We currently have a number of 6.5.3 servers running on Windows 2003 and I have been asked whether the systems can be migrated to Linux.
I know that it can and if we did it would be Redhat running on HP Proliants, but the big question is why should we do it?
Would it be faster? Would it be more reliable?
Opinions please, all will be welcome 
Subject: Migrating 6.5.3 from Windows to Linux
Essentially Domino on Linux will release itâs resources better than a Windows 2003 server requiring fewer reboots and having less server hangs.
Obviously you will need to leverage your Windows talent v. Linux talent.
Another consideration is that Domino fixes for Linux will not be fortcoming from IBM as fast as for the Windows 2003 servers
Subject: RE: Migrating 6.5.3 from Windows to Linux
Faster? yes. Reliable? Yes. Many reasons, and you can start a religious war by saying Linux is simply better. But since this is an IBM forum, I guess we can say that.
Linux is much more flexible out of the box. Applications store a little bit of their configuration in the windows registry, but theres no registry in Linux, allowing for manual partitioning, running applications in chroot or UML (running them as a restricted user, while the applications think theyâre root/administrator).
The Linux filesystems are much more robust, efficient, and can be repaired better than NTFS, whether its ext3, reiserfs, xfs or jfs.
In real life, running something on a linux server ensures the it wont get into trouble simply because someone browsed some website, and now spyware infections etc are slowing things down. That, and remember Linux is much more secure if configured properly. Youâll also need to spend less in hardware costs because its all efficient.
Downsides are mainly that applications arent primarily aimed at Linux. Most of the Domino customers run it on Windows, so its a more mature platform âon windowsâ, than on linux or elsewhere. More problems on windows are weeded out, more optimisations are aimed at windows etc.
Another problem is the skillset. Windows skillset is more readily available, and youâll have to audit the administrative skills in the team even if they claim to know linux well. A certification like RHCA will go a long way, and carries more weight than an MCSE (both myself) IMHO. A badly configured Linux machine is worse than a badly configured Windows machine, and the diagnosis can take longer, and be more expensive.
Another issue in our experience has been that since the server will run Linux, it cannot run Windows applications. Thats important, since Domino will have to be all by itself on the server hardware, else be bundled with other Linux applications on it (file server?). With an all-Windows rack, you can load-balance applications and install anything anywhere if the critical resources (like port 25) are available.
Lastly, make sure the hardware in the Linux server is all supported by the Linux kernel. This is easier if the server is IBM, Dell or a brand name that supports RedHat or SuSE.
We are running Domino on Windows, and have tested it on Linux. The performance on Linux was better but the most critical installation for us has been on a Windows machine, with that network properly firewalled by an OpenBSD firewall.
Still waiting for IBM to port the Notes client and Administrator to Linux x86.
Subject: RE: Migrating 6.5.3 from Windows to Linux
You wrote:âA badly configured Linux machine is worse than a badly configured Windows machine, and the diagnosis can take longer, and be more expensive.â
Did you never heard of log files?
âThe performance on Linux was better but the most critical installation for us has been on a Windows machine, with that network properly firewalled by an OpenBSD firewall.â
What has your openbsd-firewall/windows system to with linux?
(By the way I tested domino on openbsd.)
âStill waiting for IBM to port the Notes client and Administrator to Linux x86.â
Does this make sense. If domino hangs neither w2k3 or linux notes-client would help.
âWe are running Domino on Windows, and have tested it on Linux.â
Sorry for that question, but did you really installed linux?
Subject: RE: Migrating 6.5.3 from Windows to Linux
HI Ghazanwe have the same interest as you did re: LInux. Iâm wondering if today, you have the same judgment migration to LINUX as you did when these comments were posted.
Thanks very much
Subject: RE: Migrating 6.5.3 from Windows to Linux
Here just my constructive feedback for seeing Domino on Linux:
Faster? I HEARD that Domino 7 is supposed to run better on linux than on windows and is more scalable. It would make sense, since Linux is in my experience more scalable than windows and IBM might just have finally tailored Domino for it. I have not experience on it myself.
Stability: Better than windows. In my experience, many times you cannot remove the server properly from a windows server once it crashes. A Domino server restart fails. In linux, you run the server under a separate user and can cleanly remove its remains from the system if it crashes and OS restarts are never necessary. That saves a lot of time, especially because of 3.
Domino stability in general: Bad. I have servers crashing all the time, of all sorts and purposes. Usually when you run them with high load, the tend to have uptimes of a little more than a month, which is by Linux standards horrendous low. This is on Windows and Linux mind you. It seems that Domino is just such a jumble of modules and complicated tasks that it has become frail for stability. I am not a newbie mind you, I have administred and maintained servers since 1998, intensively.
Many features like loadbalancing and availability index are obscure and it seems to me that not even IBM knows how they properly work. This does not leave a very competent impression on me, considering that Lotus Notes is proprietary and quite expensive. The drive and inspiration of Lotus seems to have evaporated. A technology that was bought and which true spirit has been lost?
The Linux filesystems are much more robust, efficient, and can be repaired better than NTFS, whether its ext3, reiserfs, xfs or jfs.
Yes, I totally agree. This is also my experience, especially with ext3. I would prefer to use ext3 on all my server, even windows ones, which is not really a possibility right now.
That, and remember Linux is much more secure if configured properly.
Well, you will hear people cry: Yes, but Windows is also, if one does it properly. But letâs face it: Windows is usualy mainained by not very skilled people. Itâs click-click GUI invites this. The tradition for Linux is to be pretty well configured (otherwise you cannot run a linux server at all, without the proper knowledge), while windows tends to be run by âtuning is unneccessary, Microsoft is taking care of itâ people, which donât even try to disable services that might be an easy entrance for hackers into the system. Not to mention that in Windows, not being modular like linux, it is pretty limited of what you can disable really.
6>Youâll also need to spend less in hardware costs because its all efficient.
Yes, absolutely. You run what you need and nothing more. I usualy tend to install X windows on the servers, but only switch it on when I want to log in. Otherwise the memory and CPU capacity of the graphical frontend is freed to the server.
You can get a totally new Linux OS with the newst features and kernel on a pretty weak box if you want to. Try installing W2003 on a 450 mhz box. It is just to inflexible to adapt to such weak HW.
7.>Downsides are mainly that applications arent primarily aimed at Linux. Most of the Domino customers run it on Windows, so its a more mature platform âon windowsâ, than on linux or elsewhere. More problems on windows are weeded out, more optimisations are aimed at windows etc.
True. I donât understand IBM really, Domino and Notes are still very windows centric. This is also one of the impressions that I have that they really donât have 100% control of what is in the code or that key programmers are not in the company anymore. Many add ons like Domino.doc and such still donât exist for linux, after years and years.
But besides that, I donât see many shortcomings of running domino on linux.
8.>Another problem is the skillset. Windows skillset is more readily available, and youâll have to audit the administrative skills in the team even if they claim to know linux well.
A certification like RHCA will go a long way, and carries more weight than an MCSE (both myself) IMHO.
I think you will have a harder time finding a really skilled windows admin, since on linux, you gotta be pretty good to last anyway. While Windows admin, see 5. tend to be more of the hum-drum âit is just a jobâ type of guys that donât want to know or donât care how the OS works, used to the limitations that MS imposes and that make it impossible to really dig down to see how it really all works.
Also, MS admins might be more conventional, less curious and less enthusiastic than their Linux counterparts. Windows is not really ânew frontierâ anymore. MS is trying to stiffle innovation, owning the hill, and playing defensive against everything else. They got a lot to loose and linux a lot to gain. This inspires people do go the extra mile on linux and to enjoy the âWestâ and the cutting edge technologie and ideas that float in from OSS.
I donât think it is that hard to recruit linux people, they are all over the place. There are many young people tinkering around with Linux that need a chance to apply it in the professional environment. They will work better and harder for the enthusiasm to be able to work on the Penguin than just for the money MS types.
9.>A badly configured Linux machine is worse than a badly configured Windows machine, and the diagnosis can take longer, and be more expensive.
Well, I donât fully agree with this statement. Unqualified people on Linux usualy donât last long. Watch an admin on linux and you can see pretty fast how much skill he/she has. Just tell him/her to setup domino and configure it to run on runlevel 3, compile a new kernel and do trials on it with the server to see if it works better and then watch. Let them document it roughly and report on the results gained.
An unqualified person will take ages to perform this or will totally fail.
On Windows any fool can perform normal maintenance and you will not find out how skilled this person really is immediately.
I myself have never seen a badly configured Linux server really. I guess it is like with gcc the compiler: There is not so much garbage software written on it, since the âVisual basicâ cracks just shy away of using it and as a result, natural selection tends to produce more qualified code.
10.>Lastly, make sure the hardware in the Linux server is all supported by the Linux kernel. This is easier if the server is IBM, Dell or a brand name that supports RedHat or SuSE. We are running Domino on Windows, and have tested it on Linux.
Not really a problem anymore. I just recently saw that the setup CD from Dell for their big servers runs on linux 
They have all seen that Linux is the big thing coming and that anybody can take controll over it, instead of being dependent on one big Microsoft that can twist your arm if you donât do what makes them most profit.
For me, Linux is the future, no doubt about it. Time for IBM to release an open source version of Notes and Domino. This will ultimately tilt the table in favour of Notes and continue the INNOVATIVE development of the software, which I fail to see at IBM (check out the lame new features of R7: tonns of non-essentials and total lack of invention)
11.>Still waiting for IBM to port the Notes client and Administrator to Linux x86.
Well, we might wait for that forever.
Positive: The Notes Client rns pretty good on wine (http://www.codeweavers.com have an easy to setup and use variation of it)
Negative therefore: Since it runs so well (I use it every day to read my mail with outlook (yuck) and work with Notes, IBM will conclude that no native client is necessary. I have given up hope. Also, the Notes client is so Windows centric, I donât think it can be rewritten for multiple OS usage.
Well, just a few points to consider. Trying to be objective, although I am bought on linux and its benefits. It is exciting what you can do with it and all the OSS you can get.
Questions are welcome of course as well as feedbackâŚ
Cheers
Markus