Linux is now the operating system of choice for running the servers at Germany's Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz). According to a report published earlier this month by the German open source service provider Univention, the use of Linux for managing proprietary desktops saves the system administrators at the BFS "a great deal of work".
The majority of the servers at BFS run Linux, Univention writes in its study. Most of the desktops however, are running an ubiquitous proprietary operating system. The firm assisted the radiation specialist in implementing Samba version 4, open source tools for file and print services. "With the new solution, the desktop computers can also be installed and administrated conveniently."
This means the BFS does not have to use the proprietary domain controllers, while maintaining administration mechanisms specific to the properietary operating system. "These are available via Samba and can be administrated via the proprietary tools."
Settlement
Samba version 4 was released in December 2012. It is the first open source implementation of network authentications services, based on information made available by a proprietary vendor, one of the 2004 outcomes of an antitrust investigation by the European Commission.
According to information from the BFS, the first Linux servers where installed in 2001. These were used for email, websites, firewall, DNS and proxy servers. Gradually, the institute replaced more and more proprietary Unix systems by the free and open source alternative. Four years later, the switch was complete and the BFS is now using a mix of five Linux distributions; Centos, Redhat, Oracle, Debian and Univention.
Virtual, natural
The last two are used for general purpose services, the first three are used to run database management systems. "Of course, our servers are virtual", one of the BFS IT staffers said. "Apart from production servers, we have environments for development, testing and training." The BFS also uses a proprietary operating system, "mainly as terminal servers".
The institute employs about 750 people. The main office is in the town of Salzgitter. The institute is an independent publiuc authority, part of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.