Technology FAQs - NetPRT, a service of Powder River Technologies, Inc.

When you look at our hosting options, you will see that we only offer Linux based hosting at this time. There are good reasons for this selection.

Q. Why don't you offer Microsoft operating systems based hosting?

A. There are three major reasons we don't offer Microsoft operating systems based hosting.

First, our experience with Microsoft based systems leads us to the opinion that they are more time intensive, and therefore more expensive, to administer and maintain. By using open source products, NetPRT is able to pass on the cost savings to our customers.

The second reason is security. A recent article by Mike Tarsala of CBS.MarketWatch.com reported that the Computer and Communications Industry Association distributed a research paper by seven security experts who indicated, among other things, that Microsoft based products lack "adequate security." (Read the article...) Certainly, all of the viruses that target Microsoft systems seems to support to their opinion. That doesn't mean that we don't use Microsoft software when developing applications or websites. Far from it. The wealth of good programs based on Microsoft operating systems for this kind of work is just too good to ignore. However, for hosting, UNIX wins hands down, for many sound technical reasons.

The third reason is that UNIX based systems "scale" nicely. By "scale," we mean that as our computing needs grow, NetPRT can add more equipment, or we can use computers with multiple processors. UNIX hardware systems exist now that can support anywhere from one processor to 16 or more processorsor on a single machine. Another way to scale is to tie in multiple machines to spread your work out, which is called grid computing. Both of these ways of scaling up operations are easy and relatively inexpensive ways to get either mainframe levels of computing, or even super-computer capabilities. We're not there yet, but we would like to be!

Q. Does that mean that Linux or UNIX can't be cracked?

A. No. Security analysts will tell you than any computer that is on a network can be cracked, given time. However, it does take alot more work to crack a UNIX or Linux system. It's part of NetPRT's job to make it difficult on potential crackers. We also monitor our systems for security and inappropriate access, and that is an important part of basic security.

Q. If no system on the Internet is safe, then why use Linux or UNIX?

A. Security also means being able to keep your files and services secure from other users on the same system. With UNIX or Linux, security permissions are attached to everything. Those permissions are the first things that are checked when the operating system executes a command. By attaching permissions to everything, and being able to manage software, services, and files authoritatively, you can constrain access to all items on the system. This makes the system that much more difficult to crack. This is just another way that UNIX helps us manage our systems more securely.

Q. Why don't you offer hosting based on commercial UNIX systems, such as Solaris, HP-UX or AIX?

A. NetPRT is experienced with all of those systems, and have found all of them to be good, workable systems. In the future, NetPRT may choose one of those systems as we expand our business, or as customer needs dictate. However, each of those operating systems generally rely on proprietary hardware from their respective companies, locking us into expensive equipment. By using Linux, NetPRT is able to pass cost savings on to our customers, while providing them with solid technology choices.

Yes, Solaris is available for Intel, but Linux on Intel has a broader hardware base, broader support from more vendors, and has a very broad base of applications available to it. More importantly, Linux offers standard open source software, not proprietary licensed packages, which further reduces cost.

AIX is a registered trademark of IBM, Inc. HP-UX is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard, Inc. Solaris is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Q. What about the SCO suit against IBM, and indirectly against Linux?

A. At this point, any resolution is too far out to worry about and making expensive technology changes would be premature. Recent news accounts indicate that while SCO is seeking to expand its licensing, its legal standing in the may not be secure. We will monitor the progress of the lawsuit, and make any technical or business changes that may be required if the SCO suit is successful. Customers will be notified in advance of any changes that may be necessary.

Q. Do you use open source or proprietary software?

A. Both. Wherever possible, NetPRT uses open source technologies. They are generally available across multiple plaftorms and there are many talented people working on those technologies. This way, regardless of our choice of operating system platform, the same software could still be used to provide a consistent interface to our users.

Yes, we write our own software, and often choose to base those solutions on open technologies such as Java, PHP or Perl. This furthers our ability to support multiple platforms and present our clients with flexible solutions. More importantly, by creating targeted software solutions, we can better serve our customers and clients, and increase the number of features available for their use. However, if there are good competitive packages available at a reasonable price, we will purchase and use that system.