writing, Amazon MP3 downloads, Photos, and other essential data that fits under 50GB. But for the bulk of my data, I use Clonezilla to create a clone of my hard drive every few weeks so if my hard drive dies I can plop in a new drive and restore from backup.

Clonezilla is based on Linux and uses free software — but it doesn't judge. Have some Windows systems or an Intel-based Mac that you want to clone? No worries. Clonezilla will boot on 32- (x86) and 64-bit (amd64) systems, and it handles just about any filesystem you want to throw at it. Even if it doesn't support the filesystem, it can dd the data and restore it byte by byte. If it does support the filesystem type, it can save time by only copying the data used and not the entire filesystem.

You'll find two editions of Clonezilla, one meant to be run from a server and one (Clonezilla Live) to boot from CD or USB. Unless you have a bunch of machines to backup and restore (like a server room full), Clonezilla Live is what you'll want. Just boot the machine using the Live CD or USB, then back up to an external disk or over the network and you're good to go.

Help Me! SystemRescueCD

Along the same lines, I am a fan of SystemRescueCD and try to keep a current release on disc and USB at all times. I rarely need to use it, but when I do, it comes in very handy.

SystemRescueCD is a rescue disc for Linux systems in particular, but also can be used with other x86 or amd64 hardware. (An older version is available for SPARC systems, too.) You can even set it up for PXE booting if you like, so if you're in an environment with a lot of systems, you can dispense with the USB/live CD media and boot systems using PXE. If you need to boot a system and copy data off, or try to rescue the system, or want to nuke the data — SystemRescueCD is for you.

SystemRescueCD has a full complement of rescue tools, networking tools, partitioning tools, and so forth. If it doesn't have everything you need, it comes very, very close. Check out SystemRescueCD today and make sure you have a copy before you need it.

Network Security Toolkit

Last, but certainly not least, there's the Fedora-based Network Security Toolkit (NST). If you've ever looked at the top 100 security tools published by Insecure.org and thought "gee, I wish I had all those in a convenient live media" then you'll love NST.

Granted, it doesn't have all 100, but it comes really close. You'll get Wireshark, Nmap, Snort, Nessus, and even some nifty network geolocation features.

NST sports a Web User Interface that's easy to use, as far as network tools go, and is a must-have for any network or system administrator — or Linux enthusiasts who want to learn more about networking. Like the SystemRescueCD, this isn't one I reach for often, but I like having it around. Note that it's available not only as a live media image, but also as a virtual appliance if you'd prefer to spin it up in VMware Player or Workstation.

Summary

Even if you're not a live CD aficionado, I'd recommend having a live CD on hand anyway. In particular, I'd suggest having the SystemRescueCD or Knoppix tucked away for emergencies. If your hard drive dies or a system update goes awry, being able to boot a system from live media makes a big difference. It's also handy when friends have computer problems, and a good chance to show off Linux to boot.

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How-To Make Live USB Bootable Ubuntu 9.04

Ubuntu 9.04 is the latest in line of Ubuntu Linux operating system, which is faster and has a more improved user experience. I have only 3 partitions on my hard disk, one for Windows Vista, one for Windows 7 beta, and one for my local files. I am used to 3 partitions maximum, since it looks less cluttered this way. Instead of creating a fourth partition, why not try installing it on a USB drive? Obviously, doing a proper install is better than doing a installation on USB, but since I don’t use Ubuntu much creating a fourth partition doesn’t make sense either.

For those having problems with bootable live CD, they can try creating a bootable live USB.

UNetbootin is a free portable tool for both Windows and Linux that lets you create bootable live USB drives for a variety of Linux distributions. It also lets you do a quick ‘frugal install’, but we will only cover the procedures for creating a bootable live Ubuntu USB in this post.

Once you run this tool, you get two choices. Either you can select to download a Linux distribution from the list or you can locate the disk image of the Linux distribution you downloaded. If you have not downloaded Ubuntu yet, select Ubuntu from the list of Linux distributions and then select the latest version 9.04_live from the list.

In my case, I already downloaded Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition Image file(.iso file) from the website, so the later option would be best for me.

Note: You should have a USB Drive with a minimum 1GB of free memory.

Once the installation is complete, it will ask you to restart the computer. Click Reboot Now to restart your system.

Now while your system is starting up press the appropriate button(usually F1, F2, F12, ESC, Backspace, or Escape) to bring up Bios Boot Menu. Now change the startup order to boot USB by default, usually you will have to press F6 to move the selected USB device on top. Once done, save changes and restart the system. Now you will have Ubuntu running from USB drive.

Note: If you get ‘BOOTMGR is missing’ error, then this article will help you fix it.

Enjoy!

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How-To Install VirtualBox Guest Additions on Windows 7?

What is VirtualBox? VirtualBox is a virtualization software that allows one to run an operating system while simultaneously running their main operating system. Simply said, you can have Windows XP running at the same time on your Windows 7 desktop. This is not to be confused with dual booting, which involves having both operating systems installed on the system, and only having one operating system running at once. The OS is generally virtualized (or simply emulated), and is called the guest. The host machine, the OS that you are using to run VirtualBox, emulates the guest machine. This setup is used to concurrent run two or more operating systems without having to switch between computers or operating systems on the same system.

What is VirtualBox Guest Additions? VirtualBox Guest Additions is extra software that can be installed inside the OS running inside of the virtual machine,at or the guest machine. While VirtualBox generally does a good job of running the guest OS, it has some limitations. VirtualBox Guest Additions is software that makes up for those deficiencies and adds additional integration features, such as the infamous Seamless mode offered by VirtualBox. Even Windows Aero works nicely on Linux, thanks to VirtualBox Guest Additions!

That said, let's get started!

Prerequisites

We need the following:

• VirtualBox, latest version. You can get the latest release here.
• Fresh install of Windows 7, any version, inside the guest machine. Any install configuration will work as long as it is a fresh install, and Windows 7 can boot.
• A graphics card capable of handling Windows Aero, plus any features for any software that will be run on Windows 7. Since the support depends on your hardware, poor graphics hardware will not be able to run Windows Aero.

Important note: Although Aero may work, it's quite possible that other 3D apps may not work, and even crash the guest virtual machine. Your mileage may vary!

That said, let's get started!

Steps:

(Note: The screenshots below were taken on Linux. Things should be pretty much the same as on other operating systems, but there may be slight differences depending on your software and hardware configuration.)

1) Boot up your guest virtual machine.
Boot up your guest virtual machine to the desktop.

2) In the VirtualBox menu, Click Devices > Insert Guest Additions CD image....

3) In a moment, a box should pop up asking you about the VirtualBox Guest Additions CD.
Click Run VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe , you can download from here.

4) In the box that pops up, Click Yes.

5) You should now see the setup wizard. Click Next > and accept any license agreement(s) that follow.

6) You should now be at the install location part. Click Next > to accept the default location.

7) You should now be at the component selection part.
If you wish to enable 3D hardware acceleration, continue. Otherwise, skip to step 8.

To enable 3D hardware acceleration, check the box labeled Direct3D Support (Experimental).

You should now see a confirmation dialog.

If you want to enable Windows Aero and some advanced features (such as graphics shaders),
Click No. You will then see the following dialog:

If not, Click Yes. You will then be prompted to restart into safe mode. Restart into safe mode, and redo the above steps. (The rest of the tutorial assumes that advanced graphics support is enabled.)

8) Once done, Click Install.

9) During the installation, you may receive device driver installation dialogs. Click Install for all of them.

10) Allow it to reboot immediately - simply Click Finish.

11) Now VirtualBox Guest Additions should be installed. If you did not enable advanced 3D hardware acceleration, you're done! Otherwise, continue on!

12) Close (turn off) the guest virtual machine, and edit its settings. Under the display category, make the following changes:

• Ensure that the video memory is at least 128 MBs, if not more. We chose 256 MBs, the max. You can adjust based on your usage.
• Check the box labeled Enable 3D Acceleration.

13) Turn on the guest virtual machine again. Right click on the desktop and select Personalization.

14) Click on the Windows 7 theme under Aero Themes.

15) Now Windows Aero should be enabled!

Conclusion
Your Windows 7 is now ready to go! Hopefully you learned a bit from this tutorial, and enjoy your VirtualBox Guest Addition enhanced Windows 7!

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How-To Diskless AoE – 01 Overview of the Solution

This How-To enable a Windows based solution that uses AoE technology to bring an entirely new range of solutions, flexibility and cost reductions to businesses. The feature of AoE is a server based network where software applications and programs are held on the server, and runs on Client PCs (Diskless Node). Therefore, Client PCs do not require a hard disk anymore. Centralizing operating system data by deploying AoE enables storage virtualization at the level of the local hard drive, and allows extremely fast server and desktop deployment. This makes AoE Diskless an ideal network management software which is suitable for all kinds of networked environment industries such as Education Institutions, Training Centers, Offices, Cybercafé, Karaoke, and can also be used in cluster computing.

Until today, administrators or technical support staffs are still having frustrations when it comes to troubleshooting and maintaining a group of networked PCs. The majority of problems faced by administrator or technical support staff in a networking environment are:-

• Programs/Applications/Games/Windows Updates to all PCs
• Maintain different PC specification
• Efficiency and Troubleshooting of PCs
• Identifying faulty hardware and replacements
• Hard disk limitation and upgrades
• Virus attacks and Virus removal
• Operating System Backup / Restoration
• Windows / Files Protection
• Freeze/Unfreeze PCs when doing updates (Recovery system)

Listed below are some quick facts if you use this How-To:

COST SAVING IN:

• Investment for hard disk and future hard disk upgrade
• Monthly electricity bill, go Green
• Recovery software / hardware
• Backup / cloning software and other update software
• Antivirus / Anti Trojan software
• Faulty hard disks replacements

TIME SAVING IN:

• Programs/Applications/Games/Windows Update to all PCs
• PC maintenance enabling easy manage on multiple branches remotely
• Virus attacks and Virus removal
• Windows / Files Protection
• Maintaining different specification PCs
• Operating System Backup / Restoration
• Freeze/Unfreeze (Recovery system)

SUPPORT:

• Different Client PC specification with different drivers (Motherboard / Display / Sound / etc)
• Multi Restore Points
• Multi Sync between Servers
• Multiple Images – Multiple Window. (Example: 10PC using English Windows + 10PC Malay Windows + 10PC Chinese Windows)

What is AoE ?

ATA over Ethernet (AoE) is an open standards based protocol that allows direct network access to disk drives by client hosts. Using disk storage arrays that support AoE shared storage networks (SAN) can be built that leverage the power of “Raw” Layer 2 Ethernet.

• AoE has been native in the Linux kernel since 2005
• AoE delivers a simple, high performance, low cost alternative to iSCSI and FibreChannel for networked block storage by eliminating the processing overhead of TCP/IP.
• Layer 2 Protocol which encapsulates ATA (the command set used by most commodity disk) in Ethernet Frames – An Ethernet request which has in it, give me block ‘00’ from disk ‘01’ on shelf ‘1’.

Protocol

AoE is a stateless protocol which consists of request messages sent to the AoE server and reply messages returned to the client host.

Messages have two formats:

• ATA Message
• Config/Query Messages

AoE utilizes the standard Ethernet MAC header for IEEE 802.3 Ethernet frames and has a registered Ethernet type of 0x88A2.

Legacy Fibre Channel and iSCSI protocols consist of several complex software layers see the diagram below. These layers force users through mandatory SAN point-to-point connection configuration procedures for each network path for all storage LUNs. Ethernet SAN is a connectionless protocol that connects servers and storage directly across layer 2 Ethernet. It does not require TCP/IP or user configured multi-path IO (MPIO) software. The use of layer 2 Ethernet represents a simpler approach for SAN.

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FreeNAS : How-To Setup Home File Server For Free

I download a lot of music. My wife takes a lot of digital photos. My kids also like to save music and photos. Between all of us, we have a lot of media that quickly accumulates on our home PCs. The task of sharing this media between us is a challenge. My wife didn't know how to burn data CDs and my kids didn't have a CD burner. What we needed was a home file server: A dedicated computer used storage and sharing of our files. My research found a ton of products available that would do the job. There are several dedicated Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices that I could purchase, but even the cheapest ones are still several hundred US dollars. Then there is the server software to consider. Microsoft has its Windows Storage Server software that is also several hundred US dollars. There is also many different Linux solutions that require a working knowledge of the linux file system and command line.

In the end I settled on a free product called FreeNAS. As the title suggests, FreeNAS is free network attached storage software, but that is not all. It also has numerous features that make it extremely easy to set up, manage and expand. Plus it has features that allow you to use it as a media server for various devices. Since its hardware requirement is very minimal, this seemed like an ideal product for me to use. With FreeNAS, I was able to use my old desktop PC (a Pentium 4 with 256 MB RAM), as my file server.

Installation and setup:

To set up FreeNAS as a home file server, you must make sure you have all the proper hardware first. This means you need a multiple port router, or switch to connect your file server to as well as a network cable for the server. For the actual server, you will need a PC with at least one hard drive (I started with 2) and a CD-ROM drive.

The setup process was very easy. I downloaded the FreeNAS ISO file and created a Live CD which I inserted into my old PC. If I wanted to, I could have started using it as a file server right there (by simply changing the IP address of the server), but I wanted something that I could use in the long term... something that could auto restart with no user intervention in the event of a power failure. This meant installing it to the hard drive. FreeNAS setup made this easy to do. I simply selected which hard drive to install to, and that was it. After a reboot, I had to set up the network interface. FreeNAS auto-detects which network adapter you have, so selecting it was simple. Next I had to assign an IP address. FreeNAS setup has a default address you can use if you want, but it may not work on your home network. Its best to find out your workstation's IP address (typically assigned by your ISP through DHCP) and set up your FreeNAS server on a similar address. Once this is done, you are pretty much done with working directly with that machine and can now access all your other options through the web interface, which I found very easy to use.

Setting up file shares:

This is probably the most challenging part of the entire setup, but it was still relatively easy to do. Setting up the server to share files is done in 4 steps: Adding a drive, formatting the drive, adding a mount point, then setting up the share. At first the task was a bit daunting, but after grasping the basic concept, it was really quite straight forward. When I added 2 more hard drives to my server, it was simple to configure them for file sharing and within 15 minutes, I had easily tripled my file server storage capacity.

Additional Features:

Even though storage is its primary feature, there is much more that really makes this product shine. It has the ability to support multiple network protocols, including AppleTalk, NFS, FTP, Unison, and iSCSI. It also comes bundled with many extra services like the Transmission Bittorent client, a UPnP server, iTunes server and a basic web server. This means that it is capable of more than just storage. It can be used as part of your home entertainment setup, serving your media to your Home Theater PC, PSP, iPod, or other network devices.

Conclusion:

I'm happy to say that FreeNAS does a great job storing and sharing my files. Since my initial installation of the product, I added and updated 3 hard drives on my server and the process was very easy and straight forward. FreeNAS easily recognized my new hard drives and allowed me to add and share them for storage with no problems. I use the Transmission Bittorrent client to download my media, so I am not tying up my workstation with a separate bit torrent client. If I decide later to add a Linux PC to my home network, I can simply enable the appropriate protocol on my server and have instant access to all my files. Ultimately my goal is to build a home theater PC, so when that is ready, I will already have the media server ready to serve up my media.

I heartily recommend FreeNAS if you are looking for a free (or very inexpensive) solution for a file server. You will need to know some basic technical information about your home network, like your IP address setup, and you will need to have a multiple port router or switch on your home network, but beyond that, it is relatively easy to manage and expand.

Resources:

Website: http://www.freenas.org/
Download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/freenas/files/
Installation instructions: http://www.installationwiki.org/Installing_FreeNAS
FreeNAS Blog: http://blog.freenas.org/
FreeNAS Knowledgebase: http://www.freenaskb.info/kb/
FreeNAS Support Forum: http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/freenas/index.php

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Ethernet bonding with Linux and 802.3ad

Nowadays, most desktop mainboards provide more than one gigabit ethernet port. Connecting them both to the same switch causes most Linux distros by default to get a individual IP on each device and route traffic only on the primary device (based on device metric) or round-robin. A single connection always starts at one IP and so all traffic goes through one device, limiting maximum bandwidth to 1 GBit.

Here comes bonding (sometimes called (port) trunking or link aggregation) to play. It connects two ore more ethernet ports to one virtual port with only one MAC and so mostly one IP address. Wheres earlier only two hosts (with the same OS running) or two switches (from the same vendor) could be connected, nowadays there's a standard protocol which makes it easy: LACP which is part of IEEE 802.3ad. Linux supports difference bonding mechanisms including 802.3ad. To enable bonding at all there are some kernel settings needed:

Device Drivers  --->
[*] Network device support  --->
<*>   Bonding driver support

After compiling and rebooting, we need a userspace tool for configuring the virtual interface. It's called ifenslave and provided with the Linux kernel. You can either compile it by hand

/usr/src/linux/Documentation/networking
gcc -Wall -O -I/usr/src/linux/include ifenslave.c -o ifenslave
cp ifenslave /sbin/ifenslave

or install it by emerge if you run Gentoo Linux:

emerge -va ifenslave

Now we can configure the bonding device, called bond0. Firstofall we need to set the 802.3ad mode and the MII link monitoring frequency by

echo "802.3ad" > /sys/class/net/bond0/bonding/mode
echo 100 >/sys/class/net/bond0/bonding/miimon

Now we can up the device and add some ethernet ports:

ifconfig bond0 up
ifenslave bond0 eth0
ifenslave bond0 eth1

Now bond0 is ready to be used. Run a dhcp client or set an IP by

ifconfig bond0 192.168.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.0

These steps are needed on each reboot. If you're running gentoo, you can use baselayout for this. Add

config_eth0=( "none" )
config_eth1=( "none" )
preup() {
 # Adjusting the bonding mode / MII monitor
 # Possible modes are : 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
 #     OR
 #   balance-rr, active-backup, balance-xor, broadcast,
 #   802.3ad, balance-tlb, balance-alb
 # MII monitor time interval typically: 100 milliseconds
 if [[ ${IFACE} == "bond0" ]] ; then
  BOND_MODE="802.3ad"
  BOND_MIIMON="100"
  echo ${BOND_MODE} >/sys/class/net/bond0/bonding/mode
  echo ${BOND_MIIMON}  >/sys/class/net/bond0/bonding/miimon
  einfo "Bonding mode is set to ${BOND_MODE} on ${IFACE}"
  einfo "MII monitor interval is set to ${BOND_MIIMON} ms on ${IFACE}"
 else
  einfo "Doing nothing on ${IFACE}"
 fi
 return 0
}
slaves_bond0="eth0 eth1"
config_bond0=( "dhcp" )

to your /etc/conf.d/net. I found this nice preup part in the Gentoo Wiki Archive.

Now you have to configure the other side of the link. You can either use a Linux box and configure it the same way or a 802.3ad-capable switch. I used an HP Procurve 1800-24G switch. You have to enable LACP on the ports you're connected:

Now everything should work and you can enjoy a 2 GBits (or more) link. Further details can be found in the kernel documentation.

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Linux Lite Is Heavy on Features and Usability

In a computing world distracted by distro overload, Linux Lite is a lightweight Linux OS that has no trouble handling a heavy workload.

Long gone are the days when it took hours to install and set up Linux on a computer, but most Linux distros still need a bit of configuration to adjust the massive desktop options to your liking.

Not so with Linux Lite. It is one of the few out-of-the-box experiences I have had in testing Linux distros that let me actually be up and working in under five minutes.

That is not to say I haven't spent time installing various preferred packages. That's the great beauty of using Linux. It gives users so much freedom to individualize the look and feel and choice of applications.

To its credit, Linux Lite does not install excessive numbers of programs to clutter up menus and home directories. Instead, it installs a collection of work and play packages to get you working and surfing. Rather than spend time removing or tolerating unwanted programs, users can simply add their preferred tools.

Testing That Testimony

My routine in checking out any unfamiliar Linux distro is to see how quickly the live session boots on my standard equipment. Usually, the first sign of duress is the lack of a wireless connection. The next stumbling block is usually one or more snags while installing the new distro to the test computers.

Linux Lite impressed me from the start. It loaded a live session in under 30 seconds with a prompt to enter my wireless connection credentials. I liked its speedy responsiveness when loading files from the DVD. I liked its fresh look and uncluttered design.

Linux Lite won me over when it installed on even my balkiest test computers without a single sign of trouble. That satisfaction continued as I performed my next critical step. Using nothing more than the installed set of packages, I attempt to use the distro to do actual work tasks for as long into my work day as I can tolerate.

I was pleasantly pleased not to have to make any settings changes or packages additions except one minor matter. Linux Lite defaults to two virtual workspaces. It only took a right click to change that setting to my standard four. The new setting was immediately activated in the workplace switcher app on the dock.

Look and Feel

Linux Lite uses the Xfce desktop environment. Not having any other choices is sometimes a good thing: It removes any quandaries about which optional offering would be better. Of course, if you prefer more memory-intensive flash-bang desktop effects, Xfce may not suit your comfort zone.

Xfce is fast and lightweight, but it is also very simple to use without compromising on performance. The Linux Lite developers did not make the mistake so many others make by embellishing or altering the integration of the desktop environment to make it more distro-unique.

I was able to easily change the default two-tone gray background with a right click on the desktop to select the Desktop Properties menu. Linux Lite offers a nice collection of colorful background images as part of the live session functionality. Often this personalizing option is not available with other Linux distros until you make a hard drive installation.

Working Desktop

The desktop screen is neat and simple, with easy navigation to the menu, system settings and configuration options. As I already mentioned, though, Linux Lite really needs no finessing to be truly usable from the start.

The menu is fairly standard yet simple and intuitive. For example, the folders are organized according to their categories. The slide-out menus are also well-categorized.

You can use the Run Program search box at the top of the menu to run a program rather than scroll through the standard menu -- but that only works if you actually know the name of what you want.

Another option is to use the Application Finder in the Accessory menu. Just select a category in the left column and click on the desired installed application in the right column.

Everything Just Works

Linux Lite has a lot going for it to make a very good first impression. With Linux Lite the basics work out-of-the-box.

For example, the only included browser is Firefox. I would have preferred the Chromium Browser, but Firefox was a reliable browser for me to start my work day rather than take time to install Chromium. Even Firefox's preinstalled state allowed me to play my online music collections and view YouTube videos without having to track down missing players and plug-ins.

When I needed to take that extra step to use some added third-party programs, relief was just a menu item away. The restricted extras package in the main system menu includes proprietary libraries and applications that enable the use of TrueType Fonts, Java, Flash and the ability to playback MP3s.

Strong System Support

Especially useful for configuring Linux Lite your way is the menu item to easily install special packages. The list includes a file and folder search tool and instant messaging. It also lets you add remote desktop, restricted extras, torrent software, video editing, VirtualBox, a weather monitor and/or Wine.

Linux Lite lacks its own community repository. The full range of package installation and software removal is done with the Synaptic Package Manager. A separate application in the main menu lets you install system updates.

The latest version of Linux Lite is "Amethyst," or version 1.0.6, released in June. The distro is based on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, which includes five years of system updates without worrying about having to upgrade.

If you are not a fan of Ubuntu Linux, do not let the family lineage deter you from trying Linux Lite. Other than the system underpinnings, you will not see any trappings from the Ubuntu desktop.

Bottom Line

Linux Lite is an ideal starter distro for those looking for an upgrade when Windows XP dies early next year. Yet this distro is not just an easy Linux intro for newcomers -- it is a suitable workhorse distro for seasoned Linux users as well.

Even without installing it to a hard drive, you can reliably use Linux Lite in a live session from the DVD or USB drive installation. The USB option does not let you save your settings and software changes, however -- it is not intended for true portable use with persistent memory. However, if you use it only in live session mode, you can save your personal files externally.

Linux Lite is fully featured with the preinstalled software to be usable right out of the box.

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SteamOS could really help desktop Linux adoption, says Torvalds

The Linux desktop revolution is just around the corner!

This is a familiar refrain that has received new life in recent months thanks to Valve and its efforts to turn Linux into a gaming platform with the Steam client for Linux (shown above) and the Linux-based SteamOS.

Even Lars Gustavsson, the chief game maker for DICE, which is the EA-owned studio responsible for the Battlefield series, has a strong interest in Linux for games.

There’s so much Linux love in the air that it prompted Linus Torvalds, overlord of the Linux Kernel, to tentatively suggest that Valve’s announcements could encourage Linux adoption on desktop PCs. Screech! Not again, I hear you say?

Yes, we’ve heard the claim for years that the Linux (or GNU/Linux depending on your persuasion) desktop revolution is just around the corner. And yes, this could be just another high hope in a long history of high hopes, but Torvalds reinforced some important arguments about a Steam-powered rise for Linux.

“I think [the Steam announcements are] an opportunity to maybe really help the desktop,” Torvalds said recently during LinuxCon + CloudOpen Europe in Edinburgh, Scotland. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for a Linux revolution but, if anyone is familiar with endless promises of Linux-based desktops becoming popular, it’s Torvalds.

For Torvalds, Valve’s Steam efforts could be a big opportunity to drive desktop Linux because it could force the various desktop Linux distributions to standardize their technology. Torvalds said earlier in the 44-minute talk (shown below) that the Linux desktop was a “morass of infighting.” (The Steam talk starts around 29:50 minutes for those who want to fast foward.)

Critics’ reasoning

A criticism often leveled at Linux OS distributions—and contributing projects such as the Gnome desktop—is that each component insists on doing things its way, or going in a different direction, or breaking compatibility. This can result in fights over everything from the best bootloader to which desktop UI is superior (ridiculous since everybody knows Unity rocks).

Some critics, such as Gnome project founder Miguel de Icaza, put at least some of the blame at the feet of Torvalds. Regardless of who’s at fault, most critics agree that the Linux desktop is a house divided right now, which is why a company like Valve and the success of Steam is so sorely needed.

“[Valve] is this one company who has this vision for how to do things,” Torvalds said. “I think it also forces the different distributions to realize ‘hey, if this is the way Steam is going, we need to the same thing. Because we want people to be able to play games on our platform too.’”

Having everyone toe the line for popular products such as Steam for Linux is an excellent way to set technology standards, Torvalds argues. “Good standards are people doing things,” Torvalds said. “And saying ‘this is how we do it’ and being successful enough to drive the market.”

Change in the air?

Already, Valve’s appears to be influencing how major hardware vendors approach Linux. Shortly after SteamOS was announced, both AMD and Nvidia announced improved driver support for Linux. And AMD’s low-level Mantle support could result in more top-tier games landing on Linux.

But technology is only half the battle. As DICE’s Gustavsson said, it will also take that one killer app to really push Linux as a PC platform. That one game that everyone must play, but the only way to play it will be on a Linux distribution.

Will that game come from Valve in the coming months? An early look at Half-Life 3 perhaps? Only time will tell. But hey, if you’re waiting for the Linux desktop revolution to happen you’ve got nothing but time.

[via PCPro]

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Top 7 Best Linux Distributions 2013

Back in 2010 Linux.com published a list of the year's top Linux distributions, and the popularity of the topic made it an instant annual tradition.

There have been several shifts and shakeups on the lists presented since then, of course, and – as you'll soon see – this year's offering holds true to that pattern. In fact, I think it's safe to say that the past year has seen so much upheaval in the desktop world – particularly where desktop environments are concerned – that 2013's list could come as a surprise to some.

Let me hasten to note that the evaluations made here are nothing if not subjective. There also is no such thing as the “one best” Linux distro for anything; in fact, much of the beauty of Linux is its diversity and the fact that it can be tweaked and customized for virtually any taste or purpose. The one best Linux for you, in other words, is the flavor you choose for your purpose and preference and then tweak until it feels just right.

Still, I think some Linux flavors stand out these days as leaders for particular use cases. I'm going to diverge a bit from past lists here when it comes to those categories, however. Specifically, where past lists have included the category “Best Linux LiveCD,” I think that's become almost obsolete given not just the general shift to USBs -- some PCs don't even come with CD drives anymore, in fact -- but also the fact that most any Linux distro can be formatted into bootable form.

On the other hand, with the arrival of Steam for Linux, I think this year has brought the need for a new category: Best Linux for Gaming.

Read on, then, for a rundown of some of the best of what the Linux world has to offer.

Best Desktop Distribution

There are so many excellent contenders for desktop Linux this year that it's become a more difficult choice than ever – and that's really saying something.

Canonical's Ubuntu has made great strides in advancing Linux's visibility in the public eye, of course, while Linux Mint and Fedora are both also very strong choices. Regarding Ubuntu, however, a number of issues have come up over the past year or so, including the inclusion of online shopping results in searches – an addition Richard Stallman and the EFF have called “spyware.”

At the same time, the upheaval caused by the introduction of mobile-inspired desktops such as Unity and GNOME 3 continues unabated, spurring the launch of more classically minded new desktops such as MATE and Cinnamon along with brand-new distros.

For best desktop Linux distro, I have to go with Fuduntu, one of this new breed of up-and-comers. Originally based on Fedora but later forked, Fuduntu offers a classic GNOME 2 interface – developed for the desktop, not for mobile devices -- and generally seems to get everything right.

Besides delivering the classic desktop so many Linux users have made clear that they prefer, Fuduntu enjoys all the advantages of being a rolling release distribution, and its repository includes key packages such as Netflix and Steam. I've been using it for months now and haven't seen a single reason to switch.

Best Laptop Distribution

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I have to go with Fuduntu for best Linux distro as well. In fact, the distro is optimized for mobile computing on laptops and netbooks, including tools to help achieve maximum battery life when untethered. Users can see battery life improvements of 30 percent or more over other Linux distributions, the distro's developers say.

Such optimizations combined with this solid and classic distro make for a winner on portable devices as well.

Best Enterprise Desktop Linux

The enterprise is one context in which I have to agree with recent years' evaluations, and that includes the enterprise desktop.

While SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop is surely RHEL's primary competitor, I think Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the clear leader in this area, with just the right combination of security, interoperability, productivity applications and management features.

Best Enterprise Server Linux

It's a similar situation on the server. While there's no denying SUSE Linux Enterprise Server has its advantages, Red Hat is pushing ahead in exciting new ways. Particularly notable about Red Hat this year, for example, is its new focus on Big Data and the hybrid cloud, bringing a fresh new world of possibilities to its customers.

Best Security-Enhanced Distribution

Security, of course, is one of the areas in which Linux really stands out from its proprietary competitors, due not just to the nature of Linux itself but also to the availability of several security-focused Linux distributions.

Lightweight Portable Security is one relatively new contender that emerged back in 2011, and BackBox is another popular Ubuntu-based contender, but I still have to give my vote to BackTrack Linux, the heavyweight in this area whose penetration testing framework is used by the security community all over the world. Others surely have their advantages, but BackTrack is still the one to beat.

Best Multimedia Distribution

Ubuntu Studio has often been named the best distro for multimedia purposes in Linux.com's lists, but it's by no means the only contender. ZevenOS, for instance, is an interesting BeOS-flavored contender that came out with a major update last year.

For sheer power and nimble performance, though, this year's nod goes to Arch Linux. With an active community and thousands of software packages available in its repositories, Arch stays out of the way so your PC can focus on the CPU-intensive tasks at hand.

Best Gaming Distribution

Last but certainly not least is the gaming category, which surely represents one of the biggest developments in the Linux world over this past year. While it may not be relevant for enterprise audiences, gaming has long been held up as a key reason many users have stayed with Windows, so Valve's decision to bring its Steam gaming platform to Linux is nothing if not significant.

The Linux distro choice here? That would have to be Ubuntu, which is specifically promoted by the Valve team itself. “Best experienced on Ubuntu” reads the tag line that accompanied the Steam for Linux release last month, in fact. Bottom line: If you're into gaming, Ubuntu Linux is the way to go.

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NeoRouter for Android

1. Overview

NeoRouter for Android enables users to remotely access and manage Windows, Mac and Linux computers right from your Android devices. NeoRouter is a cross-platform zero-configuration VPN solution that securely connects your computers and devices at any locations into a virtual LAN and provides a networking platform for various applications like remote desktop, VNC, SSH, etc. On devices with Android 4.x and above, NeoRouter for Android operates in VPN mode. User can seamlessly access remote computers by their virtual IP addresses using any app. On devices with Android 3.x and below, NeoRouter for Android operates in Tunnel mode. User needs to configure dynamic or static port forward tunnels. It only works with apps that use outgoing TCP connections.

2. VPN mode for Android 4.x and above

This guide assumes that user had previously setup a NeoRouter Domain and added remote computers. Please read User's Manual for complete setup instructions. Launch NeoRouter for Android and Sign In. The sign-in experience on Android is similar to that on Windows and Mac. When you see the VPN connection warning dialog, please check "I trust this application" and then click Ok.

Once you have signed in, you will see the list of remote computers in your network. If online, a computer is shown in bold with a color icon. It is also assigned a virtual IP address as shown inside the parenthesis. You can long-click on an online computer to copy its virtual IP Address. You can also long-click an offline computer to wake-on-LAN.

Launch ConnectBot, enter "user@{virtual ip address}", and you will connect to the remote computer via SSH.

To exit NeoRouter VPN, you can click Menu - Exit. Alternatively you can open the key icon in the notification area and then click the disconnect button in the VPN status dialog.

3. Tunnel Mode for Android 3.x and below

3.1 Quick start using dynamic port forward

Using ConnectBot as example, I will show you how to setup NeoRouter for Android within minutes. This guide assumes that user had previously setup a NeoRouter Domain and added remote computers. Please read our User's Manual for complete setup instructions. Download and install NeoRouter from Android market. Launch NeoRouter for Android and Sign In. The sign-in experience on Android is similar to that on Windows and Mac. Once you have signed in, you will see the list of remote computers in your network. If online, a computer is shown in bold with a color icon. It is also assigned a virtual IP address as shown inside the parenthesis.

Long-click on an online computer and you will see the launch pad dialog with a list of applications/ports. Choose SSH (22) from the list and NeoRouter will setup port forward from localhost:32973 to the SSH port of the remote computer.

Launch ConnectBot, enter "user@localhost:32973", and you will connect to the remote computer via SSH. Tip: if you need multiple SSH connections concurrently, you can add multiple entries to localhost:32973 in ConnectBot by changing the Nick Name property. See ConnectBot's FAQ for more information.

If you need to connect to a different computer or to use a different application, you can simply repeat the above steps to setup a different Dynamic Port Forward in NeoRouter. Then new connections to localhost:32973 will be forwarded to this new remote address. The change does not interrupt existing connections.

3.2 Configure Dynamic Port Forward

Port Forward in NeoRouter shares the same basic concept as port tunneling using SSH. The NeoRouter Android application will listen at ports on localhost and forward connections to these ports to the remote computer over the virtual private network. NeoRouter supports both Static Port Forward and Dynamic Port Forward. Static Port Forward With Static Port Forward, user assigns a local port for every remote [server:port]. For example, if a user needs access to two remote computers for SSH and VNC, he/she will need to create four static port forward mappings as shown in the screenshot below. NeoRouter will listen at all these local ports and forward the incoming connections according to the mappings. To edit static port forward, user needs to sign in, then click "menu" - "Settings" - "Configure Static Port Forward".

Dynamic Port Forward With Dynamic Port Forward, NeoRouter always listens at port 32973 of localhost, and user can specify remote computer and port dynamically by long-click a computer then choose a port. After setting remote computer and port, new connections to localhost:32973 will be forwarded to this remote address. User can change the remote address at any time without interrupting existing connections. By default, NeoRouter supports three remote ports: SSH (22), VNC (5900) and RDP (3389). To change the default settings, user can sign in, click "menu" - "Settings" - "Configure Dynamic Port Forward". Note that "$NRIPAddress" will be replaced with the IP address of the remote computer.

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