We had settled on FreeBSD as our open-source OS, but a few months ago we started investigating Sun's Solaris x86 as an alternative to conventional hardcore versions. We had explored this and other commercial options, such Red Hat Linux and Novell Linux, because you can get support and solid builds. We've also found more staff on hand who are experienced with these products.
Open-Source Openings
When Dirk, Bucky and I met with Steve, we explained exactly where we were using open-source software in our network and why. Executives tend to be particularly apprehensive about open-source software. One is a perceived lack of accountability with open source--that is, there's no one to call when a problem arises. With commercial software, execs assume you call the vendor right away. In my experience, though, IT wonks try to solve the problem themselves, regardless of whether the problem is with open-source or commercial software. If they can't do it alone, they turn to their compatriots on tech forums, e-mail lists and on the Web before they admit defeat and call the vendor.
Executives also worry about the security of open source. The fact that anyone can examine source code to find flaws makes some people feel naked. But open-source advocates rightly point to the alarming number of flaws and holes that have been identified in commercial OSs.
We addressed Steve's concerns by emphasizing that open-source software provides inexpensive redundancy for critical services such as SMTP, DNS and DHCP (as well as other purposes where practical). Bucky explained that many open-source applications match or exceed the capabilities of commercial security, network-monitoring and analysis systems. He also noted that many commercial systems are based on open-source applications. Dirk added that we were investigating open-source OSs backed by a support structure we could turn to as needed.
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