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LinuxDig.Com : Linux News : Red Hat Fedora Core 2 Review
Author: HumanX | Wednesday June 30, 2004
Two things, New Kernel and CDs that do not fail! Core 2 takes us to the 2.6 kernel which is well worth the upgrade. 2.6 kernel improves IDE I/O, SMP and Multitasking, these changes offer you a more responsive system. For those of you familiar with RedHat 9 / Core 1, Core 2 will feel famailair.
For those of you who may not know, Fedora is Red Hat's test bed operating system for their enterprise Linux system. In Fedora you will find future technologies, meaning, you will find the latest and greatest available to Linux. Red Hat has suffered in this area, they had a tendency to be behind the times. And that was not a bad thing as ISP's and Corporate users rely on the stability and this is what Red Hat delivers.
Now Red Hat has both, they have the Open Source Fedora System which offers us up-to-date Linux and Red Hat Enterprise. Enteprise trails behind Fedora preferring a solid operating system over a newer operating system. This is not to say Fedora is not stable, quite the contrary.
* As a side note, I am finding ISP's who offer Core 1 on leased system installations. This goes to show you the stability of Fedora
I installed Core 2 on a Dell system with Intel Video, 512 mb memory, 40 gig hard drive and a 900 MHZ Intel proc. Installation was smooth and all devices were detected, not to mention, the 3d opengl drivers for my video card were active. Good Job Fedora.
One of the newer functions of Fedora is SeLinux. Though I did not have the opportunity to give it a run for this review, it is worth noting. SeLinux delivers the ability to create policy based secure Linux. This gives the administrator a broader range of control over the system and its security settings. Example, a file or directory could have multiple users assigned to it, each with his/her own security settings. This is a small example and for more information visit Fedora's web site. SeLinux brings more security and control to Linux and makes it more attractive to the enterprise and anyone needing a higher level of security within there Linux environment.
* SeLinux is an option which can be enabled after installation. The Fedoria web site has a section in their FAQ describing SeLinux along with usage notes.
SeLinux Description from NSA:
"The system provides a mechanism to enforce the separation of information based on confidentiality and integrity requirements. This allows threats of tampering and bypassing of application security mechanisms to be addressed and enables the confinement of damage that can be caused by malicious or flawed applications." -NSA Web Site
From here, what can I say, it is Red Hat through and through with the advantage of 2.6 kernel. My overall experience was a positive one. The system is fast, stable and each new release brings Red Hat's version of Linux just a little closer to perfection.
Fedora Web Site
Fedora Core 1
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