Linux for Network Engineers

Arch is a powerful distro that can be used to create a customized environment. You can escape the installation and still experience the best that Arch has to offer using Manjaro Linux. With the help of a whole set of custom tools and utilities, Manjaro takes the pain out of installing and administering an Arch-based system. For us, there is no reason to run Windows at home as LibreOffice, VLC , Firefox, and Thunderbird easily handle the most common use cases and other apps handle the rest. As a programmer by trade, I have access to any tool I choose to use (c, c++, Pascal, Fortran, Python, Perl, Cobol, Rust, Ada, etc.).

  • In December 2020, Red Hat announced that the latest version 9 of CentOS would end support at the end of 2021.
  • Debian dates back to 1993, so it’s been established to be a stable and reliable partner.
  • It is best suited for newcomers, but it is equally helpful for advanced users.
  • Wireshark was created back in 1998 by Gerald Combs, but don’t let the age of Wireshark fool you, because it’s just as useful today as when it was created.
  • A Linux Counter Project had kept track of a running guesstimate of the number of Linux systems, but did not distinguish between rolling release and standard release distributions.

One of the highlights of the distro however is that it includes a pre-configured Main Server, which you can choose to install on first boot. You can install one of these on each educational network you manage to allow you to oversee deployment of the OS on regular workstations. The distro is the result of the collaboration between the two projects that lend it its name.

The Best Linux Distro For Network Engineers

Since many users were relying on the CentOS version, the original developers sensed a need for this community. And a pre-release version of Rocky Linux has emerged after the development linux network engineer of several months. If you are looking for a lightweight Linux distro, Linux Mint is for you. It is based on Debian and Ubuntu, and it also provides a user-friendly interface.

  • The main website also has extensive documentation to help you get to grips with the OS.
  • In the end, if you already love Linux, blendOS is a distribution that will bring you much joy.
  • Some distributions, such as Debian also enabled installation over a network after booting from either a set of floppies or a CD with only a small amount of data on it.
  • Support for applications that require GNU compatibility is available through a virtual machine called Crostini and referred to by Google as Linux support, see Chromebook § Integration with Linux.

Very thoughtfully the developers also allow you to encrypt this persistent partition for maximum security. Each release of Rescatux is based on the most recent stable version of Debian. For instance, the most recent version (0.74), which was released in 2021 was based on Debian 10 (Buster). As a new version of Debian has since been released, you may find the rescue tools used aren’t up to date.

Linux distro FAQs

At the core, it is designed to follow a strict design principle, and this makes it difficult to work with. You can use either of the two distros depending on the kind of development you’re involved in. Both distros use openSUSE’s excellent YaST configuration and installation tool, which helps you tailor the installation as per your requirements.

Besides the educational tools, the distro also has the full gamut of Linux desktop apps, which allows you to use the distro as your daily driver. With OPNsense you can display a captive portal, shape traffic, detect and prevent intrusions, as well as set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN), and lots more. You can manage all these services from an intuitive, modern, web-based multilingual, and well-documented user interface, which is a pleasure to use.