Of course one might think such a technology would be difficult at best to use. Not so. The developers of Ksplice have created an incredibly easy to use system that allows the administrator to handle critical updates, normally requiring a reboot, as easily as those updates that do not require a reboot.

Getting such a system working does requiring the installation of third party software. This tutorial will walk you through installing Ksplice as well as how to go about updating a currently running kernel with the new system.

Installing Ksplice

Figure 1

To install Ksplice navigate your browser to the Ksplice Uptrack page and click on the link for your particular distribution. If you are using Ubuntu the Gdebi installer will be an option to select from (see Figure 1) . Select Open with and then make sure GDebi is selected. Click OK and the installation will commence.

During the installation a new window will open specific to Ksplice. In this window you will have to agree to a License and then click Forward. Once you have done this the installation will complete.

Using Ksplice

Figure 2

After install is finished Ksplice will automatically open up the update window (see Figure 2) and reveal to you if there are any updates for your currently running kernel. This might very well remind you of the average Linux package management front-end.

In order to install the update(s) click the Install All Updates button to take care of any updates pending.

You will also notice a new icon added to your Notification Area (see Figure 3). This Icon will not only allow you to launch the

Figure 3

Ksplice tool, it will also keep you informed if there are any updates available. Figure 3 shows the Ksplice icon with a pending update.  When your system is up to date the “!” will disappear and leave you with a clean “K” icon.

Command line

What Linux tool is complete without a command line component? Ksplice includes four command line tools for your terminal pleasure:

• uptrack-upgrade: This command will download and install the latest kernel updates available for your system.
• uptrack-install PACKAGE: Will install a specific update (Where PACKAGE is the package name to update.)
• uptrack-remove PACKAGE : Will remove a specific update (Where PACKAGE is the package name to remove).
• uptrack-show PACKAGE: Will show more detail about a specific update (Where PACKAGE is the package name).

Final thoughts

I have been using Linux (and computers) for quite some time. I never thought I would see the day when such a major update to the underlying sub-systems could be pulled off without a reboot. And not only that, it is done as simply as using a GUI interface.  But now we are looking at something special. Ksplice is only now beginning to make serious inroads into reaching that goal of 100% uptime. And now, without having to reboot after a major upgrade, that 100% number is looking closer and closer every day.

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Some of these terms might seem very basic to a few readers and some of them not so basic. It is important, however, that we are all standing on common ground and not having to “google” a term all the time. This article will not be exhaustive, it will cover a few terms. In later “Get to know Linux” articles we will cover more of these terms. Without further adieu, let’s proceed.

~/ or users’ home: This is the directory, created when you either install your operating system or create a new user (with the right arguments), that holds all of your personal data. This directory is created based on what is in the /etc/skel directory. This is the one directory your user has full permissions in. From the command line, the fastest way to get to this directory is to enter the command cd.

Kernel: This is the heart of Linux. In fact some purists will tell you that this IS Linux and everything else is nothing more than various applications built to run on top of Linux. The Linux kernel is a true preemptive multi-tasking kernel, is written in C, and is the single largest “application” on your system. Without the kernel you would not have a Linux operating system. “Back in the day” you would hear Linux users talk about “rolling their own kernel” or “compiling their own kernel”. This referred to building a kernel to meet specific needs. At one time this was almost a necessity for many users. This is not so much the case now as the modern kernel contains just about everything you would need.

Distribution: A distribution of Linux is a bundled variation of Linux. There are a number of major distributions such as: Ubuntu, Fedora, SuSE, Debian. There are also a far greater number of minor distributions: PCLinuxOS,  Linux Mint, Elive, Gentoo, etc. Each distribution has its own selling point. For example: Ubuntu is one of the best known distributions for new users. On the other hand of the spectrum, Gentoo is for highly experienced users. You will often here the term “distro” used in place of “distribution”.

Terminal, Console, or Terminal Emulator: This is where commands are entered. There are really two places this is done: In a terminal window or a Console. Often these terms are exchanged, but there is a difference. A terminal window is generally a small application (like gnome-terminal or xterm) that allows you to enter commands. The console is actually the command line version of the Linux interface. To get to what is typically called “console mode” you would either have to go to a virtual console (using <Ctrl><Alt>F1-0) or log out of X and kill your graphical log in (such as gdm). When your monitor shows nothing but your bash prompt, you are in “console mode”.

X: This term stands for X Window System. In simplest terms, X provides the graphical interface for Linux. Of course it is much more complex than that. The X Windows system alone wouldn’t offer you much functionality as X only provides the framework for the GUI. Running only X would give you a grayish screen, a cursor, and not much more. What you don’t see is that X provides the very foundation that enables your window managers and desktops to do what they do. You will often here the phrase “Log out of X” which, for the purposes of the end user, means log out of your desktop.

Package Manager: One of the key selling points for distributions is which package manager they use. A package manager is the system which applications are automatically installed, removed, and generally managed on a system.Two of the major package management systems for Linux: dpkg and rpm. The dpkg was originally for Debian systems but is now employed by Ubuntu and others as well. RPM was created for the Red Hat Linux distribution but now is used by Fedora, SuSE, and others. Each of these systems have both command line tools (such as apt and apt-get for dpkg, and yum for RPM) and GUI tools (such as gpk-application for RPM and Synaptic for dpkg).

Final thoughts

There you have a few of the terms you should be familiar with when using the Linux operating system. We will continue with more terms at a later date. If you would like to request terms to be defined (or if you would like to request a Linux topic in general), please feel free to contact me.

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Some of you may scoff and say “There is nothing Linux does better than Windows.” To that I would say you might want to reconsider that opinion. We all know (or at least I hope we know) that every operating system has its strengths and weaknesses. Many of you may have never really considered the strengths of Linux. Well, it’s time you did, and I am going to help you with that process.

The list below is in no particular order.

1. Evolve. After ten plus years of working with Linux I have seen few set backs. Each release of the various distributions has, nearly without fail, been a step forward. Trying to recall when a release has been a bump in the road akin to Vista or Windows ME has me drawing a blank. Yes Ubuntu had some performance issues with 7 and 8 but those issues didn’t cause either of the releases to suffer.

The Linux kernel itself has been nothing less than a grand climb uphill that gets easier and easier. What was once a large hurdle to most users, the Linux kernel has become almost an afterthought. And if you take a look at the evolution of the Linux desktop you can see a perfect example of how a PC interface should evolve. Although KDE took a minor step back with the initial release of 4, it quickly recovered with grace and aplomb.

The evolution of Windows hasn’t be nearly as smooth. With service packs causing major issues left and right, and…well…Vista.

2. Interoperability. Let’s face it, Windows plays well with Windows. That’s it. If you attempt to introduce a foreign object into your Windows-only network you’re in for a long day. Linux, however, plays well with just about every operating system out there. Just try to find an operating system Linux can’t communicate with and I will gladly say “I was wrong.” I have yet to find an operating system that can not communicate, in one way or another, with Linux. I have found plenty, however, that can not communicate with Windows without having to add either third party software or a bridging piece of hardware.

3. Package management. To say that Windows actually manages packages is a joke. You know that portion of the Control Panel in Windows that says Add/Remove Software? How exactly do you do the Add part? Do you click on that and then check the repository of some 23,000 different applications to purchase? Oh no, you actually purchase your software and that software uses one of the different installation systems to install the package. There is no centralized repository. There is no package “management”. Linux, however, has true package management. Synaptic, apt, yum, Yumex, rpm…Linux has package management that makes the installation and removal of applications a snap.

4. Flexibility. One of the greatest things about Linux is that if it doesn’t work the way you want it to…change it, or find a different way of doing things. I have tackled the same task in Linux many different ways, each way had it’s pros and cons. But the best thing about it was I could do it differently. I could find an application to handle a task, I could write a script to handle a task, I could piece together various applications to handle a task…you name it, the field is wide open. Even the kernel itself. If I don’t want the kernel to load a module I can recompile the kernel myself. I can fine-tune a kernel to meet very specific needs. With Linux there are no limitations.

5. Desktop. Many users just use their PC and don’t care much about their desktops. There are many others that do care. But it goes well beyond that of aesthetics. The Linux desktop can really serve your needs very specifically. I have deployed Fluxbox desktops on kiosk systems because I can create a very basic menu system that will allow users to do only what I want to allow them to do. And it doesn’t take much effor to do so. Or I can deploy a virtuoso-like desktop that will do anything and everything the user wants. And that’s the key – the Linux desktop CAN do what you want. The Linux desktop can look and feel EXACTLY how you want it to look and feel. You like certain aspects of OS X and certain aspects of XP or Vista? Linux has a desktop just for you. With Windows, if you want to really tweak the desktop, you better be ready to search for a third party application and hope it doesn’t eat up more ram than, say, Vista already eats up. Oh and all that eye candy on Vista? Linux has had that for years – and does it better.

And there you go. You can argue each point if you want. But the truth of the matter is, there are certain aspecs of the Linux operating system that are just plain better than Windows. And, of course, there are certain aspects of the Windows operating system that are better than Linux. And…of course…there are certain aspects of OS X that are better than either Windows or Linux. It’s a three way street here.

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