Computing Division	Linux at SLAC	SLAC Computing UNIX at SLAC LINUX-L Archives
	Updated: 21 Oct 2011

Supported Linux Distributions

Red Hat Enterprise Linux

SLAC's recommended Linux for all machines is Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Currently, two versions of RHEL are supported, RHEL6 and RHEL5.

RHEL4 is end-of-life Feb 2012; its use at SLAC is deprecated.

All SLAC RHEL4 hosts should be reinstalled with RHEL5 or RHEL6, or retired, by Dec 9, 2011. Red Hat's support for RHEL4 ends on Feb 29, 2012. For more information about plans for phasing out RHEL4 at SLAC, see End of Support for RHEL4 and SL4.

RHEL is available for both 32-bit (IA-32) and 64-bit (x86-64) architectures. RHEL6 or RHEL5 are the recommended versions for new installs (there is a moratorium on new installs of RHEL4). Note that software built under RHEL6 will not run on a RHEL5 system; likewise, software built on a RHEL6/64-bit system won't run on a RHEL6/32-bit machine.

RHEL3 and earlier versions of RHEL are not permitted at SLAC.

SLAC has negotiated a site subscription to RHEL and has also purchased a support contract from Red Hat, which has proven quite valuable. In addition to helping us resolve a number of problems it has also given us early access to new releases and a voice in Red Hat's future directions.

Scientific Linux

Scientific Linux (SL) is a free Linux distribution provided by FNAL and other labs and universities. It should be 100% compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The version currently available at SLAC is 32-bit SL4; however, this version is nearing end-of-life and SLAC is not planing to support newer versions of SL. Thus, the use of Scientific Linux at SLAC is deprecated.

All SLAC SL4 hosts should be reinstalled with RHEL5 or RHEL6, or retired, by Dec 9, 2011. Vendor support for SL4 ends on Feb 2, 2012. For more information about plans for phasing out SL4 at SLAC, see End of Support for RHEL4 and SL4.

Other Linux Distributions

The following are explicitly not supported:

• RHEL3, RHEL2.1
• SL6, SL5, SL3; 64-bit SL4
• Red Hat 9 or older
• Fedora Core (any version)
• Other Linux distributions (SUSE, Debian, etc.)

OS Updates

All earlier versions of the kernel or glibc are explicitly prohibited.

Preparing to install Linux

• Before Installation (and even purchase).
• Recommended Hardware for Desktops and Laptops for Linux.
• To get your Linux box properly installed follow the instructions below.
• OCIO runs several large Linux clusters. Before you consider buying your own cluster, please contact us via unix-admin@slac.stanford.edu

Installation and Maintenance Procedures for Linux at SLAC

• Installing and maintaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 at SLAC
• Installing and maintaining Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 at SLAC

Once you have installed Linux on your system, we strongly recommend that you also install taylor, the OCIO tool for maintaining UNIX and Linux systems. Instructions for installing taylor are included with the OS installation instructions in the Web pages referenced above. Among other things, taylor will automate the process of regularly applying operating system updates.

Please note that if you cannot run taylor (e.g., because you are using some other Linux distribution), or do not choose to run it, you are still responsible for maintaining your system. This includes but is not limited to such things as:

• regularly installing security patches
• removing or disabling local accounts when users leave SLAC
• guarding the root password
• complying with DOE security regulations (e.g., displaying the security banner during login)
• reporting suspicious activities to OCIO, etc.

Other Information

• Join the SLAC Linux mailing list by sending mail to majordomo@slac.stanford.edu with the first line of body being subscribe linux-l
• If you wish, OCIO will install Linux on a workstation that conforms to the "recommended hardware". You can talk to your local desktop administrator about this option or just submit this request form.
• How to access Windows files: ICA Client Installation for Linux/Unix
• Take a look at the new SLAC Linux FAQ.

Most of the following information is old and much of it is probably no longer relevant; use it at your own risk.

• Pointers to some other SLAC sources of information about Linux
• A list of other, non-SLAC Linux resources
• BaBar needs some specific RPMs for their software; please see Required Software for BABAR Computing for their current requirements.
• Frequently Asked Questions compiled by BaBar desktop support group.

Public Linux Machines at SLAC

• A Linux batch farm with over a 1000 nodes (most dual processors) running the LSF batch management software.
• Several load-balanced pools of machines for interactive, compute-intensive work. These machines have generic names reflecting the particular operating system on the machines in the pool, e.g., "rhel4-32" for a pool of machines running the 32-bit version of RHEL4.
• A smaller load-balanced pool, generic name "iris", for light interactive work, e.g., reading email, editing, Web browsing.