Fedora 7 tips its cap to the community

Linux & Open Source This newsletter is sponsored by Novell From servers to storage: Virtualization saves It's touted as one of the fastest and easiest ways to better manage and control your infrastructure. Download this guide today and see how network IT execs are making virtualization pay off in the real world; discover the 8 virtualization gotchas you need to know; and much more. Network World's Linux & Open Source Newsletter, 06/06/07 Fedora 7 tips its cap to the community By Phil Hochmuth Fedora 7 was released last week with the ability for users to create custom-built Linux distributions based on the open source version of Red Hat's commercial Linux operating system. The latest Fedora release merges the previous two development tracks for Fedora: Fedora Core, which developed Fedora packages and code internally by Red Hat programmers; and Fedora Extra, where code was built in the wild by the community. With Fedora 7, both versions are being collapsed into one, with all development changes being opened to the community. "The new single Fedora repository is accessible to Red Hat employees and community members alike, giving the community more influence over Fedora than ever before," Red Hat says. Along with the new development model, Fedora 7 also includes new capabilities for quickly creating special-purpose, or appliance-based Linux distributions. From servers to storage: Virtualization saves It's touted as one of the fastest and easiest ways to better manage and control your infrastructure. Download this guide today and see how network IT execs are making virtualization pay off in the real world; discover the 8 virtualization gotchas you need to know; and much more. Click here to download. Fedora 7's public distribution building system allows users to create their custom machines entirely online. Externally-hosted source code management, RPM building and compiling are all hosted on external, community-accessible servers. A GUI-based tool called Reservoir can be used to pick and choose packages, features and other components of a Linux distribution. Kickstart files can also be used to automate system creation, instead of the GUI-based tool, Red Hat says. The Fedora 7 systems users build can be downloaded onto CD, DVD or USB storage, and configured to run as bootable images, without the need for installing the systems on a computer's disk. Besides the revamped development strategy and appliance-building environment, Fedora 7 is also packed with new features and improvements, developers say. Among the upgrades are the inclusion of Kernel-based Virtual Machine technology, along with Xen virtualization support. Hardware support improvements for FireWire and plug-and-play display devices are part of the package. An enhanced administration tool for configuring Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) is also in the mix, Fedora developers say.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

Contact the author: Phil Hochmuth is a Network World Senior Editor and a former systems integrator. You can reach him at phochmut@nww.com. This newsletter is sponsored by Novell From servers to storage: Virtualization saves It's touted as one of the fastest and easiest ways to better manage and control your infrastructure. Download this guide today and see how network IT execs are making virtualization pay off in the real world; discover the 8 virtualization gotchas you need to know; and much more. ARCHIVE Archive of the Linux & Open Source Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007