Difference between revisions of "COMP 3000 2011 Report: Alpine"
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[http://alpinelinux.org Alpine Linux] is a free, small, and easy to install Linux distribution that began as a fork of the LEAF project (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall). The main focus of this distribution is security, with features such as Pax and SSP, it prevents security hole exploitation. Alpine is designed for x86 Routers, VPNs, VoIP servers, and firewalls. This distribution is a unique blend of multiple others: the network configuration is like Debian's and the package management is similar to Debian's APT, RedHat's yum, and Arch Linux's PKGBUILDs (APKBUILD in Alpine). Its minuscule size is one of the main features of this distribution, this results in a size of around 5 MB instead of the traditional 100 MB of GNU/Linux (without the kernel). | [http://alpinelinux.org Alpine Linux] is a free, small, and easy to install Linux distribution that began as a fork of the LEAF project (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall). The main focus of this distribution is security, with features such as Pax and SSP, it prevents security hole exploitation. Alpine is designed for x86 Routers, VPNs, VoIP servers, and firewalls. This distribution is a unique blend of multiple others: the network configuration is like Debian's and the package management is similar to Debian's APT, RedHat's yum, and Arch Linux's PKGBUILDs (APKBUILD in Alpine). Its minuscule size is one of the main features of this distribution, this results in a size of around 5 MB instead of the traditional 100 MB of GNU/Linux (without the kernel). | ||
Alpine is available for free at [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads alpinelinux.org/downloads] | Alpine is available for free at [http://alpinelinux.org/downloads alpinelinux.org/downloads]. | ||
== Installation == | == Installation == | ||
Revision as of 17:31, 19 October 2011
Background
Alpine Linux is a free, small, and easy to install Linux distribution that began as a fork of the LEAF project (Linux Embedded Appliance Firewall). The main focus of this distribution is security, with features such as Pax and SSP, it prevents security hole exploitation. Alpine is designed for x86 Routers, VPNs, VoIP servers, and firewalls. This distribution is a unique blend of multiple others: the network configuration is like Debian's and the package management is similar to Debian's APT, RedHat's yum, and Arch Linux's PKGBUILDs (APKBUILD in Alpine). Its minuscule size is one of the main features of this distribution, this results in a size of around 5 MB instead of the traditional 100 MB of GNU/Linux (without the kernel).
Alpine is available for free at alpinelinux.org/downloads.
Installation
One of the unique features of Alpine is its simplicity and ease of use. This is evident in its installation process which are as follows.
- Step 1: Download ISO.
- Step 2: Burn to a CD.
- Step 3: Boot from CD, login as root with no password.
It is then recommended to run setup-alpine.
Basic Operation
Alpine Linux excels at servers, firewalls, and networks, none of which I have any experience with. Thankfully the website offers some tutorials for a multitude of features. These features include, but are not limited to; hosting a mail server, setting up a satellite Internet connection, formatting a hard drive, and backing up flash memory.
Usage Evaluation
Overall I found Alpine Linux to be a complicated yet interesting system. This is most likely due to my lack of networking and server knowledge. The system has no GUI, it is just a terminal, this is likely due to the desire to keep the file size down. In the end this is a interesting and, I assume, competent Linux distribution, although definitely not meant for people who are new to Linux.