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Realm Linux

Welcome to the web site for Realm Linux. This is a very long standing project at NCSU that aims to provide a supported Linux computing platform to the NC State University community. Here you can find Documentation, a FAQ , and other Support resources. If you are interested in development please see the development pages.

So what is Realm Linux? Realm Linux is the distribution of choice for NC State University. It is based on Red Hat products but does not have any formal relations with Red Hat Inc. This distribution seamlessly integrates with the NCSU computing environment giving you access to your AFS directories, kerberos authentication, campus applications, campus printers, and many more campus resources. Many parts of the distribution are centrally managed like security patches. All supported versions of Realm Linux automatically download and apply security errata and bug fixes. You will find Realm Linux in computer labs, workstations in offices, running ITD's IMAP systems, and even on students' computers in the dorm rooms.

Current Version: Realm Linux Server 5 and Client 5

Realm Linux is currently based on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 distribution. The Realm Linux 5 branch is considered to be a stable, production-level branch with no major enhancements being added to the tree at this point and time. Bug fixes will continue to be added as they become available. All users of previous versions of Realm Linux are highly encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible to take advantage of various security and other bug fixes. This is the recommended version to use for all labs and workstations. Additionally, these versions of the kit are still available and supported:

• WS4
• AS4

As with all software, hopefully Realm Linux is bugfree. But, realistically, we realize that the odds of this being true are extremely low. If you find a bug, please report it using Bugzilla so that it can be tracked and fixed. Also, there are several mailing lists which may be of use if you run into any problems.

Download

Realm Linux is so great! Where do you get it from?

If you are a systems administrator at NCSU, faculty, or staff member you should probably look into using the Web-Kickstart system or getting your systems administrator to set that up for you. Only through the Web-Kickstart system can you install an officially supported Realm Linux client.

A student? Looking for the source? Interested in testing or learning more about Realm Linux? Realm Linux is completely GPL'd and can be freely downloaded. Off campus folks should look on ftp.linux.ncsu.edu. On campus folks can also get it from the HTTP server install.linux.ncsu.edu and the uber fast NCSU-only FTP server mirror.linux.ncsu.edu.