So im very interested in installing OpenSuse on my desktop PC not only at home but also at work. For a very long time now i have been a Windows user and now think its time for a change.
I have a few questions before i begin this experience of which i hope there is a positive answer to as it could be a decision I make that will make me turn my back on such a reliable (LOL) operating system.
I have installed OpenSuse 11.2 on to my low spec laptop and from what i could see it created numerous Partitions on my hard drive of which i have no idea what its created and why etc. Could someone explain to me how it does it?
Installing issues - I have used OpenSuse a long time ago (probably version 10) and i know it comes with alot of applications and programs already on the system. However i would also like to be able to install Wine which from what i can see enables me to install .exe programs and anything i might find in Windows. I remember it being a real pain in doing this and i seem to remember i spent a week installing my sound. Is this still the case or I install programs really easily now at the click of a button? Is there any guides out there showing me how i would do this or talk me through it?
At work we are runnning Windows 7 on our desktop machines which we use RDP and such to connect to machines around the work place. Is there a tool i can use to do the same as this?
We also use Active directory and group policy on a day to day basis. Is there something i can install that will basically mimic anything AD can do?
I will think of some more Q’s pretty soon but here are some to start you off with.
If you wiped out an existing Windows installation, then by default you would get three partitions: the swap partition, the root / partition (for all applications and Linux to load), and the /home partition (for all user data, documents, settings and so forth). If you did not really wipe out Windows, you would get four partitions with the Windows NTFS partition as the first partition (which the openSUSE install can shrink in size when needed).
I would HIGHLY recommend a new user does NOT wipe out their work installation as network settings can be very tricky to setup. At my work, I might get fired if I did such a thing. Always consult with your network administration before undertaking such a task. For the record, I loaded openSUSE on an external hard drive for my work laptop. I can boot into openSUSE anytime I like, but it is NOT setup to log into my work network.
For any home system, I would suggest a dual boot setup, that does not do away with your Windows installation until you have learned enough to make it work with all your hardware and printers.
openSUSE is very configurable. Since you are coming from Windose let’s start by saying M$ uses the thinking that the OS and data should be all together to make it easy to fix or wipe everything quickly. In Windows, the option to separate data from the OS is possible with a little work. Linux takes the approach of structuring partitions in a multitude of ways such that it is more difficult for anyone who gains illegal access to figure out the underlying structure. Typically, /home | /boot | /usr | /var | /swap and others are candidates to live on their own partitions or separate Hdrives. /swap is always on it’s own partition so that it doesn’t interfere with file io ops. When you install Linux openSUSE you have the choice of accepting the default arrangement which can either replace Windose or be made to co-exist and in either topology you can customize exactly how it is arranged. You have 4 primary partitions and one of these can be defined as extended with up to 16 logical drives for each harddisk you have in the system. Do some reading to learn more…
Installing issues - I have used OpenSuse a long time ago (probably version 10) and i know it comes with alot of applications and programs already on the system. However i would also like to be able to install Wine which from what i can see enables me to install .exe programs and anything i might find in Windows. I remember it being a real pain in doing this and i seem to remember i spent a week installing my sound. Is this still the case or I install programs really easily now at the click of a button? Is there any guides out there showing me how i would do this or talk me through it?
True lots of apps. Windose is basically just the OS. Linux versions are OS and thousands of other programs and apps. Wine is one way to run Windows apps from Linux, another is VirtualBox where you have a full windows system from with-in Linux. Hardware issues still exist but most can be solved by being specific about your hardware and the issue you are having and asking for help. YAST2 and zypper both provide an easy to use way of installing, updating, and removing software.
At work we are runnning Windows 7 on our desktop machines which we use RDP and such to connect to machines around the work place. Is there a tool i can use to do the same as this?
There is UltraVNC, TightVNC, RealVNC, which are equivalent to RDP which is a Windows only proprietary system.
We also use Active directory and group policy on a day to day basis. Is there something i can install that will basically mimic anything AD can do?