The new server is not so special from a hardware standpoint…just another computer built from run-of-the-mill hardware in a nice CoolerMaster case.  The software setup is more interesting.  The server is running CentOS 5.2 and OpenVZ to provide container-based virtual machines.  More specifically, here is a list of major services that run on the hardware environment and in the virtual containers:

Hardware (CentOS 5.2)

• iptables-based firewall/gateway/NAT router
• DNS
• Darwin Streaming Server
• OpenVPN

Virtual Container 1 (Ubuntu 8.04)

• Apache webserver (for epkphoto.com)
• MySQL
• Postfix SMTP
• MailScanner
• Dovecot IMAP

Virtual Container 2 (Fedora 9)

• Apache webserver (for kerbyserver.net)
• Netatalk AFP
• BackupPC

I have been trying to balance studying for exams and work on final assignments with free time and playing in the new snow that has fallen :). I just wanted to put up a quick post since I have been spending quite a bit of time in my test install of Fedora 7. In the recent couple weeks, it has begun to look like Fedora's next release (though delayed a few weeks) will be much more of an improvement than Ubuntu's next release. This excites me since I have been a Fedora fan since the Core 2 release. To tease you, I thought I should post a couple screenshots from Parallels of the new graphics that recently were added to the development repositories. Take a look after the break.

A lot of people really liked Fedora Core 6's DNA theme, but this hot air balloon and clouds look is growing on me. It is quite fun to find new things added to Fedora 7 on a nearly daily basis. It makes rebooting fun for a change since I never know what tiny new feature will surprise me after I start up again. Development has hit a bit of a lull as they are preparing to release Test 2 in the next few days. Thankfully, that should be after my exams are over, so it shouldn't distract me too much.

When I last mentioned this topic, I was testing the "herd 2″ release of Ubuntu's Feisty Fawn. The herd 3 release just about drove me insane as its installer continuously crashed my Parallels virtual machine. I never got a copy of it running in Parallels, but fortunately the herd 4 release that just came out installed just fine. I'll hold my judgments for the final release, but the Feisty Fawn version of Ubuntu is looking good so far.

I also have been having installation issues with the Test 1 release of Fedora 7. For some reason the installer DVD image begins to boot fine in Parallels, but the Anaconda installer fails to find a driver for the Parallels virtual optical drive. After trying many times to find an answer in IRC chat rooms, Fedora forums, and Parallels forums, I finally gave up and performed an FTP install of Fedora 7 Test 1. I set up a local FTP server on my Mac Pro with the installation files so the FTP install would not be hindered by downloading files. That worked flawlessly. I haven't had much time to test Fedora 7's new features, so I will hold judgment on it as well.

Another piece of Parallels news involves running Windows. I have Windows XP installed on a second hard drive in my Mac Pro using Apple's Boot Camp solution. With the recent couple beta releases of Parallels Desktop for Mac, I have finally been able to start up a virtual machine from my Windows XP Boot Camp install. Previously, Parallels could not handle Boot Camp configurations like mine that involved a second hard drive. Now that this has been fixed, I have access to Windows, multiple distros of Linux, and Mac OS X without any need to reboot my computer.

Some of the upcoming features that are of interest in Fedora include:

• Boot/Shutdown Speedup
  • This one plays off of work done in Ubuntu, to a degree. This will eliminate as much unnecessary junk as possible to greatly speed up the time it takes the computer to cold start or shutdown.
• Encrypted Filesystems
  • This will be of most interest to government customers. This will allow an entire filesystem to be encrypted for protection of all data on the computer from unauthorized persons.
• Fedora Directory Server
  • I have wanted better integration of this side project for a while. I have a couple reasons that I won't go into here to experiment with LDAP, and my past attempts at using OpenLDAP have not gone so well. The Fedora Directory Server approach should help me attain my goal.
• Nouveau Drivers
  • This will provide some much improved open source drivers for nVidia video cards. Things still won't work quite as well as using nVidia's proprietary drivers, but the Nouveau solution should be much easier to install and supported right out of the box for new users.
• RPM/Yum Enhancements
  • This area is one of Fedora's greatest weaknesses to most users. Yum and RPM are really quite powerful, but their speed is quite a bit slower than other package management systems out of the box. Some optimization and reworking of the update system should be a welcome change for Fedora users.
• Wireless
  • Ubuntu tried to get this one right in their October v6.10 release. In my opinion, wireless network functionality increased significantly, but left much more room for improvement. I'm hoping Fedora 7 really goes the rest of the way to easy and functional wireless support. It will also help that the Fedora devs are going out of their way to try to include as many wireless firmware drivers as possible in the initial install.

I have high hopes for the next version of Fedora. I guess it is worth noting that a bunch of consolidation is happening, too. The official name for the distribution has dropped the "Core" part of the name to coincide with dropping the difference between the core and extras software repositories. Fedora will also be available in several versions optimized for desktop, server, etc. I guess that's enough to say about Fedora for now. It will be interesting to try the first test release after Jan. 30th.