ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS
OPEN SOURCE OS
INSYS
LINUX IS NOT DEAD
Windows operating system (OS) has over
79.46 per cent market share of the desktop
computer sector. However, in every other
computing sector, the complete opposite is
true with Linux OS holding the majority of
the market share. Here Florian Froschermeier,
technical sales manager of industrial router
manufacturer INSYS icom, explains why Linux
is in such a dominant position.
Technology giants like Cern, Amazon and
Google and the majority of server-side and
embedded technology all use Linux OS for
their systems and applications. There are
many reasons for OS’s popularity because
Linux is a licence-free open-source OS that is
highly flexible, customizable, portable and of
course at no cost to the user.
Free is great unless the product is not. As
Linux is open-source, it means that the source
code is available to be redistributed and
modified freely and with ease. With over 80
per cent of industrial applications using Linux
systems, the OS is constantly being patched
and upgraded by a legion of highly technical
users, ensuring it remains secure and reliable,
without costing you a penny.
The large variety of applications that use
Linux mean that the people updating the
software are from a diverse range of different
industrial backgrounds. Linux OS has,
therefore, been and can be customised to
work in many varied applications. This has
allowed the OS to become incredibly flexible
due to its constantly growing range of use
cases.
The main reasons for Linux’s popularity is
its reliability and the lightweight nature
of the OS. However, equally as critical is its
portability. Many operating systems are
not compatible with different versions of
themselves and require modifications to the
system or the software before they can work.
The different types of Linux OS are
manufacturer neutral by design, meaning
that it has been programmed, following
portable operating system interface
standards, to reduce or remove issues of
porting software between different Linux
environments.
Why businesses choose Linux
Another major benefit for businesses that use
Linux is that they can create their own version
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of the Linux for specific use cases. For example,
most major technology businesses have their
own version of Linux such as Amazon Linux,
gLinux and at INSYS we have our icom OS.
allows for industrial data to be analysed before
it is sent off-site, reducing the amount of
bandwidth required.
We designed icom OS due to our need for
a router specific OS. This has allowed us to
create a secure, portable and lightweight OS,
specifically made for use with routers. Other
industrial routers use off-the-shelf OS that,
while still functionable, can become saddled
with extra parts that slow down operations
and leave it vulnerable to attack. Linux into the future
The current and future potential for Linux
based systems is limitless. The system's
flexibility allows for the hardware that uses
it to be endlessly updated. Functionality
can, therefore, be maintained even as the
technology around the devices change. This
flexibility also means that the function of the
hardware can be modified to suit an ever-
changing workplace.
One of the major benefits that we have seen
from implementing our own version of Linux
is that our router can now support Linux
containers (LXC). LXCs are self-contained
programs that carry out operating-system-
level virtualization methods for running
multiple isolated Linux systems. For example, because the INSYS icom OS
has been specifically designed for use in
routers, this has allowed it to be optimised to
be lightweight and hardened to increase its
security.
Containers are becoming a key tool in modern
programming and application development.
Containers allow companies, if they have the
capabilities in house, to write their own code
and run it without the need for OEM support.
This means that developers and IT teams
are not waiting on updates from the OEM to
enable new functions but can go ahead and
generate their own specific application.
This has become increasingly easy because,
due to technological progress, modern
hardware has a large amount of excess
computing power. Hardware can, therefore,
incorporate extra functionality beside their
main duties elevating the system.
For example, INSYS routers have more than
enough computing power to route data from
industrial applications. By taking advantage
of this excess capacity and using icom OS
and LXC’s, end-users can implement extra
functionality such as edge computing, which
Multipurpose OS have large libraries of
applications for a diverse range of purposes.
Great for designing new uses, but these
libraries can also be exploited by actors
with malicious intent. Stripping down these
libraries to just what is necessary through a
hardening process can drastically improve
security by reducing the attackable surfaces.
Overall, Windows may have won the desktop
OS battle with only a minority of them using
Linux OS. However, desktops are only a minute
part of the computing world. Servers, mobile
systems and embedded technology that make
up the majority are predominately running
Linux. Linux has gained this position by being
more adaptable, lightweight and portable
than its competitors. For more information on
the benefits of Linux OS and industrial routers
read more on the INSYS website.
www.insys-icom.com