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Fedora Linux

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Fedora
Fedora 7 running GNOME
DeveloperFedora Project
OS familyLinux
Working stateCurrent
Source modelFree software / open source software
Latest release7 / 31 May 2007
Update methodYum
Package managerRPM Package Manager
Platformsx86, x86-64, PowerPC
Kernel typeMonolithic kernel
Default
user interface		GNOME
LicenseVarious
Official websitehttp://fedoraproject.org/

Fedora (previously called Fedora Core) is a yum and RPM-based Linux distribution, developed by the community-supported Fedora Project and sponsored by Red Hat. It is a complete, general-purpose operating system that contains only free and open source software[1][2]. A new release of Fedora comes out every six months. Fedora is derived from the original Red Hat Linux distribution, and it is intended to replace the consumer distributions of Red Hat Linux aimed towards home users. Help for Fedora comes from the greater community; while Red Hat employs many of the Fedora developers, it does not provide official commercial support and services for the distribution.

Overview

Fedora is distributed via single installable Live CD/DVD sized images available for x86, x86_64 architectures. A regular DVD image is also available for x86_64 and PPC architectures. Fedora before version 7 used to be also distributed in a five-CD set where only the first two CDs are required for a basic installation. This has been replaced by Live images. Network installations over HTTP, FTP, and NFS are also supported. GNOME is Fedora's default desktop environment; KDE is also included on the KDE Live images and DVD, while XFCE is available in the repositories. GNU GRUB is the default boot loader. Fedora is designed to be easily installed and configured, including a suite of simple graphical and text based installers and configuration tools. The default file system is ext3 over LVM.

Fedora is intended to be distributed on CD and DVD media, and it only contains a small selection of packages. There are several software repositories available with extra software to complete the distribution. The official ones are Fedora with an image of the whole system and Fedora Updates, with new versions. Fedora official repository contains nearly 8,000 packages. There are also many unofficial repositories that provide additional software not packaged by Fedora, often due to copyright and patent issues.

Software package management is handled by the yum utility; graphical interfaces to yum called pirut and "pup" (the latter solely for updates) are provided, as well as "puplet", a panel notification applet. apt-rpm can also be used; a multi-lib capable version capable of using native yum metadata is available. Red Hat and the other community volunteer package maintainers release updates regularly that can be installed with these tools.

History

The Fedora Project was created in late 2003, when Red Hat Linux was discontinued. Red Hat recommended that commercial Red Hat Linux users switch to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), which continues to be Red Hat's only officially-supported Linux distribution while sponsoring Fedora as a community project and distribution. RHEL branches its releases from versions of Fedora. See the RHEL page for the versions of Fedora and their corresponding RHEL versions. Fedora is a fast moving distribution with more of the latest and robust software while RHEL is for enterprises which value commercial support, certification and associated services with a longer lifecycle.

Since Red Hat's release of Fedora, other commercial Linux and Unix vendors, such as Novell and Sun, have also created community distributions closely related to a commercial distribution, with the community distribution acting as an open development lab leading to the commercial distribution.

Naming

The name derives from Fedora Linux, a volunteer project that provided extra software for the Red Hat Linux distribution, and from the characteristic fedora used in Red Hat "Shadowman" logo. Fedora Linux was eventually absorbed into the Fedora Project.[3]. Fedora is a trademark of Red Hat. The trademark was in the past disputed by the creators of the Fedora repository management software but now has been amicably resolved.[4]

Fedora is sometimes called Fedora Linux though this is not an official name. The word "Core" used to distinguish the main Fedora packages from those of the Fedora Extras project, which provided add-ons to Fedora Core. The difference between these two repositories was that Red Hat maintained Core and volunteers maintained Extras.

After Fedora Core 6 a decision was made to merge the Core and Extras repository,[5] with the result of this effort known as Fedora 7.

Versions

Version Codename Release date Status
8 Rawhide November 8, 2007 Not yet released
7 Moonshine May 31, 2007 Maintained
6 Zod October 24, 2006 Maintained
5 Bordeaux March 20, 2006 Discontinued
4 Stentz June 13, 2005 Discontinued
3 Heidelberg November 8, 2004 Discontinued
2 Tettnang May 18, 2004 Discontinued
1 Yarrow November 6, 2003 Discontinued

Fedora Core 1

Fedora Core 1 is the first version of Fedora and was released on November 6, 2003. It was code-named Yarrow. Fedora Core 1 was based on Red Hat Linux 9 and shipped with version 2.4.19 of the Linux kernel, version 2.4.0-1 of the GNOME desktop environment, and version 3.1.4-6 of KDE (the K Desktop Environment). It is no longer maintained by the Fedora Project.

Fedora Core 2

Fedora Core 2 was released on May 18, 2004. Its release name was Tettnang. It was the first version of Fedora to include version 2.6 of the Linux Kernel which included many improvements in terms of usability, stability and speed. It was also the first version of Fedora to include SELinux, a Security-Enhanced version of Fedora; however SELinux was by default deactivated due to concerns that it radically altered the way Fedora runs (in later versions of Fedora, SELinux is by default activated)[6]. In Fedora Core 2, XFree86 was replaced by the newer X.org, a merger of the previous official X11R6 release (XFree86 4.4.0rc2), which additionally includes a number of updates to Xrender, Xft, Xcursor, fontconfig libraries, and other significant improvements. Fedora Core 2 is no longer maintained by the Fedora Project.

Fedora Core 3

Fedora Core 3 was released on November 8, 2004. It was code-named Heidelberg. This version of Fedora Core included the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Red Hat also introduced support for the Indic languages as well as the Helix Media Player. The Lilo boot loader was deprecated (it was later removed in the release of Fedora Core 4). SELinux was now enabled by default with a new less intrusive policy than the strict policy used in Fedora Core 2. Fedora Core 3 was shipped with version 2.6 of the Linux Kernel, version 2.8 of the GNOME Desktop and version 3.3 of KDE (K Desktop Environment). Fedora Core 3 is no longer maintained by the Fedora Project.

Fedora Core 4

Fedora Core 4 using GNOME and the Bluecurve Theme

Fedora Core 4 was released on June 13, 2005 under the release name of Stentz. It was shipped with version 3.4 of KDE which included new accessibility features and version 2.10 of the GNOME desktop environment which contained the new Clearlooks theme which was inspired by the Red Hat Bluecurve theme. It was also shipped with version 2 of the popular office suite OpenOffice.org which had several enhancements such as improved Microsoft Office compatibility, completely revamped Impress presentation software and native support for the OpenDocument format as well as the addition of Base, a fully integrated database management system. Xen, a high performance and secure open source virtualization framework, was also introduced along with support for the PowerPC CPU architecture as well as improved SELinux policies with over 80 new daemons. Its status is discontinued.

Fedora Core 5

Fedora Core 5 was released on March 20, 2006. Its release name is Bordeaux. Its status is discontinued. Fedora Core 5 was the first Fedora release to include mono and tools built with it such as beagle (a desktop search interface), f-spot (a photo management utility), and Tomboy (a note-taking application). It also introduced new package management tools such as pup ( a simple interface for system updates) and pirut (a new package manager that replaced system-config-packages). Fedora Core 5 also introduced the Fedora Bubbles artwork. It also was the first Fedora release to not include the long-deprecated (but kept for compatibility) LinuxThreads, replaced by the Native POSIX Thread Library. Therefore, the LD_ASSUME_KERNEL environment variable will no longer work.

Fedora Core 6

Fedora Core 6 was released on October 24, 2006. Its release name is Zod and its status is currently maintained. In Fedora Core 6, the Fedora Project used the Fedora DNA artwork. They also introduced support for Compiz (a compositing window manager for the X Window System) and AIGLX (a program that enables GL-accelerated effects on a standard desktop). According to the Fedora Project, there are more than three million users of Fedora Core 6. Codename Zod derives its name from the archrival of Superman from the Superman DC Comic Books. Fedora Core 6 comes with OpenOffice.org 2.0, an open-source office suite managed by Sun. The default web browser is Firefox 1.5. This version includes Smolt, a tool that allows users to inform developers about the hardware they use.

Fedora 7

Fedora 7 using the Bluecurve Theme

Fedora 7, codenamed Moonshine, was released on May 31, 2007. The biggest difference between Fedora Core 6 and Fedora 7 is the merging of the Core and Extras repositories, and the new build system put in place to manage those packages. This release uses entirely new build and compose tools that enable the user to build fully-customized Fedora distributions that can also include packages from any 3rd party provider. Tools like pungi, livecd-creator, and revisor provide this functionality. The tools deliver builds as LiveCDs, LiveUSB keys, and installable DVDs.

These tools have been used to create different "spins" of Fedora. The Fedora Project's official release included two Live CDs (one for GNOME and one for KDE) that provide a Desktop environment. There is also a spin called Fedora which comes on a DVD and provides a package set that is useful for a workstation or development-like environment. Finally, there is a spin named Everything which is simply an installation tree for use by yum, which contains all of the packages within the Fedora Project.

While Fast User Switching was possible with previous versions of Fedora, it is now enabled by default in Fedora 7 and newly created users will have the fast user switch applet added to the desktop panel.

Another important feature of Fedora 7 is the inclusion of version 2.18 of GNOME.

Fedora 8

Fedora 8 Test 2 screenshot

Fedora 8 Test 1 (version 7.90) was released on the 7 August 2007.[7] Fedora 8 Test 2 (version 7.91) was released on the 13 September 2007. Fedora 8 Test 3 (version 7.92) was released on the 4 October 2007.[8]

Presently, Fedora 8 is scheduled to be released to the general public on 8 November 2007.[9]

  • Fedora Core 1
    Fedora Core 1
  • Fedora Core 4
    Fedora Core 4
  • Fedora Core 5
    Fedora Core 5
  • Fedora Core 6
    Fedora Core 6
  • Fedora 7
    Fedora 7
  • Fedora 8 Test 2
    Fedora 8 Test 2

Software repositories

Since the release of Fedora 7, Fedora has one main software repository. Prior to this release, Fedora had two main software repositories; Fedora Core for the base packages, and Fedora Extras for packages not distributed as part of the core. These were merged with the release of Fedora 7.

Fedora Core

The Fedora Core was a software repository that contained the base packages that was integral to Fedora maintained by Red Hat and available in the media.

Fedora Extras

Fedora Extras was a repository for packages maintained by community volunteers and not distributed with the base Fedora Core distribution. Extras packages were generally obtained online, and could be downloaded with yum or other package management software. Fedora Extras was only available from Fedora Core 3 to Fedora Core 6, after which Fedora Core and Fedora Extras merged. For versions previous to FC3 there was another repository called fedora.us, which was the base for Fedora Extras. Nevertheless, Fedora Extras did not modify or overwrite packages from Fedora Core, as Fedora.us used to do.

Fedora Legacy

Fedora Legacy was a repository that extended the lifecycle of Fedora and selected Red Hat Linux releases maintained by community volunteers. This effort was discontinued before the release of Fedora 7. At the same time, the Fedora Project extended its distribution lifecycle from about 9 months to about 13 months.[10]

Security Features

SELinux

Fedora includes Security-Enhanced Linux, a Linux variant that implements a variety of security policies, including U.S. Department of Defense style mandatory access controls, through the use of Linux Security Modules (LSM) in the Linux kernel. Fedora is leading the way with SELinux-based distributions[11]. SELinux was first introduced in Fedora Core 2, but was disabled by default due to concerns that it radically altered the way Fedora runs. However, in Fedora Core 3, SELinux was enabled by default and introduced a less strict, targeted policy.

Buffer Overflow Prevention

Fedora has methods in place to prevent use of the buffer overflow exploit by running compile time buffer checks. It also uses Exec Shield to help stop buffer overflows by using features in modern processors.

Kernel Memory Access Restrictions

Fedora restricts how the kernel memory (/dev/mem) can be written to. This can help prevent several root kits from functioning, resulting in a safer and more secure system.

Distributions based on Fedora

  • Berry Linux, a medium-sized Fedora based distribution that provides support for Japanese and English.
  • FoX Linux, a Fedora based distribution made in Italy, designed for basic home computing tasks such as browsing the Web, writing and printing documents, using multimedia and burning discs.
  • BLAG Linux and GNU, a stripped down 1-CD Fedora with Debian's apt system.
  • LinuxTLE, a Thai distribution produced by NECTEC
  • MythDora, a distribution based around MythTV's media center capabilities.
  • Yellow Dog Linux, a Fedora based distribution for the PowerPC platform.
  • Ekaaty, a Fedora based distribution from Brazil.
  • Aurora SPARC Linux, a Fedora based distribution for the SPARC platform.
  • BlankOn, a Fedora based distribution with Indonesian, developed by YPLI (Yayasan Penggerak Linux Indonesia/Indonesia Linux Mover Foundation)
  • ASPLinux is a Russian Fedora based distribution which includes its own installer. ASPLinux also includes closed source NVIDIA and ATI drivers, and supports proprietary audio and video codecs.
  • Linux XP is a commercial Linux distribution aimed at replacing Windows XP as a home-use desktop operating system.

A more up-to-date and complete list is available on the Fedora Project Wiki and on DistroWatch.

Use on Sony's PlayStation 3

Main article: PlayStation 3 Linux

Sony's PlayStation 3 is capable of running the PowerPC version of Fedora,[12] as well as Yellow Dog Linux and Gentoo. These three are the only third-party operating systems that have been demonstrated to be compatible with the PS3. However, other distributions have been proven to work but have not been officially documented.[citation needed]. A PS3 "spin" is in development for Fedora. [13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fedora Project Objectives". 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  2. ^ Max Spevack. "Fedora Project Leader Max Spevack Responds". Retrieved 2006-12-17.
  3. ^ "Fedora Network Proposal". Retrieved 2006-07-28.
  4. ^ "Red Hat Inc.'s Use of The Fedora Name". Retrieved 2006-07-28.
  5. ^ "Fedora 7". Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  6. ^ "Fedora Core 2 - SELinux". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
  7. ^ Announcing Fedora 8 Test 1 (7.90)
  8. ^ Announcing Fedora 8 Test 3 (7.92)
  9. ^ "Fedora Project Release Schedule". Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  10. ^ "Fedora Project LifeCycle". Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  11. ^ "Mandatory Access Control with SELinux" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-10-07.
  12. ^ "Fedora Linux on PS3 with Voiceover". Retrieved 2007-02-19.
  13. ^ "PlayStation 3 Spin". Retrieved 2007-10-07.
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