In the IT world it is very common to see IT administrators mange Windows servers. Most of these IT administrators either went to school where they were only taught how to setup networks using only Microsoft technology or only dealt with Windows servers and nothing else. We too at some point only dealt with Windows servers and yes we struggled with the reboots and the patches that sometimes brought them down. So we put ourselves through all these headaches simply because we did not want to deal with command line terminals or poor Linux/Unix point and click interfaces.

Well we got news for all those IT administrators who are still hanging on to their Windows servers just because of their GUIs. Yes we IT administrators now have the option to choose between Windows or Linux servers without the need to worry about the terminal/command line.

Most Linux servers give you the options to install a GUI or simply stick to the command line. While most hardcore Linux administrators will tell you that a server should not use a GUI and that the command line is the best way to go not only because of security reasons but also because you can get things done faster. And to some extend they are 100% correct but if you are a novice in Linux land and are trying to get your feet wet then why punish yourselves.

So instead of actually installing a complete desktop layer like Gnome(http://www.gnome.org/) or KDE(http://www.kde.org/) you could instead install Webmin(http://www.webmin.com/) which allows you to completely control and configure your servers. Webmin runs as a web application on a secure port and with a self signed security certificate so all of the information being transmitted is encrypted. It is also extremely easy to setup/install and once this is done you can use it to update your servers right from your web browser.

What can I do with Webmin?

  • Configure your server
  • Install/Update Server
  • Install and Update software
  • Manage Firewalls
  • Manage Email Servers
  • Manage SSH Servers/Connections
  • Manage Database servers(a variety to choose from)
  • Manage Network interfaces and connections
  • Manage Web Servers and Websites
  • Manage Hard disks and volume shares
  • Manage system backups
  • Manage Users/Groups/Directory/File permissions
  • Much more…

Don’t take our word for it take it for a spin http://webmin-demo.virtualmin.com/.

Now Windows administrators have zero excuse to not use Linux in their server rooms. We also recommend Ubuntu(http://www.ubuntu.com/) for Linux novice whom maybe reluctant to take the plunge trust me you will not regret it.