User:Kent Poots/OPS335 Assignment1

OPS335 Assignment 1 - v1.0 FINAL

Assignment 1 consists of

• questions and your answers,
• a list of references, and
• a virtual machine to demonstrate one of your answers with some screen shots.

1. Questions - You Need to Answer All Questions

1. List the major differences between Centos 6.5 and Fedora 20 (think about what you needed to change for the labs)
2. What is a "linux appliance" ? and give an example.
3. What is "Vxworks" ? and give an example of where it is used. In what general category would we place "Vxworks" ?
4. Document and demonstrate a linux machine (virtual machine) for either question #1 or question #2 or question #3 (if you wish to demonstrate something in that category).

For Question 4:

• You do not have to build the demonstration machine from scratch - you can avoid building from scratch if an appliance with suitable functions is available.
• You should say where the virtual machine came from - provide a link.
• The virtual machine can come from an external Internet site, but not a classmate.
• The virtual machine should use a linux distribution other than the one we use as our host - it doesn't need complicated functionality - a linux operating system appliance itself is fine.
• Note: ideally your appliance will run on your Centos host as a virtual machine.
• An alternate linux environment is usually ok (e.g. VMware player under Windows, or Parallels under OSX) - please discuss in advance with the Instructor.

2. The Writeup

• You are asked to "write-up" the answers and the sources for your answers.
• Please include a separate section for your answer to each question.
• Please reference your sources. Consider having a References section at the end of your report.
• Your answers must be in your own words - do not literally cut and paste.
• Target: 1/2 page per question; if you have written more than 3 pages, you wrote too much !

3. Writeup Template

Your writeup should look like:

OPS335 ASSIGNMENT 1

Question 1: List the major differences between Centos 6.5 and Fedora 20

The major differences between Centos 6.5 and Fedora 20 are:
 1. SystemV vs Systemd - key differences
 2. Commands - a few words
 3. Kernel versions
 4. etc

Question 2: <the question>
            <your answer>

Question 3: <the question>
            <your answer>

Question 4: Virtual Machine Build/Install Notes (Summary)
            - please use a similar level of detail as in your lab writeups
            - please include at least 2 Virtual Machine Screen-Shots which show system startup and the running system

References:

1. Chap 10, Networking, Linux Administration Handbook, 4th Edition by Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder and Trent R. Hein,
   Prentice Hall, 2007
2. Centos Overview, http://mycentos.com, accessed Jan 1, 2014
3. OPS335 Class video, "How to do Research",
   https://scs.senecac.on.ca/~kent.poots/protected/OPS335-research-howto-v1.mp4,
   accessed Sep 15, 2014

4. What to Hand-in - Marking

You are asked for an informal progress report, your written report, and your final vm installation instructions over the next weeks. Details:

• Progress report: 1 week from the assignment being posted; contains your "first draft" of questions/answers and your initial choice of appliance (virtual machine)
• Answers to questions 1-3: 5 marks each, total 15 marks, this is handed in before the break
• Virtual machine available for demonstration with writeup: 10 marks, this is handed in after the break
• Assignment total: 25 marks

please observe due-dates to get full marks

5. Places to Start - Sources of Information About the Assignment

1. OPS335 class notes
2. OPS335 assigned textbook
3. The video on doing research: https://scs.senecac.on.ca/~kent.poots/protected/OPS335-research-howto-v1.mp4
4. Forum questions: centos vs fedora: http://forums.fedoraforum.org/showthread.php?t=199520
5. General comparison of centos, fedora, other linux: http://www.threehosts.com/ratings/comparison-software/linux-vs-ubuntu-vs-centos-fedora-vs-debian-vs-red-hat-vs-open-suse-vs-mint.html#.VBcF0VfkyZQ
6. systemd service manager (focus on Fedora) & systemctl http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Systemd
7. Fedora 16 notes; Fedora 16 was the first version of Fedora to use the new kernel v3 (centos 6.5 uses v2.6) - note that we are now at Fedora 20 ! #http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/Fedora/16/html/Release_Notes/sect-Release_Notes-Changes_for_Sysadmin.html#id2892943
8. Centos forums: https://www.centos.org/forums/
9. Centos (sysv) vs fedora (systemd) cheatsheet: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/SysVinit_to_Systemd_Cheatsheet
10. Example linux appliances (not the only example !) https://solutionexchange.vmware.com/store/category_groups/19
11. More example appliances http://www.turnkeylinux.org/
12. An announcement about Vxworks http://www.windriver.com/announces/curiosity/

6. Learning Outcomes

This assignment is intended to:

1. Be consistent with published Course Outline learning outcomes.
2. Reinforce classroom discussion (e.g., about differences between Fedora and Centos).
3. Provide an opportunity to document, demonstrate, and refine methods from course labs (e.g., an organized approach to problem solving, and Linux server installation/setup).