The new openSUSE 13.1
New Hope

© Lead Image © marigranula, 123RF.com
Version 13.1 of the community-based openSUSE offers many useful updates and will receive extended maintenance.
In mid-November, the openSUSE project released openSUSE 13.1 [1], introducing a large number of new features for Linux fans. An updated version 3.11.6 Linux kernel handles RAM more effectively than older versions, and the mechanism for reusing memory pages is optimized to ensure that the system is more responsive for I/O-intensive applications.
SUSE started life as a Linux pioneer in Germany and was acquired in 2004 by Novell, which did not necessarily please all stakeholders. After the acquisition of Novell in 2011 by Attachmate, SUSE became independent again and now takes part in the enterprise Linux market [2] with renewed vigor. The community-based openSUSE is a scaled-down version of the enterprise variant that is available under a completely free license.
Filesystems
A new feature called Zswap [3] promises better performance of swap pages, which the kernel stores in compressed cache memory before being selectively swapped to disk. This process helps to reduce the number of computationally expensive I/O operations. Further improvements in the I/O area have been incorporated into various filesystems, such as Btrfs; ext4, which can now store small files directly in the inode; and XFS, which now supports checksums for metadata and journaling. F2FS (flash-friendly filesystem) introduces a completely new filesystem for flash memory [4]. The systemd init system used by SUSE now cooperates with Udev, which ensures that Ethernet cards keep the same names after a reboot.
Of course, openSUSE cannot escape virtualization and cloud computing. The developers have restructured packages around the KVM hypervisor, whose user space tools are now included in the Qemu packages. Alternatively, openSUSE also provides version 4.1 of the Xen hypervisor, which now cooperates with the Libxl layer and the XL management tool [5] by default. The latest release of the OpenStack "Havana" cloud computing framework is also included.
OpenSUSE 13.1 comes with a version of the MySQL database that supports stronger encryption and introduces performance improvements for the InnoDB storage engine. Alternative databases include the MySQL MariaDB fork and PostgreSQL. Also, the Apache web server has now been updated to the current 2.4 version. Logging of various processes has been unified to a certain extent; for example, messages from the Tomcat Java application server now end up in the syslog.
Bugs
To support integration with Windows networks, openSUSE now includes version 4.1 of the Samba server. However, this version does not let users set up a domain controller à la Active Directory because it lacks integration with the Kerberos package. The domain controller is thus disabled.
If you want to try out current versions of KVM, Xen, OpenStack, or the kernel, you should take a look at openSUSE 13.1. However, you should be aware that not everything works perfectly in the current release [6]. The community maintenance project, code-named Evergreen [7], has announced plans to provide support beyond the normal period for the new distribution, thus extending support to a total of three years.
Infos
- openSUSE: http://www.opensuse.org/en/
- "SUSE Enterprise Linux 11 SP3" by Thomas Drilling, ADMIN, issue 18, 2013, pg. 14
- Zswap: https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/vm/zswap.txt
- F2FS: https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/filesystems/f2fs.txt
- Xen XL: http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/XL
- Most annoying bugs: http://en.opensuse.org/openSUSE:Most_annoying_bugs_13.1
- Evergreen: https://news.opensuse.org/2013/08/26/upcoming-opensuse-13-1-will-be-kept-evergreen/
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
News
-
System76 Teams up with HP to Create the Dev One Laptop
HP and System76 have come together to develop a new laptop, powered by Pop!_OS and aimed toward developers.
-
Titan Linux is a New KDE Linux Based on Debian Stable
Titan Linux is a new Debian-based Linux distribution that features the KDE Plasma desktop with a focus on usability and performance.
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.